A Video Game In The Orlando Bubble

On July 31, 2020, the Houston Rockets and Dallas Mavericks competed in one of the so-called “seeding games” in the Orlando, Florida bubble as part of the National Basketball Association’s resumption of its 2019-20 season. The matchup featured two of the top three teams in per-game scoring average and the top two teams in average three-point field goal attempts per contest by a considerable margin over number three. Those who saw this game on the schedule and assumed it would resemble a video game in the Orlando bubble were not disappointed.

LIKE WATCHING A TENNIS MATCH

Head’s on a swivel watching these two teams go at it. The shots go up with little regard for the 24-second clock. The first open three-pointer gets launched on either end and both teams know it. The Rockets’ center is about 6’5″ and they don’t care. Drop a pass to your low-post center and his seven-inch height advantage against the Rockets’ center for a high-percentage shot or dunk. The Rockets love it. They’ll gladly absorb your two-point field goals in exchange for their three-point field goals. The Mavericks, on the other hand, have a guy well over seven-feet tall launching three-pointers with regularity. At games end, with all the distance covered by the athletes and the quick change of ends, the most tired folks in the building are the ones operating those bulky television cameras.

Who needs a clock? First one to 150 wins.

BY THE NUMBERS

The July 31 game ended after one overtime period, with Houston winning 153 to 149. The teams combined for 97 three-point field goal attempts, or 47 percent of the 206 shots from the floor. Both connected on a decent percentage of their attempts at around 40, with dunks and layups as the other option. Of course, the mid-range shot was almost nonexistent and a look at the shot chart reveals that, not surprisingly. most of the action took place either in the paint or outside the arc. The score was tied at 42 after one quarter and Dallas led 85 to 75 at halftime. The All-Star Game-like numbers continued through the third quarter as both teams eclipsed the one hundred point mark with ease with Dallas leading 119 to 108.

In the fourth quarter, both teams decided to scrap the social distancing on the defensive end or were exhausted by the pace of the first three. Houston outscored Dallas 31 to 20 to send the game into overtime tied at 139. The Houston 14, Dallas 10 tally in overtime is considered high for an extra five-minute session, but normal for games between these two squads. In their previous two meetings this season, they combined for an average 254.5 points per game, including about 85 three-point attempts, giving their contests a real video game-like feel.

If Hakeem Olajuwon or Moses Malone played for the Rockets now, they’d either have to learn how to shoot three-pointers or average 15 points per game. The Rockets wouldn’t be very interested in their post moves resulting in two-point field goals. They’d be decoys.

LEARNING TO LIVE WITH THE THREE-POINTER EMPHASIS

A lot of us who grew up watching the sport in prior decades aren’t feeling this style of play and are still looking for evidence that it can result in a championship because it hasn’t happened yet. But as more teams adopt it, it will eventually become a championship offense because everyone will be using it. And judging by what we’ve seen at the lower levels of the sport, this isn’t going anywhere. So if we want to continue to watch basketball, we might as well (gulp) try to live with it.

It can be entertaining to watch a game where both teams are scoring at a rapid pace. It’s excruciating to watch when players who aren’t accurate shooters join the long-distance party, and even more distressing to learn those shots come with the coach’s blessings. When a team is playing while fatigued, their shots are clanging off the front of the rim and there’s no alternative game plan because they only play one way, the cons of playing this style are exposed, particularly during the postseason where the ability to make adjustments on the fly is paramount.

But the game has changed and it’s still popular, particularly among the younger set. Those of us who remember the way the game was played in the 1980’s and earlier are no longer part of the targeted demographic for the NBA, so barring any major rules changes aimed at limiting the number of three-point attempts in a game, we’ll just have to sneer and bear it.

Remember when sports video games simulated the real thing? We’ve turned the corner and now it’s vice-versa.

Photo by Zac Wolff on Unsplash