Riding The Clutch

Clutch performance has been a hot topic the past week. Favoring efficiency over star power, Henry Abbott boldy proclaimed on The NBA Today podcast he’d choose Kevin Martin over Kobe Bryant for a crucial shot. Abbott followed that up with a well-reasoned argument for a multi-faceted approach to examining a player’s production in crucial situations. Kelly Dwyer, Eric Freeman, Jesse Blanchard, Royce Young and Zach Lowe all chipped in. Meanwhile, Arturo Galletti was working hard to use the clutch statistics from 82games to calculate several different efficiency metrics.

I don’t have much in the way of response to any of those excellent pieces but wanted to offer a slightly different angle. I’m of the opinion, shared by many, that a made basket in the 1st Quarter, being worth two points, is just as valuable as a made basket in the last minute of the 4th Quarter. Close games make for a more exciting viewing experience. But as a fan hoping for dominance by my chosen team, I’d rather see blowouts. I may not enjoy watching them as much, but they’re much more satistfying when the game is over.

Still, regardless of how good a team is there will always be games where the opponent is, if just for one night, an even match. These are the games where the winner is determined not just by better talent but by the allotment of exactly 48 minutes to determine the victor. In these situations you have to be able to make some plays to steal a win. If nothing else, performance in the clutch reveals something about a player’s character. A basket in the 1st Quarter is worth the same as a crunch time basket but the psychological pressure of each situation is very different.

My angle in this discussion is to look at how a player’s production changes in clutch situations. I took all of the clutch stat categories available on 82games.com and compared it to each player’s production over the rest of the season. The table below shows the change in each category during clutch situations. A few disclaimers:

• All stats were calculated using per 48 minute averages.
• 82games does not have these clutch stats available for all players. I included only the players they had listed in their sortable clutch stats database.
• 82games defines clutch situations as being in the last 5 minutes of the 4th Quarter or Overtime with neither team ahead by more than 5 points.
• Although I may argue otherwise later, these changes do not necessarily reflect on the player’s physical or psychological abilities. There are lots of factors which may dictate changes in a player’s clutch performance including offensive role, teammates, injuries, opponents, matchups, etc.
• If you would prefer the actual spreadsheet to the embedded photo, here’s the link.

There are several things I’d like to point out. The first is to recognize the few players who actually increase their efficiency in clutch situations. Only 39 of the 121 players in this sample saw an increase in their FG% in clutch situations. Of those 39, only 10 increased their FG% with an increase in the number of shots they took.

• Dirk Nowtizki/+3.0 FGA/+7.8 FG%
• Amare Stoudemire/+5.4 FGA/+6.2 FG%
• Russell Westbrook/+6.0 FGA/+3.1 FG%
• Tyrus Thomas/+4.5 FGA/+12.2 FG%
• Carmelo Anthony/+6.8 FGA/+2.1 FG%
• Jason Terry/+3.0 FGA/+14.6 FG%
• Manu Ginobili/+2.4 FGA/+3.8 FG%
• Andray Blatche/+0.3 FGA/+11.4 FG%
• Deron Williams/+0.9 FGA/+0.2 FG%
• Gilbert Arenas/+2.8 FGA/+7.1 FG%

Nowitzki, Stoudemire, Westbrook, Terry, Ginobili and Williams have been terrific in the clutch this season and I was not at all surprised to see their reputations be proven accurate. I was a little surprised to see Carmelo Anthony and Gilbert Arenas on this list. I was horrified to find Andray Blatche’s name up here. I apologize in advance to Wizard fans if he somehow sees this post and uses it as an excuse to hoist more 20ft. jumpers.

There were also several players who, by shooting a higher percentage and getting to the free throw line at a greater rate, were able to increase their scoring averages while taking fewer shots in the clutch. Eric Gordon, Al Horford, Al Jefferson, Chris Bosh, Paul Millsap, Raymond Felton, DeMar DeRozan and Kevin Martin all fall into this category.

Bosh’s numbers are extremely bizarre. He takes 10.7 fewer shots per 48 in clutch situations than he does normally, the biggest decrease in our sample. Yet his per 48 scoring average in clutch situations increases by 3.2 points. Part of this is that his FTA/48 increase by 10.3 in the clutch. The biggest difference though is that his FG% increases by 21.4 points, from 50% to 71.4% in clutch situations. We are definitely looking at a small sample size in terms of his shot attempts in these scenarios but there is an ever expanding statistical case to be made that he is the most unappreciated and undervalued member of the Miami Heat.

