Harlan Schreiber

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?

The Sterling Saga

May 8, 2014 by Harlan Schreiber 1 Comment

We have all had a few days to digest the entire Donald Sterling Affair. Now that the emotions have calmed down a little bit, this is a good time to re-examine what exactly happened and whether, upon review, it all turned out as it should. There is no doubt that Donald Sterling is a contemptible human being but is there more to this story? Let’s take a look… The Basic Facts The story, as we all understood it was that Sterling was secretly recorded by a personal assistant telling her that … [Read more...] about The Sterling Saga

2013-14 Playoff Preview

April 18, 2014 by Harlan Schreiber Leave a Comment

As usual, we reach the end of another interesting season with the same reaction: thank god it is finally over, now let's get to main event already! At the outset, the 2013-14 season finds us, for the first time in awhile without a clear cut favorite. Conceivably, there are six teams with a credible shot of winning the title. Unlike the previous three seasons, LeBron James' presence does not make his team a prohibitive favorite. So, that's a fun change. Let's jump in and look at the … [Read more...] about 2013-14 Playoff Preview

Knicks-Hawks and The Worst Eight Seeds Ever

April 4, 2014 by Harlan Schreiber Leave a Comment

With only a few games to go, the East is staging its usual crapfest for the eight seed. The Knicks appear to be surging (relatively speaking), while the Hawks, who were once 25-21, have gone 7-21 since that point. This leaves us with the Knicks at 33-43 with six games left against only playoff teams and the Hawks at 32-42 and eight games left, only four of which are with playoff teams. So who will win this battle? This is a hard race to handicap because there are so many variables. Let’s … [Read more...] about Knicks-Hawks and The Worst Eight Seeds Ever

Too Much Hubris for Action Jackson?

March 27, 2014 by Harlan Schreiber Leave a Comment

The Golden State Warriors are an interesting mix. They have the enthusiastic new ownership of Joe Lacob, an ambitious coach Mark Jackson, and some pretty good young talent in Stephen Curry. The Lacob/Jackson dynamic is particularly interesting because Lacob expects to contend and Jackson talks a very good game on this same issue. The Warriors have steadily improved under Jackson but he is facing huge pressue to show that they are a potential serious title contender. In reality, the … [Read more...] about Too Much Hubris for Action Jackson?