"I Could Score 100."

[dragonyeuw]

Re: "I Could Score 100."

And as I've said previously, a player like Kobe or Kevin Durant who can go on crazy hot streaks is a much better choice for super high scoring games than Jordan because they can shoot the 3.

Jordan could also go on incredible hot streaks.

[RonnieG]

Re: "I Could Score 100."

I'd love to see someone get 100, but you never will unless there's a drastic change in the NBA.

The only game where someone has scored more than 81 occurred in 1962 and frankly statistics from 1962 should be treated as if they never happened.

Saying that someone could score 25% more points than Kobe did in that game in the slowest and lowest scoring NBA ever is just wrong. And as I've said previously, a player like Kobe or Kevin Durant who can go on crazy hot streaks is a much better choice for super high scoring games than Jordan because they can shoot the 3. That's how Jamal Crawford has the same number of 50 point games as Shaq.

People just get so blinded by Jordan that they think he was so much better then everyone which isn't reality. He's the GOAT, but he's not the GOAT by any sizable margin.

Kobe benefited greatly from the rule changes that gave perimeter players more space. At every range after the rule changes shooting %s went up. Kobe scoring 81 soon after these rules is not a coincidence.

[Cebby]

Re: "I Could Score 100."

Kobe benefited greatly from the rule changes that gave perimeter players more space. At every range after the rule changes shooting %s went up. Kobe scoring 81 soon after these rules is not a coincidence.

I'm not sure the <1% shooting increased seen in the 5 years before and after the rule changes are as big as you're making them out.

Shooting percentages were already up. Players today are just better shooters than they were in the 80s and 90s because they grew up with the 3 point shot.

[ProfessaPackMan]

Re: &quot;I Could Score 100.&quot;

Cebby makes stats seem so overrated at times I swear lol.

[TMagic]

Re: &quot;I Could Score 100.&quot;

@ RonnieG...

Could Kobe's shot percentages not come from him just becoming a better player?

[dragonyeuw]

Re: &quot;I Could Score 100.&quot;

Players today really aren't better overall shooters. Alot of perimeter players now have the 3pt shot and a slashing game, but don't have much in the way of the midrange game. That's one of the things that separates Kobe from today's lot, he does have the midrange game.

[Dice]

Re: &quot;I Could Score 100.&quot;

And again, he's still 31 points short. That's a whole lot of points.

1. That comparison makes no sense. What do Michael Redd and Jerry Stackhouse having a big game have to do with Jordan? Especially when they just barely got half of what you're saying Jordan could do. That's like saying "if Billy could beat Joe in a race then Pedro could beat Usain Bolt."

Not only do you not understand the comparison BUT your taking my analogy way off base. What do Stackhouse, Jordan and Redd have in common? They all at one point in their lives played pro basketball. And with them comparing individual scoring achievements has nothing to do with head-to-head competition. So unless your stating that Billy, Joe and Pedro are all professional runners AND if Joe did beat Usain Bolt in a race AND Pedro beat Billy then YES Perdo could beat Usian Bolt in a race. My statement is nothing like what you said.

As far as the Stackhouse and Redd examples, neither one was half the scorer Jordan was and they got 57 points in a game. Which gives you the complete randomness of elite scoring in one game. Now I'm not saying that Jordan can do it at will BUT if the stars aligned right on that night and the team didn't care about defense then Jordan would be able to pull of that feat.

2. As much as you guys want to believe that the 80s and 90s defenses were so much better, the point totals now are far less.

You really cannot look into these numbers that much. Many factors play into why there is less scoring. And it's not because of better defense. This is not a case of which defense is better. This is more of a case of what defenses could do compared to now. Defenses got a lot more leeway in guarding someone than what they do now. What does this mean? It means that a fundamentally bad defender could actually be a good defender back then. Because the refs let them get away with physical contact. Today's game exposes the bad defenders. NOW, you have to use footwork and smarts as well as your hands to play D. And the no layup rule from the past is not like what it is now. Back then, it was called a playoff foul. NOW, it's an ejection as well as a suspension. That takes a toll on players. Now does that mean because YOU HAVE to play fundamental defense that there would be better defenders in the league? Not by a longshot. All this proves is that there are a lot more terrible defenders in the league being exposed. And going back to the numbers, are you going to tell me that the 2006 Chicago Bears was a better offensive team than the 1978 Steelers? If you look at the numbers the Bears total yardage was 5199. While the 78 Steelers had 4996. BUT anybody who knows football will tell you that the team with the HOF QB, WR'S and RB, which is the Steelers, would trump the other team. In football, defenses were allowed to do whatever they wanted to in order to bring the player down. Most of the stuff they did back in 78 would be ruled illegal. DB's were also allowed to mug WR's back then. NOW, you breath on a WR and it's pass interference. Was the defenses better? Can't say but they got away with a lot to make them look better.

So now you ask, why the low offense numbers? Well, as I stated before it starts with more players in the league with deficient offensive skills. You got more guys in the league who can't hit a 15 ft jumpshot than there was 20 years ago. Another reason for the low number is shooting percentages. More players are taking 3Pt shots than before. Which means the percentages are going to take a huge dip. Another one is more FT's back then. Now just because defenses got away with more doesn't mean that fouls weren't being called. More FT's means that more points went up on the board. This also attributes to the better offensively skilled players from yesteryear because most of them had the ability to draw fouls from their defenders.