In addition to shooting and scoring efficiency I think it’s interesting to look at some of the players whose production increases or declines in other ways. There are the players who step up to knock down pressure free throws:

• Richard Jefferson, +27 FT%
• O.J. Mayo, +25 FT%
• Andrew Bogut, + 21 FT%
• Rajon Rondo, +19 FT%
• Jason Terry, +16 FT%
• Blake Griffin, +15 FT%
• LeBron James, +13 FT%

The players who fight a little bit harder for that crucial rebound:

• Derrick Rose, +9.2 Reb/48
• Kevin Durant, +7.3 Reb/48
• David Lee, +7.0 Reb/48
• Luis Scola, +6.1 Reb/48
• LaMarcus Aldridge, +5.4 Reb/48

The players who look to make the extra pass to an open teammate:

• Kobe Bryant, +4.1 Ast/48
• Paul Pierce, +2.6 Ast/48
• Tim Duncan, +1.5 Ast/48

The players who protect the ball above all else:

• Blake Griffin, -3.6 TO/48
• Devin Harris, -3.1 TO/48
• Russell Westbrook, -2.6 TO/48
• LeBron James, -2.4 TO/48
• Raymond Felton, -2.3 TO/48

The players who may tighten up and force the action:

• Eric Gordon, +5.9 TO/48
• Dirk Nowitzki, +4.4 TO/48
• Joe Johnson, +4.0 TO/48
• Carmelo Anthony, +3.6 TO/48
• Derrick Rose , +3.4 TO/48
• Kobe Bryant, +2.4 TO/48

Those player descriptions are obviously generalizations and ignore the myriad factors why a player might turn the ball over more often or grab a few extra rebounds in a clutch situation. Chris Bosh doesn’t take fewer shots because he being selective. It’s because Dwyane Wade and Lebron James are eating up all those extra crunch time shots.

When we talk about player performance in the clutch there is a place for observation and statistics, emotion and logic, makes and misses. Whatever you consider the value of clutch performance to be in overall player evaluation, looking at how player performance changes in the clutch should absolutely be a part of that discussions as well.

Last Night’s Numbers – 1/31/11

This is Last Night’s Numbers, a daily feature where we run through the NBA games from the night before, highlighting one or two numbers I found particularly interesting from each game. All the stats are from Hoopdata’s box scores, which contain some additional advanced stats not available in traditional box scores.

Miami 108 – Oklahoma City 103

• It didn’t hurt them too much because they won the game, but Miami turned the ball over on 20.6% of their possessions. Dwyane Wade led the way with an eye popping 9 turnovers.
• Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook struggled shooting the ball, combing to go 14 of 42. Their shooting was off but they contributed in other ways. Westbrook and Durant combined to go 23 of 27 at the free throw line and chip in 17 rebounds, 11 assists and 6 steals.
• Jeff Green was uncharacteristically dominant in the paint. He was 8 of 11 on shots at the rim and grabbed 11 rebounds.

Boston 109 – L.A. Lakers 96

• Boston torched the Lakers, shooting 60.3% from the field and making 9 of 17 three pointers. Paul Pierce led the way with 32 points on a 75.9% TS%.
• Rajon Rondo had 16 assists for the Celtics, 9 of which went for layups or three pointers.
• The Celtics dominated the Lakers on the glass, grabbing 59% of available rebounds. Kevin Garnett led the way with 13.

Orlando 103 – Cleveland 87

• Manny Harris was 7 of 12 from the field for Cleveland. The rest of the team was 26 of 64.
• Orlando destroyed Cleveland on the glass, grabbing 63.5% of available rebounds. Dwight Howard had 20 in 26 minutes and Ryan Anderson added another 16. The Magic’s ORR for the game was 45.6%.

Philadelphia 110 – Denver 99

• Chauncey Billups was one of the only offensive stars for the Nuggets. He scored 27 points on an 89.5% TS%.
• Andre Iguodala was 8 of 12 from the field with all 8 of his baskets assisted on. Iguodala finished with 24 points on a 79.6% TS%.
• The 76ers recorded an assists on 31 of their 43 made baskets, an Ast% on 72.1%. Andre Iguodala and Jrue Holiday led the way with 7 apiece.

New York 124 – Detroit 106

• The Knicks helped themselves to a 137.8 ORtg. for the game by turning the ball over on just 6.7% of their possessions.
• The Knicks posted a FTR of 0.513 for the game, helping themselves to a 22 point advantage at the free throw line. Danilo Gallinari and Amare Stoudemire combined to go 22 of 23 at the line.
• Greg Monroe was a beast for the Pistons. Monroe was 6 of 7 at the rim on his way to 15 points. He also added 17 rebounds with 8 at the offensive end. His ORR for the game was 26.8%.

