Scoring binge

Sporting News, The, Feb 4, 2005 by Sean Deveney

What seemed to some to be an early-season fluke is holding up halfway through the season. NBA teams are scoring more--much more--this season. Entering the week, eight teams were scoring more than 100 points per game, compared with just two at the end of last season. There are a number of reasons. For one, the league is getting stricter with its enforcement of holding rules on the perimeter, which has free throw attempts on the rise and allows offensive players more freedom.

But teams also are playing at a faster tempo, firing up more shots and becoming more willing to get out on the fast break. That leads to easy baskets, which have boosted field-goal percentages. With more shots, taken from higher-percentage spots, the league is putting up far better offensive numbers than last season.

       2003-04   2004-05

PPG    93.4      96.3
FG %   43.9      44.4
FGA    79.8      80.3
FTA    24.2      25.9