Final season, the NBA set a minimal of at the very least 65 video games performed for gamers to be eligible for particular person postseason awards in an effort to curb load administration. The early returns have been promising, too. So why cease there? Traditionally, the scoring champion has been determined by a participant’s points-per-game common. However what if we modified that to whole factors scored?
In the present day, we’re going to try the seasons during which the NBA’s high scorers (judged by whole factors scored) weren’t the scoring champions as a result of they didn’t have a excessive sufficient points-per-game common.
There have been a number of such cases in NBA historical past, as way back as 1969-70 and as just lately as 2022-23.
Crazily sufficient, Kobe Bryant’s legacy can be much more spectacular had scoring champions been determined by whole factors scored. Bryant had two scoring championships in his profession, one in ’06 and one in ’07. However in 2002-03, he scored 54 extra whole factors than Tracy McGrady however misplaced the scoring title because of scoring common. And in 2007-08, Bryant outscored the scoring champion, LeBron James, by 73 whole factors, however once more misplaced the title because of his decrease common.
This transformation would have given Bryant a ridiculous 4 scoring titles in his profession, tying him with Kevin Durant and George Gervin for the third-most ever.
For what it’s price, though James would have misplaced the ’08 scoring title to Bryant if it have been judged by whole factors, he was really the whole factors scored champion in 2017-18 over James Harden, so he would nonetheless have one scoring title in his profession on this state of affairs.
Oh, and if we have been handing out scoring titles by whole factors scored, His Airness, Michael Jordan, would have 11 scoring titles as an alternative of 10, as a result of in 1984-85, he really scored 504 extra factors than Bernard King, the 12 months’s scoring champion by factors common.
Not too shabby.
Under, try the years the place the NBA’s high scorers by whole factors weren’t scoring champions.
Vernon Biever/NBAE by way of Getty Photographs
High scorer: Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (2361 factors, 28.79 ppg)
Precise scoring champion: Jerry West (2309 factors, 31.2 ppg)
Carmine Galasso/North Jersey Media Group by way of USA TODAY NETWORK
High scorer: Michael Jordan (2313 factors, 28.21 ppg)
Precise scoring champion: Bernard King (1809 factors, 32.89 ppg)
High scorer: Alex English (2414 factors, 29.8 ppg)
Precise scoring champion: Dominique Wilkins (2366 factors, 30.33 ppg)
JEFF HAYNES/AFP by way of Getty Photographs
High scorer: Shaquille O’Neal (1289 factors, 26.31 ppg)
Precise scoring champion: Allen Iverson (1284 factors, 26.75 ppg)
High scorer: Jerry Stackhouse (2380 factors, 29.75 ppg)
Precise scoring champion: Allen Iverson (2207 factors, 31.08 ppg)
Chris Chambers/Getty Photographs
High scorer: Paul Pierce (2144 factors, 26.15 ppg)
Precise scoring champion: Allen Iverson (1883 factors, 31.38 ppg)
AFP PHOTO/Heather HALL
High scorer: Kobe Bryant (2461 factors, 30.01 ppg)
Precise scoring champion: Tracy McGrady (2407 factors, 32.09 ppg)
Jesse D. Garrabrant/NBAE by way of Getty Photographs
High scorer: Kevin Garnett (1987 factors, 24.23 ppg)
Precise scoring champion: Tracy McGrady (1878 factors, 28.03 ppg)
Jed Jacobsohn/Getty Photographs
High scorer: Kobe Bryant (2323 factors, 28.33 ppg)
Precise scoring champion: LeBron James (2250 factors, 30.0 ppg)
Mark D. Smith-USA TODAY Sports activities
High scorer: Kevin Durant (2280 factors, 28.15 ppg)
Precise scoring champion: Carmelo Anthony (1920 factors, 28.66 ppg)
Ezra Shaw/Getty Photographs
High scorer: James Harden (2217 factors, 27.37 ppg)
Precise scoring champion: Russell Westbrook (1886 factors, 28.15 ppg)
Troy Taormina-USA TODAY Sports activities
High scorer: James Harden (2376 factors, 28.98 ppg)
Precise scoring champion: Stephen Curry (2375 factors, 30.06 ppg)
David Richard-USA TODAY Sports activities
High scorer: LeBron James (2251 factors, 27.45 ppg)
Precise scoring champion: James Harden (2191 factors, 30.43 ppg)
Larry Robinson-USA TODAY Sports activities
High scorer: Trae Younger (2155 factors, 28.36 ppg)
Precise scoring champion: Joel Embiid (2079 factors, 30.57 ppg)
Dustin Satloff/Getty Photographs
High scorer: Jayson Tatum (2225 factors, 30.07 ppg)
Precise scoring champion: Joel Embiid (2183 factors, 33.08 ppg)
