2022-23 NBA Game Thread

[Euclis20]

It’s a nuance, but I’d call Trae more “small” than “diminutive.” He’s closer in size to Steph and Nash than to IT. He’s taller than CP3, who has aged just fine.

He also just turned 24 three months ago, and has been quite durable throughout his career, so I’m not sure why we’re breaking out the actuarial tables on him just yet. I know life comes at you fast in the NBA, but discussion of the death of Trae seems a bit premature.

In any case, my point was a relative one: that ground-bound small guys who rely primarily on skill (e.g. Steph, CP3, Nash, Stockton) tend to age better than high-flying small guys who rely more on explosive athleticism (e.g. Rose, Marbury, Francis, Westbrook). So as long as we’re worrying about the decline of guys in their early 20s, I’d be less concerned about Trae than about Ja.

To throw some numbers up with benhogan's post, Nash and Curry outweigh Young by about 30 and 20 pounds, respectively (for a bunch of guys all under 200 pounds, that's a lot). That extra weight matters more for long term health and durability than height, I think. Even Isaiah Thomas is listed at 185, compared to 164 for Young. Young is particularly shrimpy, even for his height. CP3 is an exception here, but even he is an inch or so shorter than Young with 10-15 extra pounds. He's a LOT stronger than Young.

 

[HomeRunBaker]

To throw some numbers up with benhogan's post, Nash and Curry outweigh Young by about 30 and 20 pounds, respectively (for a bunch of guys all under 200 pounds, that's a lot). That extra weight matters more for long term health and durability than height, I think. Even Isaiah Thomas is listed at 185, compared to 164 for Young. Young is particularly shrimpy, even for his height. CP3 is an exception here, but even he is an inch or so shorter than Young with 10-15 extra pounds. He's a LOT stronger than Young.

I can’t believe we’re spending this much time on Trae Young. I’m surprised that there is any debate that Young is a closer comp to Isaiah and Kemba, two small PGs who relied on their quickness that went from bad to horrific defenders once they lost a step, to…..

- Steve Nash, 2x MVP
- John Stockton, 10x All-Star
- Steph Curry, best shooter to ever play
- Chris Paul, 12x All-Star & arguably the best defensive PG to play

What are we even doing?

 

[Sam Ray Not]

I can’t believe we’re spending this much time on Trae Young. I’m surprised that there is any debate that Young is a closer comp to Isaiah and Kemba, two small PGs who relied on their quickness that went from bad to horrific defenders once they lost a step, to…..

- Steve Nash, 2x MVP
- John Stockton, 10x All-Star
- Steph Curry, best shooter to ever play
- Chris Paul, 12x All-Star & arguably the best defensive PG to play

What are we even doing?

Just noting that, based on body type and style of play, Trae Young seems less likely to decline prematurely than Ja Morant. Everything else is a straw man or red herring.

 

[benhogan]

Donovan Mitchell just pulled a Luka free throw miss to tie

He's at 58pts

CAVs score 83 2nd half points to send this to OT

 

[the moops]

Donovan Mitchell just pulled a Luka free throw miss to tie

He's at 58pts

CAVs score 83 2nd half points to send this to OT

Left way too early to grab his own miss

 

[Sam Ray Not]

71 pts on 34 fga. My word.

Dragged Cavs back from a 21 point deficit, including "pulling a Luka" to send it to OT (made first FT, intentionally missed second, somehow grabbed rebound amid tall timber and and scored).

Good thing the Knicks weren't willing to part with RJ Barrett and/or future picks to have these things happen at MSG...

 

[benhogan]

Left way too early to grab his own miss

was his FT etiquette the reason the Knicks didn't trade for him

71pts for Donovan Mitchell

 

[The Social Chair]

Are we in the NBA's juiced ball era with pace of play and 3pt attempts?

 

[BigSoxFan]

Brooklyn is 16-1 in its last 17 games. Only loss during that stretch was to the Celtics. Time to flake out again, Kyrie.

