Basketball from a fan’s perspective

40,000

It was Bob Pettit who held the NBA scoring record, Wilt Chamberlain surpassed the Pettit number in 1966. By the time Chamberlain retired in 1973 it was 31,419 points he’d scored in his illustrious career. Rest assured there were numbers of people who believed the record would never be broken however they forgot one fact. There’s an old adage that says, “Records are meant to be broken” which was forgotten by some. April 5, 1984, Kareem Abdul Jabbar scored his 31,420th point, a record that had been in place for 38 years, he would play an additional five years retiring with 38,387 points.

That was it, no one would ever come close to breaking that record or at least that’s what some believed.For LeBron James it’s been an extensive NBA career rather than having a 50 point a game season similar to Chamberlain. Last February 7, 2023, LeBron broke the Kareem Abdul Jabbar scoring record, what’s next you ask? How about exceeding the 40,000-point mark? Although the game was a loss for the Lakers LeBron did it again, on Saturday evening March 2, 2024, he finished the game with 17 points eclipsing 40,000. At age 39 there is no telling what the scoring record will appear once LeBron retires. Can we say with conviction “Nobody will ever beat LeBron scoring total,” I’m not brave enough to make that statement out loud.

Yes, there are complaints

I hope it was made clear a few weeks ago I’m solidly in Dennis Gates corner. The Mizzou basketball season fell far below my expectations and surely other members of Mizzou Nation. What occurred, I cannot get into the X’s and O’s of the program, the other parts of the program I can see. This was mentioned previously and is worthy of covering again, Nick Honor and Noah Carter came no place close to what I expected to see as returning starters. As for my complaints this is what I see that falls directly on the coach. The transfer portal, with the exception of Tamar Bates, none of the newcomers played at any level expected of them.

The finger pointed is directly aimed at Gates as it should be. The injury factor must be addressed however there is no intention to dwell on that factor. The late Al McGuire once said, “The best thing about freshmen they become sophomores.” Mizzou’s problem this season those freshman roster members did not raise their level of play as hoped. Despite the jokes and sad dialogue heard on local radio and television I remain optimistic about the Mizzou basketball program. I hope no one believes the coach receives a lengthy pass, that only applies to the 2023-24 season. I would be far too optimistic if I said an SEC Championship is expected next season. That is not what this member of Mizzou Nation expects the case however much better play.

This time it was a win

My daily account regarding Victor Wembanyama generally contains detail of him playing an outstanding game but the Spurs turn out to be losers when the clock reads 00.00. That was not the case Sunday evening, they succeeded in beating the Pacers 117-105. As for Wemby this game would see him add to his NBA leading block total as he swatted 6 shots the Pacers attempted. 

The other portions of his game saw him score 31 points and pulled down 12 rebounds along with 6 assists. Wemby accomplished this while shooting 64.7% from the floor with 75.0% from three, he achieved this in 31 minutes of action. As the NBA season continues to wind down Wemby’s game is continuing to evolve. Wemby will be named Rookie of the Year and this is the next portion I believe. If the Spurs had a better record he might be a candidate for Defensive Player of the Year, in this instance it is more than likely he will receive a few votes.   

Why bother

I’m sure you might ask the question why I’m bothering with responding. Basketball Network published another article reporting why the NBA is losing viewers compared to the NFL. After I read the article I thought there is so much wrong with this, allow me to point a few contradictions. The NFL season is 17 games, the vast majority of games are on Sunday or Monday.

Thursday games were added in recent years but we can state the NFL generally plays three days and evenings during any given week. The season last from September to February when the Super Bowl and NFL champion is decided. By comparison the NBA season is 82 games long, games can be played Sunday-Saturday, the season runs from October to June when the NBA championship is concluded. Now you note the difference in the number of games played, one is essentially a weekend sport while the other can be played any night or day of the week. The NFL is the most popular sport in this nation there is no argument on my part, my disagreement is simple. How can you compare such different schedules and decide one is superior to the other? How about comparing the NBA to the National Hockley League?

The NHL also plays an 82-game schedule, they also play a Sunday through Saturday schedule. Beginning in October the season culminates with the Stanley Cup Champions crowned in June. If you agree with Basketball Network that NBA viewership is dwindling so be it, my hope was to provide a contrasting view of the conversation. In addition the comparison between the NBA and NFL is somewhat suspect based on how and when games are played.