Comments on: Best Games Against a Team You Played For Last Season (1987-2010)

By: Mike G

Mike G — Tue, 07 Dec 2010 16:32:07 +0000

Willie Burton and Tony Delk had the 2 most unlikely 50-point outbursts that come to mind.
And both of them were vs their previous seasons' teams. Wow.

By: huevonkiller

huevonkiller — Sat, 04 Dec 2010 01:13:49 +0000

#10

lol that's awesome you would admit that.

By: MKT

MKT — Fri, 03 Dec 2010 22:17:46 +0000

The list would include some memorable games if it was possible to extend it further into the past. One classic was after Lenny Wilkens was traded from the Sonics to the Cavaliers in 1972. The Sonics, who had almost made the playoffs in 1972, promptly sank into a disastrous season while Wilkens continued his usual all-star play in Cleveland. The game when the Cavs came to visit the Sonics was an example of reverse LeBronomania: the Seattle Coliseum was sold out with fans booing the Sonics (for their terrible season, caused by a series of terrible roster moves, of which Wilkens' was the most prominent), and a huge standing ovation and continual cheering for the opposing team's point guard: Lenny Wilkens. I don't recall Wilkens' stat line but needless to say the Cavs won easily.

By: MCT

MCT — Fri, 03 Dec 2010 21:42:31 +0000

Willie Burton's best competition for most unlikely 50-point scorer is probably Walt Wesley, who went for 50 for the Cavaliers in their first season as an expansion team (1970-71), although this obviously predates the era of box score coverage on this site. Another unlikely name that pops up on the 50-point scorers' list is Tony Delk.

By: DSMok1

DSMok1 — Fri, 03 Dec 2010 20:35:29 +0000

ASPM has -3.5 for replacement level. APM, without ridge regression, has an inaccurately large spread.

By: Neil Paine

Neil Paine — Fri, 03 Dec 2010 17:53:01 +0000

Re: #8 - Terrell Brandon is a longtime favorite of mine:

http://www.yaysports.com/nba/2006/01/the_timberwolves_inspire_poetr.html

(Yes, I was the reader who sent Brian the terrible, terrible rhymes.)

By: Ray

Ray — Fri, 03 Dec 2010 17:51:05 +0000

Can you do the same for midseason team changes?

By: huevonkiller

huevonkiller — Fri, 03 Dec 2010 17:44:00 +0000

Terrell Brandon and LeBron James were at the top in APMVAL per minute.

Pretty sweet. :]

By: Ben

Ben — Fri, 03 Dec 2010 17:00:33 +0000

Thanks. Perhaps it's unfair, but the whole Durant thing dissuaded me from getting the Winston book. I'll check it out.

By: Neil Paine

Neil Paine — Fri, 03 Dec 2010 16:58:24 +0000

Re: #5 - I was flipping through Wayne Winston's Mathletics (highly recommended, btw) the other day, and in chapter 33 he tries to develop a fair salary system using APM value over replacement... The replacement value he settles on is -6 APM. He doesn't really give any justification for that, and I've seen it be anywhere between -3 and -7 depending on who you ask (SPM values are going to be more compressed, so its replacement value is probably closer to -3 to -4), but for a quick "game score" knockoff that actually correlates to APM, -6 is as good a choice as any. Re: #4 - Haha, I guess I walked right into that one. I'll have to take a look at that at some point.