 

[DeJesus Built My Hotrod]

Mitchell had 11 assists and eight boards too. That put back off the deliberate FT miss was just Spida wanting it more than anyone else.

 

[benhogan]

Are we in the NBA's juiced ball era with pace of play and 3pt attempts?

who was the last player to test positive?

long/intense season, PEDs would be helpful

 

[HomeRunBaker]

Are we in the NBA's juiced ball era with pace of play and 3pt attempts?

3-pt attempts, yes. Pace of play we have a long way to go to match the 70’s.

 

[The Social Chair]

who was the last player to test positive?

long/intense season, PEDs would be helpful

I didn't mean PEDs. Just numbers inflated by pace and 3pt shots. I don't find Luka and Mitchell's numbers as impressive as Jordan in 1987 or Kobe's 81.

 

[Kliq]

The NBA this season is averaging 113.7 ppg so far this season, the highest figure since 69-70. That's a pretty big jump from 106.3 ppg in 2017-2018, and ten years ago it was just 98 ppg. The pace has been relatively steady over the past few years, but it up starkly from a decade ago. Teams average 99 possessions per game, when they were only 92 per game ten years ago.

The big difference is in efficiency, this year the league average eFG% is 54%, the highest ever. It's not just that teams are shooting more threes and making them, but the 5 out offenses have spread the floor which have created more space for athletic perimeter players to attack the basket, which is a bonanza for guys like Luka and Mitchell (and Tatum and Brown).

50 point games have become more routine, and there are currently 5 guys averaging 30 ppg. Still, 71 points is a fuck ton of points and deserves to be celebrated, especially because his team needed every single one of them to win. It's only been done by my count, five times since the merger. David Thompson, David Robinson, Kobe and Devin Booker.

 

[DeJesus Built My Hotrod]

71 points on 22-34 shooting (7-15 from deep), 20-25 from the stripe along with 11 assists, 8 boards and one block in just under 50 minutes all while leading a comeback is pretty damn impressive.

 

[Kliq]

If you look at the history of the post-merger 70+ point games, you really have Thompson and David Robinson both just gunning for points in the last game of the season to lock up scoring titles, and Booker piling up his points against back-ups in a game his team was losing by a million points. Only Kobe really scored points in a regular game where his team won. Mitchell's performance was easily the most impactful 70+ point game as far as helping his team win.

 

[the moops]

I think this will be the 3rd highest game score ever, behind Jordan's 69 point game and Kobe's 81 point game

 

[InstaFace]

This Hawks-Warriors game is fantastic. Curry is out and Thompson just made his 10th 3 (52 points in the game) in what will probably send it to a second OT.

 

[DeJesus Built My Hotrod]

Speaking of 50 point games... @Sam Ray Not - this is your music! Time to talk about your friend and one of the NBA's best characters, Klay Thompson...

 

[HomeRunBaker]

I don’t know what Draymond’s future value is or should be……but he is playing as good this year as he’s ever been. Killing it.

 

[InstaFace]

Hawks were down 17 at halftime. Good to know even GSW can blow big leads.

 

[DeJesus Built My Hotrod]

Warriors are kind of unbeatable at home - 17-2.

 

[benhogan]

I didn't mean PEDs. Just numbers inflated by pace and 3pt shots. I don't find Luka and Mitchell's numbers as impressive as Jordan in 1987 or Kobe's 81.

Oh yea, I know what you meant. The scoring this season is off the hook.

I do find it odd that we never, ever hear about NBA players taking PEDs

 

[Sam Ray Not]

Warriors are kind of unbeatable at home - 17-2.

And 3-16 on the road. It boggles the mind.

Also somewhat mind-boggling is that they had lost 13 of their last 14 OT games before tonight.

Crazy game, crazy stretch of late-game luck (with some skill and guts too) to push the homestand to 5-0 without Steph and Wiggs.

Meanwhile, Klay: not fully washed.

 

[Pablo's TB Lover]

Are we in the NBA's juiced ball era with pace of play and 3pt attempts?