Phoenix 104 – New Orleans 102

• Chris Paul was a satr for the Hornets. Paul scored 26 points on a 70.7% TS%. He also added 12 assists, 5 of which went for layups or three pointers.
• For one night at least Marcin Gortat was the dominant inside presence Phoenix hoped he’d be. Gortat scored 25 points on a 95.6% TS%, made all 6 of his shots at the rim and grabbed 11 rebounds.
• Steve Nash had 15 assists for the Suns, 11 of which went for layups or three pointers.

Golden State 96 – Utah 81

• Utah had a horrific shooting night at 37.3% from the field. They were 3 of 21 on long two pointers and 4 of 12 on three pointers.
• Louis Amundson had 11 rebounds in just 18 minutes. 5 of his 11 rebounds were at the offensive end. He had an ORR of 37.0 for the game.

Last Night’s Numbers – 1/28/11

This is Last Night’s Numbers, a daily feature where we run through the NBA games from the night before, highlighting one or two numbers I found particularly interesting from each game. All the stats are from Hoopdata’s box scores, which contain some additional advanced stats not available in traditional box scores.

New York 93 – Miami 88

• Miami turned the ball over on 20.6% of their possessions, compared to just 12.9% for the Knicks. LeBron James and Dwyane Wade combined for 10 of the Heat’s 17 turnovers.
• Landry Fields played a great game for the Knicks. Fields had 19 points on a 74.5% TS%. He also added 13 rebounds, 5 at the offensive end and 6 assists.
• LeBron James struggled to score going 7 of 24 from the field. He was just 2 of 15 on shots not at the rim.

Dallas 111 – Houston 106

• Dallas spread the ball around with 7 different players scoring in double figures. As a team, they shot 50% from the field, 92% from the free throw line and 37.5% on three pointers.
• Tyson Chandler had a huge game for the Mavs. Chandler had 21 points on a 79.1% TS%. Chandler was 11 of 12 at the free throw line and added 15 rebounds.
• Jason Kidd had 10 assists for the Mavs, 6 of which went for layups.

Boston 88 – Portland 78

• With a FTR of 0.516 Boston ended the game with a 15 point advantage from the free throw line. This gap could have been even larger if they’d made better than 69.7% of their attempts.
• Portland won the battle on the boards grabbing 53.8% of available rebounds with an ORR of 35.8%. LaMarcus Aldridge led the way with 16 rebounds, 8 at the offensive end.
• The TrailBlazers couldn’t buy a jumpshot. They were 22 of 35 on shots at the rim and 11 of 55 from everywhere else on the floor.

Last Night’s Numbers – 1/27/11

This is Last Night’s Numbers, a daily feature where we run through the NBA games from the night before, highlighting one or two numbers I found particularly interesting from each game. All the stats are from Hoopdata’s box scores, which contain some additional advanced stats not available in traditional box scores.

Orlando 111 – Indiana 96

• Orlando was absolutely scorching from the perimeter. They shot 16 of 34 on three pointers and 6 of 10 on long two pointers. Jason Richardson and Ryan Anderson combined to go 8 of 16 from beyond the arc.
• The Pacers couldn’t come close to matching Orlando’s outside barrage. The Pacers were a combined 16 of 50 on shots outside of 15ft. Danny Granger, Darren Collison and Paul George combined to go 3 of 18 on three pointers.
• The Magic recorded an assist on just 48.8% of their shots. However 12 of their 16 three pointers were assisted on.

New Jersey 93 – Memphis 88

• The Grizzlies had a horrible night finishing on the interior. Despite having only 5 of their shots blocked, they made just 12 of 26 at the rim. Zach Randolph was 3 of 9 at the rim.
• Brook Lopez had a similar problem for the Nets, making just 4 of his 12 shots from inside of 10ft.
• The Nets had a strong perimeter shooting performance, going 9 of 17 on three pointers. Anthony Morrow and Sasha Vujacic each made 3.

Philadelphia 107 – Toronto 94

• Philadelphia dominated the Raptors on the glass, grabbing 56.6% of available rebounds with an ORR of 41.5%. Mareese Speights led the way with 9 rebounds, 6 at the offensive end.
• Speights also added 23 points on 10 of 12 shooting in just 17 minutes. Speights was 9 of 10 from inside of 10ft.
• DeMar Derozan scored 29 points for the Raptors on a 62.3% TS%. He was 7 of 11 on shots from 16-23ft.

