Everyone knows the Lakers and Celtics are great teams, but I seem to be the only one who knows that the Cavaliers are, too.
Through today, the Cavaliers are 17-3 with a scoring margin of +13.3. The record for the highest scoring margin ever for a full season is 12.3, held by the 69-13 1972 Lakers. Are they going to win 85% of their games for the rest of the season (70-12)? No. Are they going to outscore their opponents by 13 points per game for the entire season? No. But they're completely hidden under the shadows of the Lakers and Celtics, and they deserve to be brought into the light.
Let's look at their current eight-game win streak: 14-point win at home versus Atlanta (12-7), 18-point win against New York (9 and 11), 35-point home win against Oklahoma City (2-19), a 15-point home win against Golden State (5-15), a 12-point win in Milwaukee, a 36-point home win against New York, a 24-point home win against Indiana (7-13), and a 20-point win in Charlotte (7-13). Eight games, eight double-digit wins, a 21.8 point scoring margin. Not bad, eh?
But there's more. In several of these games, they built huge early leads, then let them evaporate in the fourth quarters while the starters rested. Therefore, the 21.8 scoring margin doesn't do justice to the Cavaliers' domination. Against Atlanta, they were up by 21 after three quarters only to win by 14. Against the Knicks they were up 29 at half, but only won by 18. Against Oklahoma City, they were up by 34 at half, by 40 after three quarters, but only won by 35. Against Golden State, a 26-point cushion after three quarters turned into a mere 15-point win. Against Charlotte, a 26-point lead decreased into a 20-point margin over the final 12 minutes. In only two of their last eight games did the Cavs not lead by at least 20 going into the final period: In Milwaukee, they were only up by five, but wound up winning by a respectable 12. Against Indiana, they were only ahead by 16, but outscored the Pacers by eight in the final period.
During their eight-game win streak, the Cavs have averaged a 23.6 point lead entering the fourth quarter. Have most of the teams ranged from bad to supershitty? Yes, but they're not that shitty. That's like saying, "oh yeah, he shot 40 on a 60-par course. How would he do on a 70-par course?" I dunno. 50? The combined average scoring margin for the eight teams is -3.8. Theoretically, that means a 21.8 point scoring margin against them would be like an 18-point scorign margin against an average schedule, and a 20.7 point scoring margin after three quarters. That's pretty good. Great, even.
Monday, December 8, 2008
Saturday, December 6, 2008
Rules for Championship-Counting
I was browsing the wikipedia article on NBA Finals when I noticed something odd. Apparently, the Oklahoma City Thunder have appeared in three NBA Finals. In the "Notes," section, it says "All appearances as the Seattle SuperSonics franchise(.)" I already knew that there was a tradition of counting Finals appearances (and all games, for that matter) for a franchise, even when those appearances came when the team was located elsewhere, but only a few days ago did I fully realize how retarded this is. Why do the Lakers get to include the five championships that the Minneapolis Lakers won towards their Finals count? Why are the Philadelphia Warriors' three finals appearances credited to the Golden State Warriors and not to the Philadelphia team? Why is the second Baltimore Bullets franchise's grouped with the Wizards' record, and not with that of the first Baltimore Bullets(1)?
Here's a new rule: Championships go to the home team's city, not to the franchise. How would this rule change things? Here's how the affected teams are now:
Los Angeles Lakers: 14-15 (5-1 as Minneapolis Lakers, 9-14 as Los Angeles Lakers)
Philadelphia 76ers: 3-6 (1-2 as Syracuse Nationals, 2-4 as Philadelphia 76ers)
Detroit Pistons: 3-4 (0-2 as Fort Wayne Pistons, 3-2 as Detroit Pistons)
Golden State Warriors: 3-3 (2-1 as Philadelphia Warriors, 0-2 as San Francisco Warriors, 1-0 as Golden State Warriors)
Atlanta Hawks: 1-3 (1-3 as St. Louis Hawks, 0-0 as Atlanta Hawks)
Washington Wizards: 1-3 (0-1 as Baltimore Bullets, 1-2 as Washington Bullets)
Oklahoma City: 1-2 (1-2 as Seattle Supersonics, 0-0 as Oklahoma City Thunder)
Baltimore Bullets: 1-0 (not the same Baltimore Bullets as current Washington Wizards)
Sacramento Kings: 1-0 (1-0 as Rochester Royals, 0-0 as Sacramento Kings)
Chicago Stags: 0-1 (folded in 1950)
Washington Capitols: 0-1 (folded in 1951)
What needs to change? Splitting up the Lakers' championships is self-explanatory. The Minneapolis Lakers' championships, however, are not credited to the Minnesota Timberwolves given the nearly three-decade absence of NBA basketball from Minneapolis. All championships won by a team based in Philadelphia are credited to the 76ers. Syracuse keep their rightful championship and other appearances. Fort Wayne keeps its two Finals appearances. The Golden State Warriors get to keep the San Francisco Warriors appearances, since it's basically the same city. The St. Louis Hawks keep their four appearances, and Atlanta gets its well-deserved 0 appearances. Seattle keeps their appearances. If another team relocates to Seattle, that new team will be credited with three appearances and one championship. The Washington Wizards keep the Bullets' record, but the two Baltimore Bullets franchises' records are combined. I'm open to combining Baltimore's and Washington's records since the two cities are 40 miles apart, and it's possible that Baltimoreans follow the Wizards. Sacramento's appearance stays in Rochester. The Washington Capitols' appearance is added to the Wizards' total. The Chicago Stags' appearance can be merged with the Bulls', unless the Bulls would prefer to remain 6-0 and let the Stags keep it. Here are the new standings among affected teams:
Los Angeles Lakers: 9-14
Chicago Bulls : 6-0(1?)