I think what remains to be seen is if the league wants to keep this era going (likely) or scale it back, and how? This isn't easily calibrated like the NFL with calling tighter or looser defensive holding penalties, and MLB with tighter PED testing protocol and baseball specifications. It seems like a looser whistle on foul calls would be the opposite of ensuring player safety and keeping "maintenance days" to a minimum. You really have to go to the extreme of altering court dimensions, rim height, etc. which does not seem a bridge anyone will cross soon.

 

[The Social Chair]

The NBA this season is averaging 113.7 ppg so far this season, the highest figure since 69-70. That's a pretty big jump from 106.3 ppg in 2017-2018, and ten years ago it was just 98 ppg. The pace has been relatively steady over the past few years, but it up starkly from a decade ago. Teams average 99 possessions per game, when they were only 92 per game ten years ago.

The Nash "7 seconds or less" Suns would be last in pace this season.

 

[lovegtm]

The Nash "7 seconds or less" Suns would be last in pace this season.

True, although even if you gave teams 10 years ago an extra 7 possessions, and they scored ~1 point on each of those, they'd still be more than 8 (!) ppg worse. Rules have been roughly the same during that period too.

Way more guys can shoot the 3 at volume now, which creates more space. I think the top scorers are maybe more skilled now too, at least in the context of being better at scoring in space. The league is incredibly deep in talent.

 

[Lose Remerswaal]

Warriors: 143 points, 4 guys in double figures.

 

[Bob Montgomerys Helmet Hat]

Warriors: 143 points, 4 guys in double figures.

70 FGA between two players.

 

[Devizier]

I think what remains to be seen is if the league wants to keep this era going (likely) or scale it back, and how? This isn't easily calibrated like the NFL with calling tighter or looser defensive holding penalties, and MLB with tighter PED testing protocol and baseball specifications. It seems like a looser whistle on foul calls would be the opposite of ensuring player safety and keeping "maintenance days" to a minimum. You really have to go to the extreme of altering court dimensions, rim height, etc. which does not seem a bridge anyone will cross soon.

I think they want to keep it going, but the easiest way to scale it back would be to make the three point line a true arc. That would kill about 1/4 of the space behind the arc since it would be very hard to position correctly for the corner shots. The effect would be quite dramatic, IMHO, and in keeping with the rules. I personally don't like that idea because playoff defense slows down the offense anyways and I'd rather see more makes and a spread court than a reversion to the 1990s era of bully-ball.

 

[kfoss99]

Are we in the NBA's juiced ball era with pace of play and 3pt attempts?

The 14 second shot clock after an offensive rebound really speeds things up. It's a big reason no lead is safe. There's so much less opportunity to waste clock. That, and to a lesser extent, the 8 second back court rule really increases pace of play.

 

[Kliq]

The 14 second shot clock after an offensive rebound really speeds things up. It's a big reason no lead is safe. There's so much less opportunity to waste clock. That, and to a lesser extent, the 8 second back court rule really increases pace of play.

They've also axed the heinous "take-foul" to slow down transition opportunities, that alone could probably explain the extra 2 points teams are scoring per game compared to last year.

I think the league is getting the desired outcome and shouldn't be looking to curb scoring in any way. The only drawback to me is teams playing all the same stylistically and relying heavily on three point shooting, but other than that, the result is less stalling on offense, less away-from-the-basket fouls, and more chances for the games best players like Luka, Tatum, Jokic, Mitchell, Durant, Curry, Giannis, etc. to do amazing things.

As we know all too well, come playoff time defenses crank up the intensity and it will be plenty difficult for teams to score.

 

[Sam Ray Not]

The 14 second shot clock after an offensive rebound really speeds things up. It's a big reason no lead is safe. There's so much less opportunity to waste clock. That, and to a lesser extent, the 8 second back court rule really increases pace of play.