Denver 109 – Detroit 100

• Denver’s hot three point shooting helped them to a 118.5 ORtg. for the game. The Nuggets made 11 of 27 three pointers led by Chauncey Billups’ 6 of 9 performance.
• Almost everything in this game came at the rim or from distance. The teams combined to attempt just 22 shots from the rim out to 15ft.
• Tracy McGrady had 8 assists for the Pistons, 7 of which led to layups.

Milwaukee 98 – Atlanta 90

• Milwaukee had just 12 points in the paint but prevailed because of hot outside shooting. The Bucks made 10 of 20 three pointers and 11 of 21 long two pointers.
• Al Horford had an extremely efficient game for the Hawks, scoring 17 points on 7 of 9 from the field. Horford added 10 rebounds and 4 assists.

Oklahoma City 118 – Minnesota 117 (OT)

• Kevin Durant was the star for the Thunder. Durant had 47 points on a 68.8% TS%. He added 18 rebounds, 2 assists, 2 steals, 2 blocks and only turned the ball over twice. Durant was 11 of 21 on shots farther than 15ft.
• Kevin Love continues to put up numbers that boggle the mind in losing efforts. Love had 31 points on 63.2% TS% to go along with 21 rebounds, 8 at the offensive end. Love was 8 of 12 at the rim and also knocked down all 3 of this three pointers.
• Michael Beasley scored 30 points but on a 58.0% TS%. He added 7 assists, 6 of which went for layups, but also turned the ball over 6 times.

Houston 96 – L.A. Clippers 83

• It was an uncommon occurrence, but the Clippers struggled to score close to the basket. They were just 20 of 45 on those inside of 10ft. Blake Griffin was 4 of 11 from that area.
• The Rockets also struggled in the paint, making just 18 of 38 shots inside of 10ft. Luis Scola was 3 of 8 from that area.
• The Clippers had more turnovers, 14, than assists 13. Randy Foye and Baron Davis combined for 2 assists and 6 turnovers.

Charlotte 114 – Phoenix 107

• With a FTR of 0.367 the Bobcats finished the game with a 16 point advantage from the free throw line. Every Bobcat except Eduardo Najera (4 minutes played) attempted at least one free throw.
• There was plenty of hot oustide shooting as both teams combined to go 25 of 49 on three pointers. Stephen Jackson, Steve Nash, Vince Carter and Channing Frye all made at least 4.
• Steve Nash scored 27 points on an 87.4% TS%. He also added 15 assists, 8 of which went for three pointers.

San Antonio 112 – Utah 105

• Deron Williams had 39 points on a 70.9%  TS% for the Jazz. He also added 9 assists, 6 of which went for layups.
• Tony Parker was lethal off the dribble, going 8 of 11 on shots inside of 10ft.
• The Spurs finished the game 17 of 20 on shots at the rim against Utah’s soft interior defense. The Jazz took it right back at them going 22 of 25 at the rim. Deron Williams and Al Jefferson were a combined 12 of 13 at the rim.

New Orleans 112 – Golden State 103

• New Orleans shot a ridiculous 62.2% on the night. They were 26 of 36 on shots inside of 10ft.
• Chris Paul had 17 assists for the Hornets, 7 of which went for layups or three pointers.
• Both teams shot very well but were extremely sloppy with the ball. The Hornets turned the ball over on 23.5% of their possessions, the Warriors on 21.4% of their possessions.

Last Night’s Numbers – 1/26/11

This is Last Night’s Numbers, a daily feature where we run through the NBA games from the night before, highlighting one or two numbers I found particularly interesting from each game. All the stats are from Hoopdata’s box scores, which contain some additional advanced stats not available in traditional box scores.

Boston 112 – Cleveland 95

• Cleveland shot the ball reasonably well at 46.3%, but they turned the ball over on 16.8% of their possessions while forcing a Boston turnover on just 9.5% of their possessions.
• The Celtics were 11 of 24 on three pointers. Nate Robinson and Ray Allen led the way, each making 3. Even Rajon Rondo got in the act knocking down his only three point attempt of the game.
• J.J. Hickson had a monster game for the Cavs making an impact in areas besides scoring. Hickson had 17 rebounds, 4 at the offensive end, 5 assists, 4 blocks and just 2 turnovers.

Dallas 112 – L.A. Clippers 105

• The Clippers got some very shaky play from their point guards. Baron Davis and Eric Bledsoe combined for 11 turnovers and just 10 assists. Davis was a -18 in his 32 minutes on the floor.
• Jason Terry carried the Mavs offense, scoring 28 points on a 61.2% TS%. Terry was 4 of 8 on long two pointers and 4 of 7 on three pointers.
• The Mavs did a great job defending Blake Griffin. Griffin did score 22 points with 11 rebounds, but he had only one field goal attempt at the rim. 9 of his 16 field goal attempts came from outside of 10ft.