Now take into content that Jordan would not be able to do it at will. I think people get caught up in the tone of the statement. Yes, Jordan has that type of arrogance with himself. BUT it's just like a great pitcher who thinks he can pitch a no-hitter as anytime. We all know he can do it BUT not when he wants to. The situation has to be right.

[airjoca]

Re: &quot;I Could Score 100.&quot;

WTF?

Of course Jordan could drop 100 against high school girls or Yugoslavian club teams. That has nothing to do with the topic at hand.

WTF back at ya.

Cheryll Miller was the best highschool girl player, playing against highschool girls.

Drazen Petrovic was the best Yugoslavian pro, playing against Yugoslavian Pros.

Michael Jordan was the best player in the NBA, playing against NBA players.

Those are equivalent situations, because the three of them were the best at their rank/league.

And my point was to enphasize the fact that it wasn't only Wilt that did it, nor that it is humanly impossible for someone to do it.

You guys doubting MJ here are just like the ones that doubted him on his first comeback. Then next season he led his team to the best record in the history of the NBA.

Never doubt Michael Jordan.

[da ThRONe]

Re: &quot;I Could Score 100.&quot;

WTF back at ya.

Cheryll Miller was the best highschool girl player, playing against highschool girls.

Drazen Petrovic was the best Yugoslavian pro, playing against Yugoslavian Pros.

Michael Jordan was the best player in the NBA, playing against NBA players.

Those are equivalent situations, because the three of them were the best at their rank/league.

And my point was to enphasize the fact that it wasn't only Wilt that did it, nor that it is humanly impossible for someone to do it.

You guys doubting MJ here are just like the ones that doubted him on his first comeback. Then next season he led his team to the best record in the history of the NBA.

Never doubt Michael Jordan.

I'm sorry this arguement makes no sense. The level of talent Cheryll and Drazen faced isnt even close to the level of talent Jordan saw from even the bottom of the barrel teams.

Your comparing highschool girls basketball in the 80's to NBA basketball?

The game is easy if your a A+ player playing against F and D- players.

[da ThRONe]

Re: &quot;I Could Score 100.&quot;

Everybody keep saying dont doubt Jordan. Yet he has never come close to scoring 100. If that isnt a reason to doubt I dont know what is?

[KG]

Re: &quot;I Could Score 100.&quot;

I love the:

"If (insert random player who scored 50 once in his NBA Career) could get to half-a-century than MJ could because he was twice the scorer/player" argument.

[23]

Re: &quot;I Could Score 100.&quot;

Everybody keep saying dont doubt Jordan. Yet he has never come close to scoring 100. If that isnt a reason to doubt I dont know what is?

Well I proved he got halfway there as an old man, so that leads me to believe he could do twice as much in his prime against a defensive sieve team like that Raptors team on that same night.

[King_B_Mack]

Re: &quot;I Could Score 100.&quot;

Everybody keep saying dont doubt Jordan. Yet he has never come close to scoring 100. If that isnt a reason to doubt I dont know what is?

This is such stupid logic. No one has come close to 81 points except Kobe. Does that mean he's the only person in league history capable of scoring 81? No one has come close to 100 but Kobe, does that mean he's the only player in history capable of scoring 100 cause he's at least come close? Jordan was putting together complete games while going bonkers in his career, Kobe was ONLY scoring in his 81 pointer. I'm looking at things in a light that Kobe's 81 has happened and the 'who's better' talk in the media and between fans has shifted to Kobe because he had that game. If Jordan set out to do it against some scrub defensive team, he COULD do it. My biggest thing has been this discussion going in a direction as if Jordan couldn't even score 70 or 81 simply because he didn't ever do it in his career which is how some of you are acting.

[snepp]

Re: &quot;I Could Score 100.&quot;

MJ is a marketing genius. This doesn't have anything to do with scoring 100 points, it has everything to do with keeping him, and his brand, front and center.

Judging from the response here, and elsewhere, I'd say it was a resounding success.

[KG]

Re: &quot;I Could Score 100.&quot;

This is such stupid logic. No one has come close to 81 points except Kobe. Does that mean he's the only person in league history capable of scoring 81? No one has come close to 100 but Kobe, does that mean he's the only player in history capable of scoring 100 cause he's at least come close? Jordan was putting together complete games while going bonkers in his career, Kobe was ONLY scoring in his 81 pointer. I'm looking at things in a light that Kobe's 81 has happened and the 'who's better' talk in the media and between fans has shifted to Kobe because he had that game. If Jordan set out to do it against some scrub defensive team, he COULD do it. My biggest thing has been this discussion going in a direction as if Jordan couldn't even score 70 or 81 simply because he didn't ever do it in his career which is how some of you are acting.

"I'm sorry Kobe but 81 is not enough. You should have grabbed a few more boards and out of the 41 other pts you're team scored you could have also picked up 3 or 4 more assists."