Also by definition, a stat has no ability to explain why something happen, so if a statistic is not properly contextualized, it is not really indistinguishable from randomly generated numbers, or any more meaningful. You have to understand a player’s production, not just know that it happened.

EwOakStarksMase:
I can’t believe Melo said this!!

“You can’t compare our team to Denver’s team,” Anthony said. “They got five starters from that trade. Denver’s a hell of a team. They’re one of the deeper teams in the NBA right now. We just want to go out and win (Saturday). It’s not about Denver. It’s much more about us.”

Gee Melo, who’s freaking fault was that??

Simply amazes me that in his mind apparently, our lack of depth has nothing to do with him. Someone needs to hold up a mirror right in front of his face and say, “now Melo, recall last year?? The year your could have waited until free agency and then joined us and we would be stacked and deep?? Remember?? Huh?? Then smash the freaking mirror over the dumbass’s head and hope he wakes the f up !!

Amen, brother.

danvt: No, they needed to believe in you, Money.

Dan…..thanks for the kind words. You’re so desperate to see someone hit a J you’re putting some faith in me!!!

Of course, the way Melo’s been hoisting it up every time he touches it, you’d think his dad was the coach. that logic may make sense….maybe bill walker’s dad is someone’s ride home??

Z: I’m not “stat dude”, but it seems like there shouldn’t be complete uncertainty. All you have to do is look back to the last truncated season to see if statistics remained consistent. As far as eFG% goes, here is how the decade surrounding the last strike-shortened season looked:

1994: League eFG% .485
1995: .500
1996: .499
1997: .493
1998: .478
1999: .466*
2000: .471
2001: .474
2002: .477
2003: .474
2004: .471

So we can see that the 50 game sprint of 1999 yielded the lowest league eFG in its ten year span. (of course, there were hand-check rules implemented in 1994, and the 3pt line was moved in from 1994-1998 which effects eFG% as much as a short season would, but I think it is somewhat safe to expect that shooting efficiency around the league could dip this year, and then rise again next year).

Did they have summer league and preseason games?
That also affects outcomes, I believe.
Owen is dead on about past performance being predictive. I wouldn’t want someone who thinks otherwise hiring and firing because they might let past excellent performers pass for someone that simply is good looking

Owen:
“They so need this game.”

Which is I am so excited to be leaving my mother’s basement and going to an actual game. Awesome when a friend pops up out of nowhere with an extra ticket….

Hey Owen, I’m curious if the security is as tight tonight as it was last night. They were doing full body wand scans for every customer, never seen that before at MSG.