L.A. Lakers 120 – Utah 91

• The Lakers offense had their way with the Jazz. L.A. shot 62% from the field, 82.8% from the line and 44.5% on three pointers. Andrew Bynum, Kobe Bryant, Lamar Odom and Pau Gasol were a combined 29 of 41 from the floor.
• With the Lakers incredible offensive efficiency the Utah Jazz grabbed only 17 defensive rebounds for the entire game. With 16 offensive rebound they almost had more at the offensive end than the defensive end.
• The Lakers recorded 34 assists on 44 made baskets for an Assist Percentage of 77.3%.

Charlotte 94 – Sacramento 89

• At 36% for the game, the Kings really struggled to score. Tyreke Evans and Beno Udrih were a combined 9 of 31.
• DeMarcus Cousins fouled out in just 21 minutes. He had twice as many fouls as rebound.
• Kwame Brown came up with 18 huge rebounds for the Bobcats, 4 coming at the offensive end. Brown also added 13 points on just 8 shots, 2 assists, a steal and a block.

Denver 120 – Washington 109

• The Nuggets and Wizards were nearly even in most of the statistical categories. One huge difference was the Nuggets making 12 of 23 three pointers while the Wizards made just 2 of 13. Al Harrington led the way for the Nuggets making 6 of 8.
• Nene owned the paint for Denver. In just 27 minutes he grabbed 9 rebounds, went 8 of 8 on shots at the rim and attempted 7 free throws. In those 27 minutes Nene finished with 21 points on a 86.9% TS%.
• John Wall had 13 assists to just 4 turnovers. 7 of his 13 assists went for layups or three pointers.

Last Night’s Numbers – 1/25/11

This is Last Night’s Numbers, a daily feature where we run through the NBA games from the night before, highlighting one or two numbers I found particularly interesting from each game. All the stats are from Hoopdata’s box scores, which contain some additional advanced stats not available in traditional box scores.

New Jersey 103 – Cleveland 101

• Cleveland made a concerted effort to get the ball inside with 35 attempts at the rim. They made only 20 of them or 57.2%. J.J. Hickson was just 4 of 12 at the rim.
• Brook Lopez scored 28 points for the Nets including the game winner. The best part was that 16 of his 20 shot attempts came from inside of 10ft. He also made it to the free throw line 10 times.
• Devin Harris had 10 assists and no turnovers for the Nets.

Detroit 103 – Orlando 96

• Orlando turned the ball over on 17.4% of their possessions compared to just 7.6% for the Pistons. 8 of the 9 Magic players who saw the floor coughed the ball up at least once.
• Tayshaun Prince was 7 of 9 on 16-23ft. jumpers. He was just 2 of 5 from everywhere else on the floor.
• Austin Daye scored a solid 20 points for the Pistons on a 79.9% TS%. He added 7 rebounds and 2 steals without turning the ball over once.

Philadelphia 105 – Phoenix 95

• The 76ers won the battle on the boards grabbing 56.1% of available rebounds with an ORR of 28.6%.
• Evan Turner played a very efficient game for Philadelphia. The rookie had 14 points, 8 rebounds and 5 assists with just one turnover. His 14 points came on a 64.3% TS%.
• Goran Dragic was 6 of 8 from the field for the Suns. All 6 of his made field goals came from inside of 10ft.

Memphis 100 – Toronto 98

• Memphis did a great job protecting the ball, turning it over on just 9.7% of their possessions. Marc Gasol was responsible for 4 of their 9 turnovers.
• The Grizzlies did a great job on the glass. They grabbed 52.3% of available rebounds with an ORR of 36.7%. Four different players had at least 7 rebounds.
• Jerryd Bayless played a strong game for the Raptors. Bayless has 15 points on a 59.3% TS% with 11 assists, 8 rebounds and 2 steals.

New York 115 – Washington 106

• The Knicks were 10 of 29 on three pointers. With Washington making just 4 of 13 the Knicks had an 18 point advantage from distance.
• Raymond Felton had 15 huge assists for the Knicks. 12 of his 15 assists went for layups or three pointers.
• Amare Stoudemire was a beast on the interior. Stoudemire was 9 of 12 on shots at the rim and grabbed 9 rebounds, 5 of which came at the offensive end.

