Harlan Schreiber

The Penny Shaq FAQ

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About five years ago, ESPN did a fun documentary called “This Magic Moment” about  the mid-1990s Orlando Magic, led by Penny Hardaway and Shaquille O’Neal.  I didn’t really catch this doc at the time but saw it in rerun over the holiday season.  The documentary examines how Orlando almost ruled the NBA and poses the hypothetical question of what would’ve happened had Orlando kept the Shaq/Penny core together.  The doc ends with Shaq and Penny sitting on lounge chairs by a … [Read more...] about The Penny Shaq FAQ

Quick Thoughts

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The primary story of this NBA season is how Covid has crippled so many rosters and cancelled games.  The lack of available players has made it tough to figure out how reliable team stats are (particularly SRS).  Nevertheless, let’s go through some of the interesting stats so far and see what we can learn: James Harden:  The common thought going into the season was that the NBA rule changes were designed to limit Harden’s ability to draw fouls, particularly on three-point … [Read more...] about Quick Thoughts

Revisiting Bob Cousy’s Crazy Comeback

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NBA comebacks capture our imagination.  The hope that a retired star can return and somehow turn back time is quite appealing to the nostalgia in all of us.  We all remember Michael Jordan’s triumphant Second Coming in 1995 as the quintessential successful comeback.  We also remember MJ’s Third Coming or Magic Johnson’s return as more mixed.  I thought, today, we could look at a weirder comeback, Bob Cousy’s brief return to the NBA with the 1969-70 Cincinnati Royals. Cousy … [Read more...] about Revisiting Bob Cousy’s Crazy Comeback

Golden State’s Hot Start Examined

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 In 2013-14, the Warriors were a solid 12th in offense and 4th in defense.   Entering the 2014-15 season, the Warriors looked like a fun playoff team with second round upside behind developing youngsters Steph Curry and Klay Thompson.  The odds makers had them set for 52.5 wins in 2014-15 but did not consider them a real title contender.  They then exploded to a 67-15 record and a string of NBA Finals appearances.  They had the best defense in the NBA but the real … [Read more...] about Golden State’s Hot Start Examined

Revisiting the Pearl Monroe Trade

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On November 10, 1971, the Knicks acquired legendary guard Earl Monroe from the Baltimore Bullets for Mike Riordan, Dave Stallworth, and an undisclosed amount of cash.  The trade is celebrated as helping the Knicks to two straight Finals (and one title) and countless books and documentaries.   As we approach the 50th anniversary of the deal, I thought we could dig a little deeper into the trade itself.   Most of what has been discussed related to how Monroe and Walt … [Read more...] about Revisiting the Pearl Monroe Trade

On NBA Undefeated Starts

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What’s a good start worth in an NBA season?  It’s obviously better to win than to lose but you can’t help but wonder how real some good starts are.  We have no undefeated teams after six games but the Wizards are 5-1 and have looked pretty good.  They are not a team that projected to be particularly good.   Incidentally, past history is not that bullish on strong Washington starts.  The last two Washington teams to start 5-1 are not much to write home about. Those … [Read more...] about On NBA Undefeated Starts

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