Minneapolis Lakers: 5-1
Philadelphia 76ers: 4-5
Detroit Pistons: 3-2
St. Louis Hawks: 1-3
Washington Wizards: 1-3
Syracuse Nationals: 1-2
Golden State Warriors: 1-2
Seattle SuperSonics: 1-2
Baltimore Bullets: 1-1
Rochester Royals: 1-0
Fort Wayne Pistons: 0-2
Atlanta Hawks: 0-0
Oklahoma City Thunder: 0-0
Sacramento Kings: 0-0
(1) There was a Baltimore Bullets team that joined the NBA for the 1948 season, but folded during the 1955 season. Then, a team moved from Chicago to Baltimore for the 1964 season and stayed there 10 seasons, before moving to Washington, D.C.
Here's a new rule: Championships go to the home team's city, not to the franchise. How would this rule change things? Here's how the affected teams are now:
Los Angeles Lakers: 14-15 (5-1 as Minneapolis Lakers, 9-14 as Los Angeles Lakers)
Philadelphia 76ers: 3-6 (1-2 as Syracuse Nationals, 2-4 as Philadelphia 76ers)
Detroit Pistons: 3-4 (0-2 as Fort Wayne Pistons, 3-2 as Detroit Pistons)
Golden State Warriors: 3-3 (2-1 as Philadelphia Warriors, 0-2 as San Francisco Warriors, 1-0 as Golden State Warriors)
Atlanta Hawks: 1-3 (1-3 as St. Louis Hawks, 0-0 as Atlanta Hawks)
Washington Wizards: 1-3 (0-1 as Baltimore Bullets, 1-2 as Washington Bullets)
Oklahoma City: 1-2 (1-2 as Seattle Supersonics, 0-0 as Oklahoma City Thunder)
Baltimore Bullets: 1-0 (not the same Baltimore Bullets as current Washington Wizards)
Sacramento Kings: 1-0 (1-0 as Rochester Royals, 0-0 as Sacramento Kings)
Chicago Stags: 0-1 (folded in 1950)
Washington Capitols: 0-1 (folded in 1951)
What needs to change? Splitting up the Lakers' championships is self-explanatory. The Minneapolis Lakers' championships, however, are not credited to the Minnesota Timberwolves given the nearly three-decade absence of NBA basketball from Minneapolis. All championships won by a team based in Philadelphia are credited to the 76ers. Syracuse keep their rightful championship and other appearances. Fort Wayne keeps its two Finals appearances. The Golden State Warriors get to keep the San Francisco Warriors appearances, since it's basically the same city. The St. Louis Hawks keep their four appearances, and Atlanta gets its well-deserved 0 appearances. Seattle keeps their appearances. If another team relocates to Seattle, that new team will be credited with three appearances and one championship. The Washington Wizards keep the Bullets' record, but the two Baltimore Bullets franchises' records are combined. I'm open to combining Baltimore's and Washington's records since the two cities are 40 miles apart, and it's possible that Baltimoreans follow the Wizards. Sacramento's appearance stays in Rochester. The Washington Capitols' appearance is added to the Wizards' total. The Chicago Stags' appearance can be merged with the Bulls', unless the Bulls would prefer to remain 6-0 and let the Stags keep it. Here are the new standings among affected teams:
Los Angeles Lakers: 9-14
Chicago Bulls : 6-0(1?)
Minneapolis Lakers: 5-1
Philadelphia 76ers: 4-5
Detroit Pistons: 3-2
St. Louis Hawks: 1-3
Washington Wizards: 1-3
Syracuse Nationals: 1-2
Golden State Warriors: 1-2
Seattle SuperSonics: 1-2
Baltimore Bullets: 1-1
Rochester Royals: 1-0
Fort Wayne Pistons: 0-2
Atlanta Hawks: 0-0
Oklahoma City Thunder: 0-0
Sacramento Kings: 0-0
(1) There was a Baltimore Bullets team that joined the NBA for the 1948 season, but folded during the 1955 season. Then, a team moved from Chicago to Baltimore for the 1964 season and stayed there 10 seasons, before moving to Washington, D.C.
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