Michael Jordan

Revisiting Michael Jordan’s 63-Point Game

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Hard as it is to believe, we are now at the 40th anniversary of the highest scoring playoff game in NBA history: Michael Jordan’s 63-point masterpiece against the Celtics.  The story of the game is well known.  Boston would prevail in double-overtime and Larry Bird famously remarked that the performance was “God disguised as Michael Jordan.”   A lot of good stuff has been written and broadcast about this game but I thought there was a little bit of meat on the bone to gnaw at.  With … [Read more...] about Revisiting Michael Jordan’s 63-Point Game

Is The NBA Broken?

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Let’s get into the topic du jour…..ratings and the NBA.  As has been pointed out widely, recent reports show that NBA television ratings are down 19-25%, which is a larger proportional dip then the general decline in television viewership.  This trend has made the usual criticisms of the NBA more acute.  While I usually don’t write about the popular to do in NBA circles, I can’t help but wade into the current controversy about whether the NBA game needs some fixes.  Let’s do … [Read more...] about Is The NBA Broken?

A Historical Look At NBA Pre-Season Odds

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With another season fast approaching, we are reminded that most teams enter the season with optimism about their chances to have a successful season, if not necessarily win a title.  Sometimes the optimism comes from good planning and other times from pipe dreams.   I was wondering what was the most objectively optimistic time for each franchise entering a season.  To that end, I thought a nice objective measure of legitimate optimism would be pre-season odds to win a … [Read more...] about A Historical Look At NBA Pre-Season Odds

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

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

NBA Title Teams and Opening Night

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On opening night, the two presumptive favorites, Brooklyn and the Lakers, started the season with resounding thuds.  The Nets were easily handled by that Bucks, before bouncing back with a nice win in Philly.  The Lakers, on the other hand, were beaten by Golden State and then were steamrolled by Phoenix to start out 0-2.  These results got me wondering whether winning on opening night has any relationship to winning a title.  How worrisome is a losing start to eventual … [Read more...] about NBA Title Teams and Opening Night

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