Quick Thoughts

1. Tanking: The theme of the final month of the NBA season has been tanking.  Namely, that the bad teams have quit trying in an attempt to amass ping pong balls for the NBA Lottery.   But is this true?  Well, the anecdotal evidence overwhelmingly supports this assertion.  Of the 16 teams currently in the NBA playoffs, all are at least 5-5 in their last ten games, except Orlando (which is 4-6 and has been reeling with the injury to Dwight Howard).  Of the 14 teams now outside of the playoff … [Read more...] about Quick Thoughts

1.    All-Star Fun: In what seems like a blink of the eye, the NBA All-Star game has come and gone in this abbreviated season.  Neither who made the All-Star game nor the result of the actual game (a narrow and competitive win for the West) concern me too much.  It's all about history to me.  I thought we could look at some of the odd moments/performances of the past to see what forgotten performances we should remember for one reason or another.  We examined all the All-Star box scores … [Read more...] about Quick Thoughts

It's a little early to draw any conclusions yet but here are a few interesting tidbits for the new season to watch: -Philly Phlying: The Philadelphia 76ers are arguably the best team in the NBA on paper right now.  After dismantling the Kings last night, Philly is 7-2 and outscoring foes by a ridiculous +16.0 points per game (Miami is second at +11.8 per game).  Also defying the odds, the Sixers are scoring quite well (101.6 points per game) and allowing only 85.6 points per game (the … [Read more...] about Quick Thoughts

1.    Labor Crap: One of the more entertaining seasons in recent memory is over and we are left with a nasty hangover in the form of a likely prolonged labor dispute.  There already has been a lot of great stuff written about the dispute and the issues seem to have been well identified. Still, we will take our shot and see if we break any new or different ground.  It is complicated negotiation but let's boil it down to its essence anyway:  the NBA states that most of its teams are … [Read more...] about Quick Thoughts

1.    The Cavs Make Me Want To Puke: Before the season, I thought that the Cavs looked like the clear worst team in the NBA.  I was pleasantly surprised to Cleveland get off to a respectable start at 7-9, only to go 1-34 run since and be in the throes of a 25-game losing streak.  Could the Cavs really be this bad?  In a word...yes.  This is the worst offensive and defensive team in the NBA  Their best player is Ramon Sessions, a decent guard, and the only other above-average player right … [Read more...] about Quick Thoughts