Great points. Makes you realize that for all the game's issues (arbitrary/bad officiating, too many threes with three point variance deciding too many games, etc.) the league is also getting a bunch of things right. I'm not sure the league has ever been this exciting, overall. So much diverse talent, well dispersed among the 30 teams; so many likable stars; and SO much more parity than 6-7 years ago when the Warriors went 207-39 over three seasons (or 50-60 years ago when the Cs won 11 titles in 13 seasons)

My biggest remaining personal pet peeves remain statistical/scorekeeping-related: (1) heaves should not be counted as fga (which actually has a real negative impact on the game, since it incentives players to swallow the ball at the end of quarters); (2) people need to stop citing FG% as the standard measure of efficiency (as we did with "batting average" ages ago); (3) people need to stop mentioning or giving a crap about triple-doubles. When Luka goes 60-21-10 and the top line reaction is how critical it was that he got that tenth assist, you know the triple-double as a concept needs to be put to bed.

 

[ManicCompression]

(3) people need to stop mentioning or giving a crap about triple-doubles. When Luka goes 60-21-10 and the top line reaction is how critical it was that he got that tenth assist, you know the triple-double as a concept needs to be put to bed.

I don't get why this is something to care about. Yeah, it doesn't really matter that 10 is a double digit number and nine is not, but it's also just a fun thing that frankly looks kind of cool in a box score. For many decades it was a semi-rare accomplishment. It still is something only a few players have the games to do on a regular basis.

Going 2-4 with two home runs is sometimes better than hitting for the cycle - that doesn't make it any less interesting when someone hits for the cycle. It's like scorigami - fun, slightly odd numbers that you don't see very often. Not everything needs to relate to some measure of efficiency to be enjoyable for fans.

 

[Kliq]

Westbrook winning the MVP largely thanks to the statistical anomaly of the triple-double kind of soured a lot of people on the triple-double so I get it. I think we as a basketball culture have moved past that so that "Well one player got a triple-double and the other didn't, so the triple-double guy is better" isn't a real argument any more.

 

[Pablo's TB Lover]

I think they want to keep it going, but the easiest way to scale it back would be to make the three point line a true arc. That would kill about 1/4 of the space behind the arc since it would be very hard to position correctly for the corner shots. The effect would be quite dramatic, IMHO, and in keeping with the rules. I personally don't like that idea because playoff defense slows down the offense anyways and I'd rather see more makes and a spread court than a reversion to the 1990s era of bully-ball.

Agreed with your sentiment. I was barely old enough to watch a majority of games at the end of the Celtics/Lakers dynasties, then fell out of love with basketball once they went "full bully-ball" in the '90s in high school and college when I should have been a bigger fan. MJ was the only reason I even followed the league at that time. Besides knowing about John Starks stinking it up based on Sportscenter highlights, I could not sit through a game of the Rockets-Knicks finals, and that was even with Olajuwon playing an aesthetically pleasing style.

Shutting down the corner three with an arc change would lead to a lot of floor spacing consequences, and takes away the perimeter swing game around the whole semicircle which I enjoy a lot right now.

 

[HomeRunBaker]

You really have to go to the extreme of altering court dimensions, rim height, etc. which does not seem a bridge anyone will cross soon.

Don’t be getting me excited with talk of altering court dimensions now. I’ve been preaching this on here for two decades. Todays athletes grew out of the 94x50 court many years ago. To me this isn’t extreme but a progressive necessity. 100x54 or even 98x52 would improve the quality and flow of the game.

 

[InstaFace]

A "suggest improvements to NBA Basketball" thread would be very interesting, and less likely to get buried under the daily updates in this one.

Over/under on the first "fire all the refs out of a cannon" post would be like 1.5, but the rule or format changes would be fun to see and think about.

 

[Sam Ray Not]

I don't get why this is something to care about. Yeah, it doesn't really matter that 10 is a double digit number and nine is not, but it's also just a fun thing that frankly looks kind of cool in a box score. For many decades it was a semi-rare accomplishment. It still is something only a few players have the games to do on a regular basis.