Chicago 92 – Milwaukee 83

• Kurt Thomas hooked himself up to the rejuvenation machine before the game and went for 22 points, 9 rebounds, 5 assists and 2 blocks. All 10 of his field goals were assisted on and all 10 came from outside of 10ft.
• Chris Douglas-Roberts gave the Bucks a rare but efficient scoring performance. CDR had 30 points on a 64.7% TS%.
• Derrick Rose was just 5 of 16 on the night, including 2 of 10 on shots from outside of 10ft. He did add 10 assists with just 3 turnovers and went 10 of 10 at the free throw line.

Houston 129 – Minnesota 125

• Kevin Martin’s scoring efficiency is a sight to behold, even on a ho-hum night for him. Last night he had 34 points on just 18 shots. Going 13 of 18 at the free throw line gave him a TS% of 65.6%.
• Kevin Love had another monster game. He scored 27 points on a 71.3% TS%, going 11 of 11 at the free throw line. He also added 17 rebounds, 9 at the offensive end and 7 assists.
• Both teams shot the lights out on three pointers, combining to make 24 of 50. Shane Battier led the way, going 5 of 9.

New Orleans 91 – Oklahoma City 89

• Chris Paul’s flops notwithstanding, the Thunder had trouble taking care of the ball. They turned it over on 19.5% of their possessions, compared to just 11.5% for the Hornets.
• Some hot shooting on long jumpers helped the Hornets ice the game. They were 9 of 19 on shots from 16-23ft., compared to just 4 of 18 for the Thunder. David West was 5 of 8 from that distance, including knocking down the game winner.
• Kevin Durant was just 7 of 18 on the night, including 0 of 5 in the 4th quarter. He also turned the ball over 4 times.

Sacramento 96 – Portland 81

• Six was the magic number for the Kings’ Tyreke Evans. 6 of 6 at the free throw line. 6 rebounds. 6 assists. 6 turnovers. 16 field goal attempts. 26 points.
• DeMarcus Cousins scored 14 points on 6 of 9 shooting and grabbed 8 rebounds in just 15 minutes on the floor. He also turned the ball over 4 times and tallied 5 personal fouls.
• The Blazers couldn’t put the ball in the basket, shooting just 39.6% for the game. LaMarcus Aldridge, Wesley Matthews and Rudy Fernandez struggled in particular, combining to go 14 of 45 from the field.

San Antonio 113 – Golden State 102

• The Spurs had a very efficient shooting performance, hitting 50% for the game. They were 15 of 20 at the rim and 13 of 21 on shots from 16-23ft.
• The Spurs dominated on the glass grabbing 56.1% of available rebounds. They kept the Warriors off the glass with a DRR of 86.4%.
• Tony Parker and Manu Ginobili combined for 18 assists and just 3 turnovers.

Last Night’s Numbers – 1/24/11

This is Last Night’s Numbers, a daily feature where we run through the NBA games from the night before, highlighting one or two numbers I found particularly interesting from each game. All the stats are from Hoopdata’s box scores, which contain some additional advanced stats not available in traditional box scores.

Denver 121 – Indiana 107

• Carmelo Anthony had his way with the Pacers’ wings. Anthony scored 36 points on a 61.6% TS%. He knocked dwon 6 of 8 three pointers, added 8 rebounds and didn’t turn the ball over once.
• The Pacers’ big three, Darren Collison, Roy Hibbert and Danny Granger showed the effects of playing the second night of a back to back in Denver. They combined to shoot 10 of 45 from the field, 0 of 5 on three pointers and totalled just 9 rebounds and 6 assists between them.
• Tyler Hansbrough had one of his best games as a pro, going for 27 points and 10 rebounds. Hansbrough was 6 of 10 on 16-23ft. jumpers and grabbed 5 of his 10 rebounds at the offensive end.

Mid-Season Anti-Awards

At the beginning of December I wrote a post handing out “awards” for some of the less than stellar achievements of the season’s first half. I titled the post 1st Quarter Crapulence, which as a commentor pointed out was a completely incorrect use of the word crapulence. With another 20 or so games under our belts, here are the newly re-christened Mid-Season Anti-Awards. These Anti-Awards include the ones we looked at last time as well as a few new categories.

The Shawn Bradley Award – This award goes to the player 6’10” or taller who has had the highest percentage of his shot attempts blocked.

The front-runner is still Bulls’ rookie, Omer Asik. Asik’s pace has slowed somewhat over the 2nd quarter of the season as his Blkd% has fallen to 25.0%. He certainly hasn’t locked this award down as Denver’s Chris Anderson has returned from injury and is having his shots rejected at a ferocious pace.

