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Examining the 50-Point Explosions

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March 2022 has featured eight 50-point games so far.  According to NBA.com, this month has had the most 50-point games since there were nine in December 1962 (six by Wilt Chamberlain and three by Elgin Baylor).  In the early 1960s, with the fast pace and the existence of Wilt, 50-point games were quite commonplace.  But now we have seen 50-point games emerge more often and, sometimes, from more random players like Saddiq Bey, a good player but quite surprising 50-point guy.  … [Read more...] about Examining the 50-Point Explosions

Linsanity Revisited

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Roughly ten years ago, on February 4, 2012, Jeremy Lin came off the bench to lead the Knicks to win against the New Jersey Nets.  Lin, who had not previously played more than six minutes one time all year, had 25 points and 7 assists in 36 minutes.  This spurred a 25-game run where Lin was ignited to instant stardom before more weirdness ensued.  Now, Linsanity is remembered for that fun run but few actually delve into what happened and whether it could have or should have turned out … [Read more...] about Linsanity Revisited

Andrew Wiggins, All-Star?

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So, Andrew Wiggins was voted an All-Star by the fans.  This vote raised some eyebrows because Wiggins’ All-Star status is pretty debatable.  Let’s do a moderate dive into how crazy this choice is.  Here are two facts that we should consider before really expressing an opinion: (a) the All-Star game is fan driven and if the fans want Wiggins, then so be it and (b) most fans really don’t care too much about an exhibition game played at moderate intensity anyway.  So, you won’t … [Read more...] about Andrew Wiggins, All-Star?

Revisiting the Westhead Nuggets

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Recently, the internet celebrated the 32nd anniversary of Scott Skiles record 30-assist game for the Orlando Magic.  How did Skiles, a very average point guard, end up having a better passing game than greats like Magic or Stockton?  That leads us to a more interesting discussion of Skiles’ opponent on December 30, 1990, the 1990-91 Denver Nuggets.  That Denver team represented a fascinating but failed experiment in trying to win by playing at an ultra-high pace.  Let’s dig … [Read more...] about Revisiting the Westhead Nuggets

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

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