DISGRACEFUL – Stephen A. sounds off on Hawks’ defense vs. Luka Doncic | NBA Countdown

DISGRACEFUL – Stephen A. sounds off on Hawks’ defense vs. Luka Doncic | NBA Countdown

That is our Prime Time matchup but first have you seen the scoring that’s been going on around the League this week I mean what a time to be a score in the NBA we’re going to start with the guys who were in the 60 point club right

Monday Carl Anthony towns had 62 against the Hornets in a loss and then Deon Booker matched that number in a loss against the Pacers so now on to the high rollers here Monday Joel MB dropped 70 points against the Spurs that’s the most by any player in 76ers history passing

Wilt 68o game anytime you pass wilt that’s pretty noteworthy Mr wilbot and then last night of course Luca magic took over in Atlanta dropping 73 points against the Hawks that’s the most by any player in a game since Kobe Bryant’s 81-point game that was in 2006 but all

Right we haven’t seen numbers like this since the 60s Bob is this recent rise in scoring is that good for the NBA if the fans like it I don’t I don’t like it I’m just going to say what I don’t like um cuz I’m sitting up here

And I get to do that um I think 50 is the new 40 40 is the new 30 60 is the new 50 it I just think that um it’s too much I like watching players play through contact I’m not saying I loved your Anthony Mason Nick days but

But but this is to me over correction right and I think this is all the rules are offensive minded rules um sure I don’t I love guys scoring a lot of points that’s great but not having to playr contact and the problem now is you

Touch a guy will B you go to the basket I did that they look at the big board the last two minutes everybody’s doing this everybody’s doing this the players say he touched my arm used to be you know guy touches your arm a little bit

Okay that’s not a foul but now look I think if fans like it Malika it’s going to keep it’s it’s what it is for me though I prefer some physicality that that’s just me every Sport’s gone this Direction They legislate out defense for the fans this is not about strategy or

X’s and O’s this is about none of that baseball is now trying to put action back in the game let’s take out the defensive Shifting the Epstein was brought in to do this to be the Zar of improving the product and what does that mean it means more action more offense

Not just home runs for the fans we know football’s legislated it out every quarterback gets up looking for a flag because he doesn’t want to get hit right offense they’ve legislated defense out of the game the great 85 Bears team that is so beloved to me they those guys

Would be thrown out of the game for the hits in the first quarter they’d all be dismissed and the NBA now it’s it’s 1962 all over again I know fans love it the league is going to stay in this direction Bob I think is it I’m trying

To get used to it um I’m trying to get used to it I’m I’m sort of I’m closer to Bob because I’m like come on if if if everybody can score 70 then how special is it the League’s general managers have periodic calls where they talk about the

State of the game they had one yesterday before Devin Booker before Luca donic escalated this scoring this week and the message from the league office to the GMS was we love this there’s what what there’s no discussion about what there’s no discussion about is uh trying to

Bring this back the other way they want more offense the league has a TV right steal that they’re negotiating they believe that fans love seeing this and there’s no conversation about making it any harder for the offense and I think couple factors for this league and Adam Silver was saying

This to GMS yesterday the fact that the resting rules they believe are working there are more star players playing more games they are are encouraging teams to continue with that and then obviously uh listen this is a league uh that wants to continue to see uh these kinds of this

Kinds of scoring it’s not going back Stephen A looks skeptical because let’s F first of all a couple of things I I’m I’m very upset that we start off the show with me and Bob Meers agreeing on something I don’t like it I don’t like it at all okay but that we

We’ll go with that for the moment but in all seriousness guys in all seriousness guys Mike let’s not go overboard with this the fans want this no the league wanted it the league wanted it I they say it’s because of the fans don’t get me wrong I’m saying the fans don’t want

Guys getting mugged and fouls getting caught but the fans didn’t want what we saw last night in Atlanta did you see that I mean that was a layup line that was just listen that was allar game the Atlanta the Atlanta hwks no wonder why y’all stink did you see how they played

Defense last night I mean this is not this is not Joel and B who played Billy ball because you know what you have a thin Victor Wim on you we understand that we expect that this is not a situation where Carl Anthony towns dropped 58 in the first three quarters

And did disappeared was the APB out for him in the fourth quarter and all of this other stuff but the 58 points he scored those first three quarters a lot of those points he was being challenge this is not that what transpired last night in Atlanta was disgraceful it made

Me feel like I just go out and get somebody that don’t want you have to play defense all you gotta do is play offense you have to play defense that’s what the hell took place in Atlanta last night there’s a difference don’t tell me anybody wants that no you don’t want to

Change it and go back to old times but in the same breath you don’t mean for it to Res resemble the first three quarters at NBA Allstar Weekend which is what last night looked like in Atlanta Georgia the Hawks used to be ashamed of your damn self you really should right

Now currently in the NBA four of the top 10 all-time offenses Indiana Milwaukee Boston and the Los Angeles Clippers four of the 10 top 10 all time in this current NBA season I’ll tell you what um a lot of us have been to playoff games you know what I love tough play playoff

Game tough matchup you watch somebody go to the basket they get hit and the referee just looks at them and gives them one of the get up yes and then and then I look at the guy next to me I go oh they’re going to call like this

They’re going to call like this and you watch the players in the game and they see it they look at each other and they look at the ref and the ref says hey that’s what it’s going to be tonight right that’s the game I want to see now

It doesn’t take away the offense I think it always kind of gets there it gets there but this is not even close quick here’s what I don’t want to hear I don’t I’m tired of hearing already this this is the greatest scoring this person is the greatest score no no you can devalue

Scoring in any sport and by the way nobody now is playing with this right Jordan and Isaiah and Magic played with that this this pace how many points Michael Jordan averaging a game about 70 if never seen two 70o games in a week before and now we have it He

NBA Countdown’s Malika Andrews, Stephen A. Smith, Michael Wilbon, Adrian Wojnarowski and Bob Myers discuss the scoring surge this week that includes Luka Doncic scoring 73, Joel Embiid 70 and each Karl-Anthony Towns and Devin Booker putting up 62 in losses.

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