Analyzing the Disappointing Teams Part IV: Toronto Raptors
Toronto has received a lot of attention on this blog recently, but they are arguably one of the most disappointing teams in the league this season and are perfect for this series. After some high expectations in the offseason, the Raptors have stumbled to a 16-28 record. Making the playoffs isn’t an […]
Rumor: Jermaine O’Neal to Miami?
It’s been reported in numerous places, including today in Yahoo! Sports by Adrian Wojnarowski, that the Heat and Raptors have been discussing a Jermaine O’Neal for Shawn Marion trade. Even though it’s just a rumor and there’s a good chance it will never happen, I thought it would be fun to analyze this potential […]
12-17-08 Recap
Celtics beat Hawks: Even though they’ve been struggling in Atlanta, Boston still found a way to win. Their record now stands at 24-2. Is 70 wins a possibility? … Although the bench was weak, every Celtic starter contributed … Not surprisingly, defense won the game. Atlanta had an effective field goal percentage […]
12-15-08 Recap
Hawks beat Bobcats: This was not a pretty game to watch. Not only did both offenses struggle (efficiencies of 98.8 and 94), but they played at a snail’s pace. That’s why the final score was 83-79 … Boris Diaw exploded for a season-high 25 points in the loss. His previous season-high […]
12-14-08 Recap
Hornets beat Raptors: The surprise of the game was James Posey. Posey is not normally one to fill up the stat sheet, but he finished with 20 points and 10 rebounds. He hit seven shots, and six of them were three-pointers. He shot 60% from long distance … Chris Bosh struggled from […]
12-10-08 Recap
Raptors beat Pacers: Two years ago, Danny Granger had a usage rate of 16.7. Last season, he decided to take more control of the offense and finished with a usage rate of 21. The trend has continued so far this season, and his rate is now 26.3. He took 25 shots in […]
12-9-08 Recap
Cavaliers beat Raptors: Cleveland’s on quite a roll, winning by at least 12 points in each of their last nine games. It’s working wonders for their expected win percentage … Nobody stepped up offensively for the Raptors. Only three players scored in double digits, and two of those were Joey Graham and Roko […]
12-7-08 Recap
Knicks beat Pistons: I don’t want to keep beating the dead horse, but Detroit did not need a player like Allen Iverson and games like this afternoon’s show why. Iverson shot just 6-18 and allowed Chris Duhon to dominate … According to PER, Rodney Stuckey hasn’t had that bad of a year. Sure […]
Offensive/Defensive Four Factors Leaders
For those who may not be aware, Dean Oliver, author of Basketball on Paper, developed a list of four factors that a team must excel in to be good on both offense and defense. For offense, those factors are shooting percentage (measured by effective field goal percentage), turnovers (measured by turnover percentage), offensive rebounds […]
12-2-08 Recap
Pacers beat Lakers: The Lakers finally got their second loss of the season, and it took an amazing fourth quarter run by the Pacers to do it … Troy Murphy hit the game-winner, but that shot shouldn’t overshadow the work he did all game. Murphy scored 16 points and added a whopping 17 rebounds […]