Well they were a 56 win team last year, only a game behind the Cavs, and were playing like that and more earlier this year.
Dog Days of January. I wouldn't place much weight on one little rough patch. They made the regular season leap last season and are in coast mode knowing that all that ultimately matters is how they execute in the spring.What's happened to the Raptors? Regressing to the mean?
They are so going to sign Stephenson. In fact, this has to happen. I cannot wait for LeBron to glower at him after he takes and misses a hero-ball shot at crunch time in the playoffs.Dog Days of January. I wouldn't place much weight on one little rough patch. They made the regular season leap last season and are in coast mode knowing that all that ultimately matters is how they execute in the spring.
I'm not too concerned about Love as he isn't necessary with Korver and Frye to play his role. The Cavs are all about LeBron and Kyrie when the chips are on the line. Those are the two who matter most although a healthy JR Smith does give them an added dimension in the backcourt.
Last night was first time in league history that three male Curry family members made a three in the same evening.Are the Miami Heat the worst team ever to win 9 games in a row? And when did Seth Curry turn into a poor man's Steph?
Spo never got enough credit for the success of the LeBron teams. Sure a bag of basketballs could have won 50 games with their talent; but it's clear he is a very good NBA coach.Are the Miami Heat the worst team ever to win 9 games in a row? And when did Seth Curry turn into a poor man's Steph?
I dunno, but it seems like Seth morphing into a poor man's Steph may have inspired Steph himself to morph into a rich man's Steph. His last two games combined, per 36 minutes:When did Seth Curry turn into a poor man's Steph?
No, but it's a pretty reliable measure of "true" team quality, and (thus) a better predictor than W-L. I'd expect to OKC to regress towards .500 over the last 32 games, especially with Kanter out.Good thing the NBA doesn't award games thanks to point differential.
Haha, I'm not "acting like that" — I said I thought it would be a travesty for him to get it if his team is around .500. If he could make his team significantly better than that, I'd be much more supportive of his candidacy (for all the reasons you note).SRN is acting like you need to be on a 55+ win team to be considered for MVP, which is ridiculous.
Westbrook definitely has the worst cast of that crew though, and it isn't particularly closeNeither Kawhi nor Harden nor Lowry has world-beaters for teammates, yet their teams have been +8.4 and +7.7 and +9.3 with them on the floor, respectively.
That's not the best way to project, though. Point differential is more predictive than W-L. Even ignoring the Kanter injury: -0.1 PD equates to a roughly .500 team, so you should project roughly 16-16 from here on out, which would get them to 44-38.Up until 3 games ago, OKC was on pace for 49 wins. Now it's 46. I'm not sure how a 46-36 team is a .500 team, but ok..
Is it different than baseball? Because actual win lose record for the current season is far more predictive for w-l record going forward than Expected Win-Loss record. Scoring differential is more likely to predict record next year.That's not the best way to project, though. Point differential is more predictive than W-L. Even ignoring the Kanter injury: -0.1 PD equates to a roughly .500 team, so you should project roughly 16-16 from here on out, which would get them to 44-36.
Subtract a game for Kanter and you're at 43 wins, a number by which you say "Westbrook won't win anyway." Which was kind of my point.
Howard is still pretty good in the 5 games / year that he actually triesHouston blows a 20 point 4Q lead to Atlanta at home. Hardaway Jr career high 33 points
Indeed. Tonight was circled on his calendar and when Patrick Beverley started in, Howard got pissed and gave him a shiver screen (sorry Kliq, I know you find these have no place in basketball these days. You should tell Beverley's teammates too!). It was game on.Howard is still pretty good in the 5 games / year that he actually tries
Agreed one hundred percent. Hard to even imagine given that the Patriots (!) are again in the Super Bowl, but I feel the same way.On another note, I know we are a very biased group here in Ye Old Port Cellar but is there any better league than the NBA? Rivalries galore, exceptionally high levels of play, exciting young stars, the embracement of social media etc. When you compare this to the white-washed NFL shit going on this week, its not even close. Right now the NBA is the consistently best US-based professional sports product on the market.
Definitely. Case in point: The 76ers are 18-31, and not only fans but also unbiased observers are excited about both their prospects and a lot of the things that they do on the court. And they are not the only team in that category. How many sub-500 NFL, NHL, or MLB teams could reasonably claim to be showing real promise at their game?On another note, I know we are a very biased group here in Ye Old Port Cellar but is there any better league than the NBA? Rivalries galore, exceptionally high levels of play, exciting young stars, the embracement of social media etc. When you compare this to the white-washed NFL shit going on this week, its not even close. Right now the NBA is the consistently best US-based professional sports product on the market.
The only downside is that the playoffs look like a foregone conclusion for GSW v. CLE again, which has given this regular season a sense of just marking time.Indeed. Tonight was circled on his calendar and when Patrick Beverley started in, Howard got pissed and gave him a shiver screen (sorry Kliq, I know you find these have no place in basketball these days. You should tell Beverley's teammates too!). It was game on.
