100 Points: Who & Against which Team?

[Kenny]

Wasn't David Robinson in a race for the scoring title when he scored that 71? I think that's why it was seen as stat padding.

[Andrew]

With Shaq, yeah. Glancing back, Robinson's 71 ended up edging Shaq out by six points in total and 0.5 ppg to win the scoring crown.

[benji]

Well, if we're going to bump threads like this it must be important.

How are you defining ... 'ineffective'?

27-55.

How are you defining 'stat-padding''?

Deliberately feeding a player over and over again in a meaningless game so they can get a personal milestone.

[koberulz]

Well, if we're going to bump threads like this it must be important.

I just watched Kobe's 81 tonight, and remembered what you'd said here. Sue me.

27-55.

Which doesn't really tell you anything about how they were playing in that game. Or even how good/bad they were compared to the Lakers throughout the season.

The Raptors were up 18 in the first half. Kobe and Chris Mihm were the only two Lakers with eFG% over .500, unless you want to count Brian Cook's 1/1. The Raptors may have been ineffective on the season, but the Lakers, apart from Kobe, were far more ineffective during that game.

Deliberately feeding a player over and over again in a meaningless game so they can get a personal milestone.

It wasn't a meaningless game, and had the Lakers not kept feeding Kobe they'd have gone down horribly, unless someone else managed to work out how to shoot the damn ball. There wasn't really a point - not until he was well past 70 - that anyone but Kobe looked like they were forcing anything, and when the hell doesn't Kobe force anything? A fair chunk of his shots were pullup threes without anyone else touching the ball.

Obviously, a more competent team would have (or at least should have) shut Kobe down and he'd have gone for about 35 and the Lakers would've lost by a mile. But the idea that the Lakers as a unit just decided to pick on a hapless Raptors team to get Kobe as many points as possible in a game that was never in doubt is just wrong. Once he hit 72-74, the Raptors gave up and the Lakers started forcing things, but until that time it was entirely necessary that he do what he did, or there was a bloody good chance the Raptors walk out of there with a win, in a year in which the Lakers scraped into the playoffs by four games and the seventh seed by just one.

[benji]

Because scraping into the playoffs is something everyone should ascribe to.

Where's our Houston fans?

It wasn't a meaningless game, and had the Lakers not kept feeding Kobe they'd have gone down horribly

Oh dear, a non-contender loses to a lottery team having a good night, how will they ever survive?!?

But the idea that the Lakers as a unit just decided to pick on a hapless Raptors team to get Kobe as many points as possible in a game that was never in doubt is just wrong.

when the hell doesn't Kobe force anything?

BOOM.

[koberulz]

Because scraping into the playoffs is something everyone should ascribe to.

We're not talking about building a roster built to do that.

Oh dear, a non-contender loses to a lottery team having a good night, how will they ever survive?!?

The point of basketball games is to win. You seem to have a problem with the Lakers trying to do that.

That's the implication I take from 'stat-padding against ineffective opposition'. Not that it was necessarily conscious, or decided before the game, but certainly that the primary motivation is stats, and said actions were not necessary to win the game.

[benji]

We're not talking about building a roster built to do that.

Should have taken that up with Mitch Kupchack back in the day then.

The point of basketball games is to win. You seem to have a problem with the Lakers trying to do that.

Well, yeah, they wasted their time on letting Kobe not take any shots in the second half of a first round game seven instead of trying for some good draft picks.

That's the implication I take from 'stat-padding against ineffective opposition'. Not that it was necessarily conscious, or decided before the game, but certainly that the primary motivation is stats, and said actions were not necessary to win the game.

Yes, David Robinson taking gobs of shots against a lottery team in the last game of the season and Kobe continuing to jack shots against another lottery team were vital to the Spurs and Lakers success and have nothing to do with chasing personal milestones.

[koberulz]

Well, yeah, they wasted their time on letting Kobe not take any shots in the second half of a first round game seven instead of trying for some good draft picks.

Of course, had Kobe not sulked, they could've actually done some damage in the playoffs. And they were in the Finals two years later anyway, so I've a hard time believing it damaged them to any degree.

Yes,...Kobe continuing to jack shots against another lottery team were vital to the...Lakers success and have nothing to do with chasing personal milestones.

(Ignoring Robinson's game because, as I said at the outset, I'm not that familiar with it)

I'm sure Kobe had the milestone on his mind, but that happens all the damn time. I didn't see Kobe getting to 70 as being any more of a milestone-chase than what probably goes on all the time when a player has eight or nine of something, and in this particular case I'd suggest it was vital to their success. If you're willing to define winning that game as 'success'.

[Sauru]

just for the hell of it i would like to add that the next player to score 100 will be picked by the nba. they will send him to the line 87 times to guarantee it


oh and the robinson thing was clearly stat padding. there was no damn defense on him at the end. it was like both teams wanted him to win it


and for the kobe game, its hard for anyone else to get going when you are jacking up 50 shots or so

[bowdown]

Wasnt there a game between Denver and Seattle a few years back which went on to be 168-116? It could happen but if the game is more closer like 145-135...high scoring, lack of defense and both teams in it till the end....perfect chance for a pure scorer to go off.

[NovU]

and for the kobe game, its hard for anyone else to get going when you are jacking up 50 shots or so

Got to the line 30 times as well. That's with 4 or 5 competent guys on your team.

But who else do you think can jack up 50 shots and got to the line 30 times in a single game. Yeah, that's right. Nobody. I don't think it's a healthy thing for the team nor for the player.

[Sauru]

and for the kobe game, its hard for anyone else to get going when you are jacking up 50 shots or so

Got to the line 30 times as well. That's with 4 or 5 competent guys on your team.

But who else do you think can jack up 50 shots and got to the line 30 times in a single game. Yeah, that's right. Nobody. I don't think it's a healthy thing for the team nor for the player.

i cant imagine any coach allowing a player to shoot that much. also i agree, its not good for the team at all