In post- lockout, quality of NBA is under fire

Blowouts rise, scoring drops

As NBA announced its starters for the Feb. 26 All- Star Game in Orlando, the talk is about the suspect quality of play six weeks into season.

As the NBA announced its starters for the Feb. 26 AllStar Game in Orlando, talk Thursday, beyond phenomenal dunks this week, was on suspect quality of play six weeks into a lockout- shortened, 66- game season.

Blowouts are rising as teams have four games in five nights or five in seven nights, with players weary from the demanding travel. And scoring is down. In 325 games through Of first 325 games

(%) 2011- 12 58 ( 18%) 15 ( 5%) 47 ( 14%) Wednesday, with 650 chances for teams to get 100 or more points, 103 times they did— vs. in the first 339 games last year, with 678 chances, they did 334 times.

TNT analyst Charles Barkley told ESPN 1000 in Chicago Of first 339 games

(%) 2010- 11 Win margin 20 ormore points 42 games ( 12%) Win margin 30 ormore points 7 ( 2%) Both teams 100 or more points 102 ( 30%) this week, “I cannot believe how bad the NBA is right now. . . .

“Watching the NBA right now, I’m embarrassed about the product we’re putting out there.”

ABC/ ESPN’S Jeff Van Gundy told USA TODAY that he agreed. “If you’re objective, the basketball is very poor,” he said. “It was in control of the league and the players to make it possibly better by not cramming so much into a short period of time. . . .

“It’s a choice they made to take money over quality. You can’t begrudge them.”

Few should be surprised. In 1997- 98, teams averaged 95.6 points and shot 45%. In 1999, a lockout- shortened 50- game season, teams averaged 91.6 and shot 43.7%.

Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban, after Wednesday’s loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder, also said that the quality of officiating was off.

“I haven’t said a whole lot about ( it) in a long, long time, but I haven’t seen it this bad in a long, long time,” Cuban said.

Yet with all this, TV ratings are up, illustrating a point fans made after the exciting end to last season and during the lockout: They want the NBA, good, bad and the ugly.