On another note, I know we are a very biased group here in Ye Old Port Cellar but is there any better league than the NBA? Rivalries galore, exceptionally high levels of play, exciting young stars, the embracement of social media etc. When you compare this to the white-washed NFL shit going on this week, its not even close. Right now the NBA is the consistently best US-based professional sports product on the market.
On any given year, 3-4 teams have a serious shot at the title and that has always been the case. It's nothing new. I would argue that the rest of the playoffs are far more open than they used to be. No one would be totally shocked if Chicago beat Boston, Indiana beat Toronto, if the Grizz beat the Rockets. And while this years 8 seed in the west is terrible, in recent years that wasn't the case. Plus a lot of the fringe playoff teams have superstar players and with the 3 point shot playing a bigger factor than ever before... it gives lesser teams a fighting chance like it does in college. Granted, they need to win 4 games.The only downside is that the playoffs look like a foregone conclusion for GSW v. CLE again, which has given this regular season a sense of just marking time.
I'm not sure that's true (is it, SoSH stat guys?) but I'd guess both PD and W-L have their flaws in terms of predictiveness. With only 32 games left, I think they're also both very blunt tools. If one really wanted to project accurately, one would want look at all the specific opponents, opponent injuries, home v. road, B2Bs, etc. One would also want to factor in the 20+ games without Kanter (his poor D may offset his great O, but he's still a key rotation player).Is it different than baseball? Because actual win lose record for the current season is far more predictive for w-l record going forward than Expected Win-Loss record. Scoring differential is more likely to predict record next year.
They just gotta do something to control instant replay, which IMO should be basically never used until the latter half of the 4th quarter. There's just no individual call in a basketball game that matters enough to justify the delay.Indeed. Tonight was circled on his calendar and when Patrick Beverley started in, Howard got pissed and gave him a shiver screen (sorry Kliq, I know you find these have no place in basketball these days. You should tell Beverley's teammates too!). It was game on.
On another note, I know we are a very biased group here in Ye Old Port Cellar but is there any better league than the NBA? Rivalries galore, exceptionally high levels of play, exciting young stars, the embracement of social media etc. When you compare this to the white-washed NFL shit going on this week, its not even close. Right now the NBA is the consistently best US-based professional sports product on the market.
Yeah, the 90s were tough to watch - in fact, I almost stopped watching the NBA in those years. The holding and grabbing that occurred back then was more like football than basketball, and Curry and IT would have been hurt every season, particularly IT given how many times he goes into the lane every game.I've always been an NBA guy but I am amazed at how nicely they have fixed the product. My 76 year old dad was questioning the plethora of 3s but relented when I reminded him of the Bull-Knicks-Heat slogs of the 90s. Guys like Curry and IT would have struggled in those days and now they are about the most fun going. The world wide appeal of the game and the league will also pay dividends for years to come.
Loved this article. It is and was beautiful basketball!Nice piece on Luke Walton and how he first learned about the "beautiful game" by watching the '86 Celtics (and how, like Popovich, he watches the Kerr Warriors with that same aesthetic appreciation):
http://www.espn.com/espn/feature/story/_/page/presents3/how-celtics-taught-lakers-coach-luke-walton-love-basketball
And gets the 3x2 - 20/13/11.First game back and Jokic almost has a triple double after 3 quarters. 20/11/9.
The league also eschewed rangy bigs, even though a lot of those guys could shoot (witness the 1994-1997 era).Yeah, the 90s were tough to watch - in fact, I almost stopped watching the NBA in those years. The holding and grabbing that occurred back then was more like football than basketball, and Curry and IT would have been hurt every season, particularly IT given how many times he goes into the lane every game.
No depth. Middleton is supposed to play a game or two before AS break so that should help, but he'll be limited.And gets the 3x2 - 20/13/11.
And MIL has lost 10 of their last 11. What has happened to that team?
This sucks. I was hoping these guys could continue to play and gel into a cohesive unit for the rest of the season.T'wolves announce that Zach LaVine has a torn ACL in his left knee and will have season-ending surgery. #Wolvespick
I think it was HRB and I were talking about how it seems a lot of guys that stay all four years and were good in college often get undervalued and then they suddenly end up being good in the NBA. When you consider the second round of the draft is filled with draft and stash guys or potential-laden long shots; I think a real market efficiency can be found; just look at Malcom Brogdan.Yogi Ferrell making IU proud
Also... LOLOLOL at the nets, you dumped him because "he wasn't good enough"
They better start playing better or they risk falling to 6th place, which means (most likely) playing the Wizards on the road in the first round.Dog Days of January. I wouldn't place much weight on one little rough patch. They made the regular season leap last season and are in coast mode knowing that all that ultimately matters is how they execute in the spring.