LeBron James

LeBron, the Lakers and Playoff Sweeps Examined

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The Lakers are on the verge of being swept by the Nuggets for the second year in a row.  Last year, there was talk that, despite the sweep, that the Lakers were competitive and in every game.  For what it’s worth, this year, the Lakers have blown several big leads and are arguably just as competitive.  That got me wondering whether the 2022-23 Lakers were truly the “closest” sweep ever.  There are a lot of ways to quantify the competitiveness of a swept team but I thought we … [Read more...] about LeBron, the Lakers and Playoff Sweeps Examined

Barnes/Mobley And The Closest ROY Votes Since 2002-03

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Today, Scottie Barnes won the Rookie of the Year over Evan Mobley in the closest vote in over 20 years.  According to the NBA, Barnes received 378 voting points and Mobley got 363 (the current voting format gives 5 points for a first place vote, 3 points for a second place vote, and 1 point for a third place vote).  The closeness of the vote and the reference to historically close votes has inspired me to do a moderate dive into the vote and other close ROY votes. Was there any … [Read more...] about Barnes/Mobley And The Closest ROY Votes Since 2002-03

2021-22 NBA Preview: Reviewing the Title Contenders

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Well, that was a quick off-season.  With so much going on, it feels like we didn’t have to miss the NBA for very long.  The season officially starts on October 18 and it feels like early 2020-21 again.  The Nets and Lakers are the early bettor favorites, with Sportsbettingdime.com, giving Brooklyn the edge at +200 followed by the Lakers (+400) and the Bucks (+900).  But do these odds accurately reflect the current statuses of the potential contenders?  I’m skeptical of … [Read more...] about 2021-22 NBA Preview: Reviewing the Title Contenders

NBA 2020-21 Awards So Far

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As we approach the halfway point of the season, I thought this would be good time to do awards picks for the season that has been so far.  Granted a lot could change but let’s jump in and take a look: MVP:  Before the season, LeBron James, Kawhi Leonard, and Giannis Antetokounmpo were the safe bets.  They were the best players for the three likely best teams.  They have all been very good so far but Nikola Jokic has been even better.  Jokic leads the NBA in most … [Read more...] about NBA 2020-21 Awards So Far

LaMelo and Bad Rookie Debuts

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One of the happenings from the first week of the NBA season was the execrable debut of LaMelo Ball (0-5 from the field and no points).  The NBA web is in a tizzy about Ball noting that he “looked lost” and, ergo, he is possibly a pending bust.  That sounds pretty rash but Ball’s goose egg did get me wondering about rookie debuts.  Was LaMelo’s performance the worst debut of a top 3 lottery pick?  How often do top picks have scoreless debuts?  What, if anything, can we … [Read more...] about LaMelo and Bad Rookie Debuts

LBJ v. MJ: The GOAT Debate

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I wanted to wait a little bit before writing about the NBA Finals but I couldn’t avoid the obvious question that has already been written about ad nauseam:  Is LeBron the GOAT now? I hate this question primarily because debates about who the greatest player of all-time is are both subjective and depend on how you define your terms.  What is greatness?  Is it peak value?  Is it career value?  Is it success relative to peers?  Does it involve magically teleporting … [Read more...] about LBJ v. MJ: The GOAT Debate

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