Someone with better basketball acumen than I explain this to me. Preferably without any conspiracy theories (I hope).
Thread.Way too simple: they don't drive to the hoop as much as they should.
I'm not sure which post you were replying to, but yes, this is exactly what I was trying to say. If anything, hitting the floor isn't great for his body either. He's doing it because that's what allows him to be a prolific scorer at the rim.I don’t think Kyrie avoids contact with the idea that he’s saving his body, although that may be a side effect (his injury might suggest he try another tactic). I think that as a scorer that can get to the rim thanks to his quickness and handles, but doesn’t have the explosiveness or size to just finish over taller defenders, he has to try and finish around them, which he is better at than pretty much everyone else in the NBA.
They were 16th free throw attempts in the league in 2017, 17th in 2016, and 12th in 2015.Someone with better basketball acumen than I explain this to me. Preferably without any conspiracy theories (I hope).
You're looking at the EFG% for when they're tightly covered, and that number is only for 1 FGA per game. When they're "open", they're shooting 46.8% on 23.3 FGA's per game, which is about league average. Wide open they're at 55.6% on 23 FGA per game, which again is about average. They're first and second in open and wide open FGA's, respectively.Doc Rivers complained too much, so didn't get calls. Bras Stevens doesn't complain enough, so doesn't get calls. The most confusing part of the current issue is that typically in the NBA you get a big bump at home with the number of FTs attempted per game. If you look at Boston's numbers, they only attempt one more FT at home than on the road. They are 27th in the league in FTs attempted at both home and road. A few teams actually do get to the line more on the road like the Clippers, but that is out of the ordinary. LINK: https://www.teamrankings.com/nba/stat/free-throws-attempted-per-game
While looking for this stat, I found another one made no sense. The narrative for this season's team is that they are missing too many wide open shots. In fact, the stats say the opposite. They are 2nd best in the league (2nd only to GS) at making open shots: https://stats.nba.com/teams/shots-closest-defender-10/?sort=EFG_PCT&dir=1
Weren't the FT numbers a positive for us when Doc was here? I felt I did work on this years ago showing how his teams did get to the line more than their opponents in Orlando, Boston, and LA......or maybe I'm getting old and dreaming things.Doc Rivers complained too much, so didn't get calls. Bras Stevens doesn't complain enough, so doesn't get calls. The most confusing part of the current issue is that typically in the NBA you get a big bump at home with the number of FTs attempted per game. If you look at Boston's numbers, they only attempt one more FT at home than on the road. They are 27th in the league in FTs attempted at both home and road. A few teams actually do get to the line more on the road like the Clippers, but that is out of the ordinary. LINK: https://www.teamrankings.com/nba/stat/free-throws-attempted-per-game
While looking for this stat, I found another one made no sense. The narrative for this season's team is that they are missing too many wide open shots. In fact, the stats say the opposite. They are 2nd best in the league (2nd only to GS) at making open shots: https://stats.nba.com/teams/shots-closest-defender-10/?sort=EFG_PCT&dir=1
There's a season segment filter on that NBA.com site.Anyplace we could see a shot chart by month? Team splits if you will.
It seems they are making an effort to drive more lately, but I can't figure out how to quantify that.
Hmm, maybe I didn't play around with it enough.There's a season segment filter on that NBA.com site.
You can do it on the drives page. We went from 32 per game in November to 42 in December, or from near last to average. So your perception is right, they are driving it more.Hmm, maybe I didn't play around with it enough.
EDIT: When I get here, Team Shooting, which are the stats I want, I can't see how to break it down by month, which is available on other screens: https://stats.nba.com/teams/shooting/?Season=2018-19&SeasonType=Regular Season&DistanceRange=By Zone&PerMode=Totals
More or less dreaming. Look no further than the Finals rematch vs. the Lakers when the FT disparity arguably shifted the series. But even before that series, during Big Three 2.0, Doc was regularly admonished for his very public reactions to calls that went against the Celtics. The theory was that the refs didn't want to put up with it so they didn't give his team the benefits of any doubts.Weren't the FT numbers a positive for us when Doc was here? I felt I did work on this years ago showing how his teams did get to the line more than their opponents in Orlando, Boston, and LA......or maybe I'm getting old and dreaming things.
Thank you for this.More or less dreaming. Look no further than the Finals rematch vs. the Lakers when the FT disparity arguably shifted the series. But even before that series, during Big Three 2.0, Doc was regularly admonished for his very public reactions to calls that went against the Celtics. The theory was that the refs didn't want to put up with it so they didn't give his team the benefits of any doubts.
