Unanswered points

I never said unanswered was preference. I agree with your premise on that 100 percent. Unanswered, by definition, means it wasn't answered. If another team scores, the run cannot be called "unanswered."

But the other posts that bring up silliness about not using "in a row" or "straight" are ridiculous.

 

The one that gets on my nerves is when someone writes something like "five different players scored". You could drop the word 'different', just say "five players scored" and it would mean the exact same thing.

 

Yes. No need for different. Too many times a writer overexaggerates.

 

Doesn't that mean he was correct when he said the points were unanswered? He didn't say they would never be answered. Live coverage should be the most appropriate time to use that term, when a run of points has actually not been answered.

 

Maybe you could say the 21 points were answered but with a collection of air balls and rim clankers and errant treys that failed to tinkle the twine.

 

I agree with this. I don't think it's so bad for announcers to use it during the actual game itself, as Michaels did in that case, because at that moment, it's correct.

It's quite wrong for people to use it after the game, however, unless that run closed the game.

 

Yes. This one just drives me nuts. I can't tell you how many times I read that a quarterback has completed passes to nine different receivers. As opposed to what, nine receivers but six of them were the same guy?

 

Agreed. As I get older, I find myself realizing - and looking for - mistakes like that more often. Not sure why I haven't been so detailed since the beginning. But lately, I really try hard to avoid that stuff.

As for the term unanswered, it can used in print:

Score two unanswered second-period goals.
The points went unanswered until so-and-so hit a three.
The game ended with six unanswered points.

 

I still say it's silly for Michaels to have said "unanswered" when he did, because New Orleans had not even kicked off yet, so Dallas hadn't had a chance to answer. It's like saying Bob Toledo is winless as Tulane's football coach.

 

Also disagree about "straight." In fact, I think it's preferable to "consecutive" when you are talking about points in football. I'm fine with three consecutive touchdowns, but not 21 consecutive points. To me, "consecutive" connotes increments of one (the Webster definition says "following one after the other in order"). In football, 21 points don't come in increments of one.

 

They do in Canada. But that's a lot of missed field goals and deep punts!

 

When you say the points are unanswered, I take it to mean unanswered to that point in the game. They've scored 21 points to which the opposing team has yet to respond. When they do score, those 21 points have been answered.