The Shawn Kemp Award – This award goes to the player who has fouled out of the most games. From 1986 up through the present, Shawn Kemp is the NBA’s leader in foul outs with 115, 35 more than his next closest competitor.

Serge Ibaka has jumped out to the lead with 6 disqualifications because of fouls. However, it’s way to early to count out Andris Biedrins or DeMarcus Cousins. Biedrins and Cousins have 5 and 4 disqualifications respectively, and both average more than 5 fouls per 36 minutes. 

The Jahidi White Award – This award goes to the player with the lowest ratio of Ast/FGA (minimum 200 minutes). The award is named for White who assisted on just 1.7% of his teammates’ baskets over a 334 game career.

Robin Lopez is in the lead by a nose with an Ast/FGA ratio of 0.026. He’s just barely edging out Serge Ibaka, who’s ratio is a sparkling 0.036. Ibaka seems determined to take home some of my Anti-Award hardware. If you really want the trophy then just keep chucking young fella!

The Darrick Martin Award – This award goes to the player with the lowest FG% and a minimum of 100 attempts. The award is named for Darrick Martin, a career 38.2% shooter who played 514 games over 13 NBA seasons.

Lou Williams, our leader after the first quarter of the season, has shot himself right out of this race, pushing his FG% to 39.1%. This still leaves us with a stacked field. Jawad Williams, Rasual Butler, Jason Kidd, James Posey and Greivis Vasquez are all shooting under 36.5%. The current leader is Williams at 32.5%, but if I was a betting man I’d be putting some money on Corey Brewer, who at 37.3% sits 8th, to run away with this award in the second half of the season.

The Jason Kidd Award – This award goes to the player with the most turnovers in a single game. Jason Kidd has had a Hall of Fame career with many terrific positive statistical contributions. He’s also had 3 career games with more than 12 turnovers.

Amare Stoudemire is out in front and looks like a lock to take this award home. His 11 turnover game against Washington on December 10th is currently the highest in the league. But with Stoudemire contributing 3 of the top 10 turnover games this season don’t discount the possibility of him topping his personal “best.”

The Matt Bullard Award – This award goes to the player 6’10” or taller with the lowest Total Rebound Percentage. (Minimum 200 minutes)

There are several strong candidates for this award and the list reads like a who’s who of soft, fluffy, squishy, finesse players. Danilo Gallinari, Donte Greene, Hedo Turkoglu, Matt Bonner, Rashard Lewis, Andrea Bargnani, Brook Lopez and Vlad Radmanovic are all in the running. Gallinari currently has the lead grabbing just 7.4% of the available rebounds while he’s on the floor. However, this race just has too many big names to project a winner at this point.

The Kobe Bryant Award – This award goes the to the player who has missed the most shot attempts in a single game. The award is inspired by Kobe’s performance in Game 7 of the Finals last season.

Kobe’s 21 missed field goals on November 11th against Denver are still in the lead. In a Herculean effort to lock up the award, Kobe also missed 19 shots on November 28th against Indiana, December 28th against San Antonio and November 19th against Minnesota. Derrick Rose appears willing to fight Kobe tooth and nail for this award. Rose has also missed 19 field goals on three separate occasions.

The Nick Anderson Award – This award goes to the player who missed the most free throws in a single game. Anderson was actually a decent free throw shooter. But his four missed free throw attempts in the 1995 Finals against Houston kind of stand out in my memory.

Dwight Howard is really just competing with himself in this category. This season he has missed 12 free throws in a game once, 11 free throws once, 10 free throws twice and 8 free throws twice. There are other candidates out there, but this is really Howard’s award to lose.

The Chris Childs Award – This award goes to the player who has posted the highest Turnover Percentage so far this season. It’s named after former New York Knick Chris Childs, who retired with a career Turnover Percentage of 22.8%. (Minimum 300 minutes)

Chris Duhon continues to be the front-runner, by a large margin, with a Turnover Percentage of 32.9%. Duhon has been playing fewer minutes recently but has persisted in doggedly coughing up the ball every opportunity he gets.

The Darius Songaila Award – This award goes to the player who has provided his team with the least overall production. I use Wins Produced to determine the winner here. (Minimum 300 minutes)

Toronto’s Andrea Bargnani is still out in front. With a WP48 of -0.076, Bargnani has “contributed” -2.0 wins to the Raptors. Despite his lead this race is closer than you might think. Bargnani has actually improved his WP48 since the last time we looked. Meanwhile, J.J. Hickson, Brook Lopez and Wesley Johnson have all declined significantly and find themselves within striking distance.

