When I was a kid (1960s) it was fairly common to have 125-120 games even without three point shots. After that though the defenses just got so dominant that it did become more boring. I'm getting to the point now though that I would like to see some more defense and more inside play.
that's the crux of the Lebron vs Michael debate. Jordan played a game in which defense, mid-range jump shots, and driving to the basket was more of a priority than 3 pointers. I still think Jordan would have been fine in today's game, but he would be a very different player.