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Comment by padobson | Hacker News Reader

Not sure how deep you intended this joke to go, but the NBA had 23 franchises in 1980 [0] that scored 108 points per game[1].

Now there are 30 franchises scoring 114 points per game.

If you look at the points per game stats, scoring dipped as the number of teams expanded, but rule changes, officiating changes and increases in talent over time led to more points being scored.

So a 1980 point was almost certainly worth more than a 2022 point.

[0]https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1980%E2%80%9381_NBA_season

[1]https://www.basketball-reference.com/leagues/NBA_stats_per_g...

edits: typos

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I think most people accept that sports change over time and it's difficult to compare historical players with current ones.

Ignoring rule changes, there's the fact that athletes can collect so much data about their performance and use that information to improve in ways that just weren't available 30-50 years ago. Not to mention all of the scientific breakthroughs society has achieved in our understanding of the human body, nutrition, pharmacology, etc. An athlete born in 2020 has a huge advantage over one born in 1920.

> An athlete born in 2020 has a huge advantage over one born in 1920.

A big disadvantage, though, too: he has to play against players with the same advantages.

So true!

Look at clips of Wayne Gretzky from the 1980's, which is also when he set all-time records that have not yet been surpassed (and people still believe never will, though Ovechkin has a chance at the goals record)

What's incredible isn't what he's doing, it's what everyone else around him is NOT doing.

* He's skating fast but not that fast (compared to modern skaters)

* His shot is accurate but he's not a sniper. Many shots never leave the ice

* But the defenders have absolutely no checking ability

* And the goalies are upright! The butterfly style hasn't been popularized yet! They're just awkard sieve slowly shuffling around in net.

In the 20 seasons Lebron has been in the NBA the average points scored by a team per game has been 103, while in KAJ's first 20 seasons the average was 109. The early 2000's were incredibly slow compared to the 70's and 80's[0].

https://e7n9s5t9.stackpathcdn.com/articles/wp-content/upload...

Yes, absolutely correct. I'd say the Showtime Lakers are the poster child for fast pace in the 80s.

This is why I included the number of teams. PPG has fluctuated across eras, but total points has gone up over time.[0]

Talent dilution in the expansion from 23 to 30 teams undoubtedly had an effect on pace in the late 90s/2000s.

There's probably a good formula for determining the value of a point across eras, but I'm not going to waste too many brain cells on it.

[0]https://www.basketball-reference.com/leagues/NBA_stats_total...

I love you HN. Never change.

Stuff like the hand checking rule and better floor spacing as a result of the rise in prominence of the 3 point shot come to mind

Nevermind that the 3pointer was introduced 10 years after Kareem's rookie season. He has a single 3 pointer made in his career

pretty crazy when you compare it to many similar sized players who have come after him, making a living beyond the three point line!

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