Basketball fans today often complain that the NBA is too offense-oriented and the change in rules has only diminished the value of defense in the league. Hall of Famer Tracy McGrady seemingly agrees with the sentiment and recently gave his take on why the league has pushed it in that direction.
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In a post on Instagram, the retired star alleged that the NBA was doing it all for the sake of nothing more than entertainment. He even believes that the league has chosen to remove certain rules since the 1990s and 2000s to help offensive players flourish.
“The NBA wants the NBA to be entertainment. They want the fans to be entertained. How do you do that? You take a lot of the rules out that you had in the 90s and early 2000s and allow these offensive players to be great at what they do and you put the defense at a disadvantage… It’s all about entertainment”
McGrady then claimed that the skill level in today’s NBA is higher than ever and it’s almost impossible to guard players one-on-one. He added that the NBA outlawing hand-checking significantly hampered players’ ability to guard opponents and drastically reduced physicality in the league.
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McGrady is spot on. Basketball’s entertainment is often and largely linked to offensive skills. From dunking to nifty dribbling to three-point shooting, nearly everything that can be deemed entertaining or enthralling is an offensive maneuver.
The NBA’s decision to ban hand-checking immediately after the defense-oriented Detroit Pistons beat the Los Angeles Lakers in the 2004 Finals was a sign of what was to come. At that moment, the league officially washed away the dominance of defense, choosing offense instead.
And looking at the difference in numbers, it’s clear that they got what they hoped for.
Scoring at an all-time peak in the NBA
Scoring in the NBA has risen exponentially in the 21st century. From 2000 to 2005, NBA games averaged 95.2 points per game, with a steady increase each season. However, in the five seasons that followed, the average rose to 99.2, a four-point rise.
The average did not fluctuate much in the early 2010s, but the rise of the Golden State Warriors dynasty altered the landscape of the NBA for good. During their first title run in the 2014-15 season, NBA games averaged 100 points per game.
Their onus on three-point shooting and the subsequent success prompted more teams to emulate their philosophy and by the 2018-19 season, the league average jumped to 111.2 points [all stats per Statmuse].
The outlawing of hand-checking and the advent of the three-point era have meant that teams have no choice but to focus on building the best offense they can to win the title. Teams like the 2004 Pistons, who relied heavily on their defense, would no longer thrive due to the rules and the offensive philosophy that teams follow.
The NBA’s new $76 billion TV deal suggests that their decision to help offensive players and make the league more appealing to fans was the correct move.
However, the inflated scoring diminishes the accomplishments of players like Tracy McGrady, who put up big numbers in an era where defenses were allowed to physically stifle and harass ball-handlers and scorers. It’s the unfortunate consequence of the NBA’s onus on entertainment over competition.
