Basketball stats - why PPG instead of total points?

[orangemonk]

Why is the NBA scoring leader the guy with the most points per game? In every other sport we use totals for almost every stat (HRs, RBI in baseball, Goals/Assists in Hockey, Passing/Rushing/Rec. yards, total TD in football). Why wasn't Kevin Durant the scoring champion? He scored the most points this year.

 

[KowboyKarl]

I think its just a numbers thing and what is easier to understand or keep track of game by game.Its similar to hits in baseball, which we use, but, the batting average is really what's used far more regularly, pretty much the standard.

For example, in hoops its easier to say Player X averages 22.7 ppg rather than saying Player X has 1578 pts this season. Just like in baseball its easier to say Player X is hitting .317 rather than saying Player X has 153 hits this season. Additionally, in baseball one guy might have more hits because he has 50 (or whatever number) more at bats than another guy who actually has a higher average. As far as HRs and RBI in baseball it would be a lot tougher to see the difference between guys if it was based on per game averages... Example: HRs per game... C. Davis 0.4, Puig 0.3, Cabrera 0.3, Dunn 0.3, Dom. Brown 0.3 --- RBI per game... Cabrera 1.0, C. Davis, 1.0, Ortiz 0.9, Goldschmidt 0.9, Cuddyer 0.8

Make sense?

 

[Gyno]

LOL cause in the NBA there are a ton of points scored. On average about 195, right?

NFL average game , 40?

MLB 8 or 9?


thats why.

 

[orangemonk]

I understand it's slightly more complicated but I was going through some NBA stats from last season and saw that Durant had scored like 600 more total points than Carmelo but didn't win the scoring title, which didn't seem 100% fair.

Batting average I guess I overlooked but saying "he's hitting three sixty five" is a higher number (save the .) than saying "he has two hundred thirty four hits"

 

[orangemonk]

might be another thread too, but it bothers me that playoff stats don't count, when what is happening is at a premium based on the situation. It's like we forgot that postseason HRs ever happened. Again, I understand the want to normalize the data and give all players an equal # of games so their stats are more relevant per season but I don't understand why Reggie Jackson's memorable three home runs don't count in the stat book.

 

[Gyno]

Well there is regular season and playoff stats.. the playoff stats don't count cause only a small % of the players get to participate. Would make it hard to compare stats.

 

[KowboyKarl]

I think the batting average instead of hits just puts it on a level playing field. One guy may hit 7th in a lineup on a team without a great overall offense and another guy hits leadoff for a team with a juggernaut offense...both guys could end up playing in the same number of games, but, the guy hitting leadoff for the juggernaut offense could easily end up with 100-150 more at bats than the other guy by seasons end.

 

[orangemonk]

Well there is regular season and playoff stats.. the playoff stats don't count cause only a small % of the players get to participate. Would make it hard to compare stats.

yes i understand this. but doesn't part of you think a player's career totals should be rewarded by them making it to the playoffs? they still hit the playoff home run.

Bond's hit 762 regular season home runs and 9 postseason home runs for a total of 771 but we act like he only hit 762 when we bring up any career HR statistic when the 9 others were probably all way more important to his team.

 

[KowboyKarl]

In a sense I agree with you, but, the big picture, it wouldn't be fair to the rest of the players and would create a much larger controversy.

 

[KowboyKarl]

As gyno said...there are regular season stats and playoff stats. They are kept separately for very good reasons.

 

[Gyno]

players would flock to good teams even more.. it would be a mess.

 

[orangemonk]

What's the very good reason? Because we've always done it that way? Why are playoff stats never included in career totals?!?! These are the most important parts of any player's career!

 

[hugh613]

As gyno said...there are regular season stats and playoff stats. They are kept separately for very good reasons.

Yes, because otherwise Robert Horry would be a HOF'er...

 

[orangemonk]

players would flock to good teams even more.. it would be a mess.