Looking at the stats, From when Doc arrived in 2004 until 2009 Boston was towards the bottom of the top 10 for FTAs per game. From 2010 to 2015 the number drops off a cliff into the 20's. There were two decent showings in FTAs around 2015 and then for the last two years it's back down into the dregs of the 20's again. They are currently 27th in FTAs which is pretty bad considering they have a superstar player who does a fair amount of driving in Kyrie: http://www.espn.com/nba/statistics/team/_/stat/offense-per-game/sort/avgFreeThrowsAttempted
I agree with you for the most part. I don't think Brad is costing us at the line on a consistent basis. However, make up calls are real. I don't know that the refs are knowingly making calls in one direction - it's probably more just a natural subconscious tendency to lean one way to even things out if they know they or one of their colleagues just f'd up. In these situations - especially come playoff time when the stakes are higher - I'd like to see him be a lot more vocal.I think everyone on this board is still so freaked out about the times when Phil Jackson used to strategically complain about fouls at press conferences when his teams needed a little something extra (and it seemed to actually work to his advantage) that I think we are overstating a coach's impact on the refs and how they call games. The most common through line for FTAs to me is player reputation. If you look at LeBron sideways, LeBron gets the call. On the other hand, as soon as Greg Stiemsma checks in, he's practically already fouled out. I don't think Brad is costing us in free throw attempts but it's also likely we'll never really know for sure.
Oh, no doubt he couldn't have done it without MJ. But there's no denying that his complaints yielded positive results.Was it Phil Jackson getting calls or his superstars? He was a proxy for the complaints of Jordan, etc.
If he was coaching the Suns this year, he could likely complain until he was blue in the face.
Celtics shot 31 FTs last night.
Of course Houston shot 35, 30 in the second half.
https://deadspin.com/referee-meltdown-in-celtics-rockets-surprisingly-has-no-1831354062?utm_campaign=socialflow_deadspin_twitter&utm_source=deadspin_twitter&utm_medium=socialflowD’Antoni reportedly confronted Barnaky after halftime, and—in what I am sure is a total coincidence—calls seemed to shift the other way in the second half. Boston outproduced Houston from the line 14 attempts to five in the first half; in the second half the Rockets got to the line for an eye-opening 30 free throws, including 17 by James Harden alone. Boston was also hit with three technical fouls in the second half, although to the officials’ credit the whistles seemed well-earned, certainly compared to the three Houston techs in the first half.
Hard to know considering on half the fouls, TNT didn't bother to show a replay.I think it would be difficult to find instances in the 2nd half where Harden didn't deserve going to the line when he did.
So you're saying those nine free throws on three point attempts were deserved.I think it would be difficult to find instances in the 2nd half where Harden didn't deserve going to the line when he did.
5:55 Horford did not give him room to land. That is a foul every single time.So you're saying those nine free throws on three point attempts were deserved.
edit: on at least two he just fell down.
We’ve been over the landing space rule on jump shooters as nauseum here. I used to beat it endlessly back when I hung out in the game threads. It’s arguably the easiest call for an official to make as all the official needs to see is where the defenders feet are on the shooters landing.....each one last night was an obvious foul on the Celtics.So you're saying those nine free throws on three point attempts were deserved.
edit: on at least two he just fell down.
Yeah this wasn’t a drive to the basket. ANY contact on a jump shooter is going to get whistled even if the official feels the shooter was allowed his landing spot. I only saw the play live one time and it looked like Harden’s landing spot was compromised but even if it wasn’t this is a clear foul to the body of a jump shooter.Semi continued to move forward though, and it appears that their bodies collided. It is questionable for sure, but hardly the most egregious foul Harden has ever gotten to the line for
The Celtics make it a point of emphasis to have players leave their feet and contest 3-pointers hard. A lot of coaches cringe when they see it, since it goes against most of what players are drilled to do, but the results over the past 5 years have been phenomenal. A few 3 point fouls on occasion are the cost of doing business.Semi and his 5 career blocks shouldn’t even be breathing heavy on Harden taking a jump shot.
This is true, for James Harden.Yeah this wasn’t a drive to the basket. ANY contact on a jump shooter is going to get whistled even if the official feels the shooter was allowed his landing spot. I only saw the play live one time and it looked like Harden’s landing spot was compromised but even if it wasn’t this is a clear foul to the body of a jump shooter.
I agree with this 40%. With Harden though, you have to keep in mind that he takes a ridiculous number of stepback 3s, which are particularly likely to draw fouls, because of the way that the defender is off-balance and lunging towards the shooter to contest. Harden's also really, really good at stepback 3s, so guys feel like they have to contest them more than they otherwise would.This is true, for James Harden.
This is not true for Morris, Brown, Tatum, Kyrie, or any other player in the NBA.
Edit: I think Marcus Smart is the only Celtic I can remember getting a foul call on a 3 point shot this season (maybe Morris had a couple too). Smart, like Harden, sells his contact to the refs. That's what makes it so infuriating as a fan. The guys who don't whine simply don't get the same calls. The league is rewarding this type of screaming and whining after every play by making the calls for the whiners and not making them on the same contact when someone doesn't whine or act like they've been sniped from the rafters.