Going 2-4 with two home runs is sometimes better than hitting for the cycle - that doesn't make it any less interesting when someone hits for the cycle. It's like scorigami - fun, slightly odd numbers that you don't see very often. Not everything needs to relate to some measure of efficiency to be enjoyable for fans.

Totally fair. Hence "personal pet peeve." I guess I just wish it were regarded more as a fun thing, like the cycle or scorigami, and less like an important achievement. Basically just: differentiate better between fun stuff and stuff that actually correlates to wins and losses. No one seriously judges a baseball player based on how many times he's hit for the cycle, but a lot of people do so with basketball players and triple doubles.

 

[Pablo's TB Lover]

Don’t be getting me excited with talk of altering court dimensions now. I’ve been preaching this on here for two decades. Todays athletes grew out of the 94x50 court many years ago. To me this isn’t extreme but a progressive necessity. 100x54 or even 98x52 would improve the quality and flow of the game.

Yeah I have been in favor of this in the past as well, but was more emphatic about it in the years before scoring averages, shooting percentages, etc. went up. I think the tighter whistle on landing area and 3-point attempts in general has led to effectively making the court feel wider due to defenders needing to jump straight up and down or risk fouling. But once more physical play is allowed in the playoffs, the court does seem to become smaller again. There are at least several hurdles to overcome in order to make a larger court:

The first difficulty will be an inconvenience for arenas. Such as situating the floor vs hockey boards or with the rows of seating in general if it is a basketball-only arena. Combined with essentially losing a valuable row of seats around the perimeter of the court. Queue the paraphrased Bill Belichick quote, 'maybe the NBA should hold a bake sale.'

But more difficult to navigate would be the Players' Association. IANAL (or union rep) but believe the 3-point line can be adjusted within reason without input from the NBPA, but the overall dimensions may need to be collectively bargained. And at a 4-6% dimension change, the players will say that is 4-6% more wear and tear from running mileage or loss in productivity since they can no longer last on the court for as many possessions.

Even the franchises could find a negative aspect to changing dimensions, because if the college courts stay the same that may negatively impact accuracy in scouting players for the draft.

Edit: good idea @InstaFace

 

[Jimbodandy]

Westbrook winning the MVP largely thanks to the statistical anomaly of the triple-double kind of soured a lot of people on the triple-double so I get it. I think we as a basketball culture have moved past that so that "Well one player got a triple-double and the other didn't, so the triple-double guy is better" isn't a real argument any more.

Yeah we're lots better on this, but there's still some weird sentimentality around the "60 point triple double" as if that's so much more amazing than if he only had 9 assists in that performance.

Don’t be getting me excited with talk of altering court dimensions now. I’ve been preaching this on here for two decades. Todays athletes grew out of the 94x50 court many years ago. To me this isn’t extreme but a progressive necessity. 100x54 or even 98x52 would improve the quality and flow of the game.

If the only benefit of a 100x54 floor was a reduction in corner three shooter OOB calls, it would be a huge win. Refs will miss a guy getting a colonoscopy on court, but they never miss a Nike that's one millimeter on the sideline. Some of these players can barely fit their feet there, nevermind coming off a screen on a dead run. The flow sucks when that's being called too much. Widen the floor.

 

[Kliq]

Yeah we're lots better on this, but there's still some weird sentimentality around the "60 point triple double" as if that's so much more amazing than if he only had 9 assists in that performance.

Who could possibly care about this though? If we are past the era of using "triple-double" as a definitive measure of quality, who cares that it's being mentioned as a notable benchmark for success? It's the same way as using 60 points as a nice round-number to describe an epic performance. It's not much more amazing that Luka had 10 assists instead of 9, but it's still a notable statistical accomplishment, and basketball and all sports are littered with meaningless benchmarks of quality that fans enjoy following. Guys shooting 50-40-90, people averaging 30 ppg, rushing or receiving for 1000+ yards, 40/40 seasons in baseball, it's all part of fandom.

I get that during the Westbrook MVP year it was annoying because there was some obligation to give the guy the award because it achieved this statistical anomaly that people didn't expect to see again, but we are far past that being a relevant talking point. Westbrook has averaged a triple-double multiple times since and all he has been discussed as is being someone with an untradeable contract.