A. I don't think a player is going to flock to a good team for a few extra HRs on their career total.
B. Even if they did, is it the worst thing in the world to give these guys extra incentive to play for a winner rather than make a couple extra million for a loser?

 

[KowboyKarl]

What's the very good reason? Because we've always done it that way? Why are playoff stats never included in career totals?!?! These are the most important parts of any player's career!

For example...let's say the top 4 teams in the NBA would end up with 20-25 more games played every season. That's another 25% of a season compared to most other teams.

 

[orangemonk]

So all of Kobe's points he scored dont get to count because he was on a winner? He put an extra 3 seasons on his legs with playoff stats that don't count to his career totals. He still scored the points. If the other players who didn't make it that far were better maybe they would be the ones adding to their career totals. Judging players by their regular season accomplishments sounds so silly when we all know the end goal is playoffs/championships.

 

[KowboyKarl]

Sad but true...no, they don't get to count toward his regular season career points totals.

But, he currently ranks as the #3 all-time playoff scorer behind MJ and Kareem.

 

[KowboyKarl]

Sad but true...no, they don't get to count toward his regular season career points totals.

But, he currently ranks as the #3 all-time playoff scorer behind MJ and Kareem.

He's just 122 pts behind Kareem and 347 pts behind MJ. Shoulda passed Kareem this past season but that Achilles injury screwed that up.

 

[orangemonk]

But at the end of his career why are we going to say "Kobe scored 45,000 points" when he really scored 60,000. We're acting like his 15,000 most important points didn't happen (throwing out #s). Other players had just as much of a chance to make it to the NBA finals and score more points as Kobe did -- all of his pts should count toward his career total

 

[twinkie13]

you have to seperate them to make the playing field even and have conclusive data

 

[KowboyKarl]

But at the end of his career why are we going to say "Kobe scored 45,000 points" when he really scored 60,000. We're acting like his 15,000 most important points didn't happen (throwing out #s). Other players had just as much of a chance to make it to the NBA finals and score more points as Kobe did -- all of his pts should count toward his career total

Just a note here... MJ, the all-time leader, scored just under 6,000 career playoff points.

 

[orangemonk]

Just a note here... MJ, the all-time leader, scored just under 6,000 career playoff points.

Ok so we're leaving out almost 20% of his career points scored. Feel better?

 

[KowboyKarl]

Not at all, just pointing out 15,000 is way off the mark.

 

[orangemonk]

Not at all, just pointing out 15,000 is way off the mark.

Yeah I said I was just throwing out numbers. Pointing out that you must have missed that

 

[cudder]

So all of Kobe's points he scored dont get to count because he was on a winner? He put an extra 3 seasons on his legs with playoff stats that don't count to his career totals. He still scored the points. If the other players who didn't make it that far were better maybe they would be the ones adding to their career totals. Judging players by their regular season accomplishments sounds so silly when we all know the end goal is playoffs/championships.

We can go both ways.. Should we count rings when considering the best? To me it seems obvious of course. The best players not the best teams

 

[Son_of_A_Legend]

Yes, because otherwise Robert Horry would be a HOF'er...

How many Championship Rings does he have?
Some people feel only those with Championship Rings should be in.

 

[Son_of_A_Legend]

He's just 122 pts behind Kareem and 347 pts behind MJ. Shoulda passed Kareem this past season but that Achilles injury screwed that up.

One big difference is Kareem played the majority of his career with no three point feild goals.
Not that he would have been firing them up like Manute Bol but the game has changed since his time.
You want a three point play, make your field goal and free throw - just how it was, right?

 

[RetroVK]

what college did kobe and LeBron play for again? I think moses Malone never went to college but back in the day it was pretty standard to spend a few years in college before going pro .. some of these good players now give up on college ( and who can blame them? ). They get an extra year or two or three in the young part of their career and develop their nba game so they reach their optimal bb iq/athletic ability at an earlier age. Some of them can even harness their urges to rape into desire to win.