Harlan Schreiber

NBA Preview 2014-15: Western Conference

October 29, 2014 by Harlan Schreiber Leave a Comment

Predicting the best of the Eastern Conference isn’t too difficult but the west is a different story. With seven 50+ win teams, the conference is oozing with realistic contenders but the best of the best was clearly defined by the end of the year. Three teams led the west in and those same teams also had the most impressive SRS ratings: the Spurs, the Clippers, and the Thunder. Is there any reason to think that the Big Three will be diminished or that someone will make the big leap? The … [Read more...] about NBA Preview 2014-15: Western Conference

NBA Preview 2014-15: Eastern Conference

October 24, 2014 by Harlan Schreiber Leave a Comment

For better or worse, the NBA is typically the most predictable of professional sports leagues. The best teams usually win and the best teams usually have the superstar players. Of course, it is not quite that simple. Detail matters and surprises do happen but in the Eastern Conference the overall story seems clear: LeBron James and the Cavs are the best team, Chicago is a bona fide contender, and everyone else ranges from decent to whatever it is the 76ers are. This huge gap between … [Read more...] about NBA Preview 2014-15: Eastern Conference

Showtime Re-Examined

October 9, 2014 by Harlan Schreiber Leave a Comment

In the dog days of NBA off-season, the mind of the fan tends to wander about basketball history. Well, the dog days are coming to an end but still I keep thinking about the old Showtime Lakers from the 1980s. I recently read Jeff Pearlman’s awesome book on the subject, which gave a comprehensive review of this dynsaty and almost all the players (both major and minor). I can’t recommend the book enough for NBA fans who want to dig deeper into Lakers lore beyond the basics of Magic, Kareem, and … [Read more...] about Showtime Re-Examined

On International Competition and the NBA

September 16, 2014 by Harlan Schreiber Leave a Comment

Another FIBA international competition has come and gone and it is clear that the United States has established itself as the best basketball team in the world and that the gap against competition is quite high again. The question becomes: now what? Well, that isn’t really the question but the pundits are questioning the utility in even competing with pros in the FIBA Worlds or the Olympics anymore. Yesterday, Adrian Wojnarowski laid out the main arguments against the use of NBA players in … [Read more...] about On International Competition and the NBA

NBA Finals Preview

June 3, 2014 by Harlan Schreiber Leave a Comment

It took a year for us to get right back where we left off at the end of 2012-13, Heat v. Spurs, the rematch. Let’s run through the some interesting tidbits about the rematch. But first a few notes on the losers from last round: Pacers Can’t Score Typically, coming pretty close to the NBA Finals but not getting there is either a great thing or a crushing defeat, depending on expectations. If you told a Pacer fan that the team would get to the Conference Finals and lose to the Heat in six … [Read more...] about NBA Finals Preview

What’s The Top Pick Worth?

May 27, 2014 by Harlan Schreiber Leave a Comment

The Cavs how now won the NBA lottery for the third time in four years. This record of success at picking ping pong balls has led some to question whether this shows that the system is broken. Bill Simmons responded with a column arguing that the Cavs’ win proves the problems because “[f]or me, this was about the failure of rewarding a relentlessly incompetent organization.” I understand the sentiment that the NBA shouldn’t be rewarding failure but I think this misses the point. Why should … [Read more...] about What’s The Top Pick Worth?