 

[Jimbodandy]

Who could possibly care about this though? If we are past the era of using "triple-double" as a definitive measure of quality, who cares that it's being mentioned as a notable benchmark for success? It's the same way as using 60 points as a nice round-number to describe an epic performance. It's not much more amazing that Luka had 10 assists instead of 9, but it's still a notable statistical accomplishment, and basketball and all sports are littered with meaningless benchmarks of quality that fans enjoy following. Guys shooting 50-40-90, people averaging 30 ppg, rushing or receiving for 1000+ yards, 40/40 seasons in baseball, it's all part of fandom.

I get that during the Westbrook MVP year it was annoying because there was some obligation to give the guy the award because it achieved this statistical anomaly that people didn't expect to see again, but we are far past that being a relevant talking point. Westbrook has averaged a triple-double multiple times since and all he has been discussed as is being someone with an untradeable contract.

Yeah I probably shouldn't care that the "60 point triple double" thing is being thrown around so much. Fair point. I am grateful not to see people humping it here.

I do think that efficiency numbers do deserve special attention. 50/40/90 is good shit. Yeah it's arbitrary, but it shows an efficient player. Doesn't matter who you're playing with or how much you stat pad, someone doing that on any kind of usage is a valuable guy on offense.

 

[ManicCompression]

I get that during the Westbrook MVP year it was annoying because there was some obligation to give the guy the award because it achieved this statistical anomaly that people didn't expect to see again, but we are far past that being a relevant talking point. Westbrook has averaged a triple-double multiple times since and all he has been discussed as is being someone with an untradeable contract.

I feel like if it were Steph Curry instead of RWB, SRN would crow about how special averaging a triple double over a season is. The problem is that RWB is generally unlikeable, particularly to statheads who control these conversations.

I do think that efficiency numbers do deserve special attention. 50/40/90 is good shit.

Why? Is it so much better than 52/40/89? If the sustained excellence of 90% free throw is impressive, so too is averaging 10 assists a game as well as 10 rebounds a game because so few players do it.

I mean, there's nothing special about any stats except for the fact that some of them don't happen that often. You can say that a single assist doesn't matter, but that's like saying a single basket doesn't matter in a one score game. The small difference is why it's notable. Is it the end all, be all of a basketball player? No, and Russell Westbrook is great evidence of why it's not, but triple doubles are at the very least worthy of acknowledgement (especially over a season) because so few players have that skill set.

 

[HomeRunBaker]

Yeah I have been in favor of this in the past as well, but was more emphatic about it in the years before scoring averages, shooting percentages, etc. went up. I think the tighter whistle on landing area and 3-point attempts in general has led to effectively making the court feel wider due to defenders needing to jump straight up and down or risk fouling. But once more physical play is allowed in the playoffs, the court does seem to become smaller again. There are at least several hurdles to overcome in order to make a larger court:

The first difficulty will be an inconvenience for arenas. Such as situating the floor vs hockey boards or with the rows of seating in general if it is a basketball-only arena. Combined with essentially losing a valuable row of seats around the perimeter of the court. Queue the paraphrased Bill Belichick quote, 'maybe the NBA should hold a bake sale.'

But more difficult to navigate would be the Players' Association. IANAL (or union rep) but believe the 3-point line can be adjusted within reason without input from the NBPA, but the overall dimensions may need to be collectively bargained. And at a 4-6% dimension change, the players will say that is 4-6% more wear and tear from running mileage or loss in productivity since they can no longer last on the court for as many possessions.

Even the franchises could find a negative aspect to changing dimensions, because if the college courts stay the same that may negatively impact accuracy in scouting players for the draft.

Edit: good idea @InstaFace

I’ve heard the revenue retort to my proposal many times. I’ll go on record to say this plays zero factor as each team has gone from filling one row behind their bench with personnel to now sometimes two rows. Move some to a row under the basket if it’s revenue as an obstacle.

 

[benhogan]

I’ve heard the revenue retort to my proposal many times. I’ll go on record to say this plays zero factor as each team has gone from filling one row behind their bench with personnel to now sometimes two rows. Move some to a row under the basket if it’s revenue as an obstacle.

it would actually increase the number of courtside seats (if my 8th-grade geometry is correct)

TV is where the $$$ is at anyways and a better product trumps all

 

[benhogan]

And 3-16 on the road. It boggles the mind.

Also somewhat mind-boggling is that they had lost 13 of their last 14 OT games before tonight.

Crazy game, crazy stretch of late-game luck (with some skill and guts too) to push the homestand to 5-0 without Steph and Wiggs.

Meanwhile, Klay: not fully washed.

Looney was HUGE. He is that prototypical BIG the Warriors have developed for the modern NBA.
Screen. Pick. Screen some more. Defend. Tip out. Rebound. (Wiseman isn't that guy)

This Curry/Wiggins injury time has actually improved the Warriors quite a bit. Klay is fully back. Donte is a top 8 rotational player.

Need to add another Loony-esque BIG to rotate in with Dray. I guess Kuminga is that guy BUT Poeltl or Vanderbilt would be a great pickup for you guys

 

[Sam Ray Not]

Looney was HUGE. He is that prototypical BIG the Warriors have developed for the modern NBA.
Screen. Pick. Screen some more. Defend. Tip out. Rebound. (Wiseman isn't that guy)

This Curry/Wiggins injury time has actually improved the Warriors quite a bit. Klay is fully back. Donte is a top 8 rotational player.

Need to add another Loony-esque BIG to rotate in with Dray. I guess Kuminga is that guy BUT Poeltl or Vanderbilt would be a great pickup for you guys

Loon’s also currently leading the NBA *by a mile* in assist-to-turnover ratio at 7.9 to 1 (111 assists, 14 turnovers). And he’s now tied with Steph Curry in career game-winning buzzer-beaters.

As you say, the perfect Warrior C.

#2-10 in ast/tov ratio: Monte Morris 5.9, Tyus Jones 4.8, Cory Joseph 4.4, Mike Conley 4.2, Big Al Horford 4.2, Chris Paul 4.2, Devonte Graham 4.0, Tyrese Haliburton 3.8, Kenrich Williams 3.5.

 

[DannyDarwinism]

I feel like if it were Steph Curry instead of RWB, SRN would crow about how special averaging a triple double over a season is.

Literally my first thought upon reading his post was "Oh, Steph must not have very many triple doubles". (He's 19th among active players with 10, just ahead of Nic Batum, and just behind Julius Randle: https://www.statmuse.com/nba/ask/current-triple-double-leaders. Draymond's 8th with 31. Maybe my favorite fact here in here is that Elfrid Payton is tied with KD with 17)

Hitting for the cycle is a good analogy as a fun statistical anomaly, except for the fact that its much harder for baseball players to shoot for the cycle intentionally, so you don't get the comparative silliness of Steven Adams clearing everyone out so Russ could grab his 10th board or, my favorite, Ricky Davis shooting at the wrong basket to get his name in the history books.

 

[Sam Ray Not]

I feel like if it were Steph Curry instead of RWB, SRN would crow about how special averaging a triple double over a season

Not at all — BS is BS. If you’re going to call me out for hypocrisy or logical fallacy, at least call me out for something I actually said rather than something you fantasize about me saying. ;-P

That said … my loathing of the inane scoring of heaves as fga is mostly about Steph. Nobody in the league heaves it nearly as much as Steph (he has 99 career heaves, to, say, Westbrook’s 14 or Harden’s 18); and his career 3FG% actually jumps from .428 to .433 if they didn’t foolishly score those as field goal attempts.

Indeed, pretty much every time Steph attempts a buzzer heave, I post something in the Warriors game thread along the lines of, “look at Steph the selfish ballhog, wasting a possession by calling his own number again on a low percentage brick!”