Last Night’s Numbers – 1/21/11

This is Last Night’s Numbers, a daily feature where we run through the NBA games from the night before, highlighting one or two numbers I found particularly interesting from each game. All the stats are from Hoopdata’s box scores, which contain some additional advanced stats not available in traditional box scores.

Chicago 82 – Dallas 77

• Chicago really roughed Dallas up on the glass. They grabbed 55.4% of available rebounds and posted an ORR of 34.7. Five different Bulls had at least 6 rebounds, led by Luol Deng with 12.
• At first glance Derrick Rose had a solid game, 26 points, 7 rebounds and 9 assists. However, he was just 9 of 28 from the field. This includes a 1 of 6 performance at the rim and a 2 of 10 performance from 16-23ft.
• Chicago’s defense forced Dirk Nowitzki into an uncharacteristically poor shooting performance. He was 6 of 16 overall and 2 of 7 from 16-23ft.

Portland 108 – L.A. Clippers 93

• This was billed as a matchup between LaMarcus Aldridge between Blake Griffin but the true offensive stars were Wesley Matthews and Eric Gordon. Matthews scored 28 points on a 70.9% TS% going 4 of 8 on three pointers. Eric Gordon scored 35 points on a 64.1% TS% going 7 of 11 on three pointers.
• The Clippers struggled to protect the ball, turning it over on 18.0% of their possessions compared to just 10.1% for the Trailblazers.
• Portland essentially did whatever they want on offense, shooting 56.5% from the field and 7 of 16 on three pointers.

Charlotte 100 – Philadelphia 97

• Philadelphia lost despite owning the interior. They grabbed 53% of available rebounds and went 19 of 27 on shots at the rim.
• D.J. Augustin was the offensive star for Charlotte, scoring 31 points on a 78.9% TS%. Augustin was 5 of 7 at the rim and 3 of 5 on three pointers.

The Obscure Statistics Leaderboard: No Thanks, I’m Stuffed

Frequently, when researching some obscure point in response to a comment or follow up question, I’ll come across a contextless but completely surprising statistical tidbit. In that spirit I present a new feature, The Obscure Statistics Leaderboard. I won’t dig too hard for meaning or predictive value, just present these numbers for what they are, bizarre and unexpected statistical iotas.

Speaking strictly from personal experience, there is nothing quite as confidence-shattering as having one of your shots thoroughly and completely stuffed. So who has had their shot blocked the most this season? Below is the the Top 10 in terms of their totals shots blocked by opponents.

1. Derrick Rose – 68
2. Kevin Love – 63
3. Carmelo Anthony – 61
4. Russell Westbrook – 60
5. Zach Randolph – 59
6. Amare Stoudemire – 57
7. Danny Granger – 52
8. Pau Gasol – 51
9. Gerald Wallace – 50
10. DeMarcus Cousins – 49

What you have here is actually a collection of some of the best scorers, especially at the rim, that the league has to offer. Each of these players takes a high number of shots at the rim. More shots at the rim means more opportunities to get your shot blocked. Jumpshooters, like Ray Allen, are unlikely to ever find themselves on this list. Now let’s look at the Top 10 list by percentage of shot attempts blocked.

1. Omer Asik- Chicago Bulls – 25.0%
2. ZaZa Pachulia – Atlanta Hawks – 20.4%
3. Reggie Evans – Toronto Raptors – 18.0%
4. Ryan Hollins – Cleveland Cavaliers – 18.0%
5. Chuck Hayes – Houston Rockets – 17.1%
6. Semih Erden – Boston Celtics – 16.7%
7. Solomon Jones – Indiana Pacers – 15.7%
8. Dominic McGuire – Charlotte Bobcats – 15.4%
9. Josh McRoberts – Indiana Pacers – 14.3%
10. Greg Monroe – Detroit Pistons – 13.9%

As a Pacers’ fan I’ve got to say that looking at that list makes me feel a little nauseous. Jeff Foster’s Blkd% of 13.2% comes in just a few slots below McRoberts. When looking at percentage instead of totals, Danny Granger drops out of the Top 10, but with a Blkd% of 8.1% he doesn’t drop too far. As a reference point, the league average for a player’s Blkd% is 6.7%. For a team that’s struggling offensively, to lose so many potential points at the rim because of an inability to finish strong is just torture.

Last season’s champion for Blkd% (minimum 100 FGA) was Glen Davis, who had 17.9% of his shots sent back. That mark would rank Davis 5th this season. Last season Zach Randolph led the league with 121 of his own shots being blocked, a full 12 more than the next highest player, Carmelo Anthony. It’s still only halfway through the season but Randolph’s mark looks like it could be in jeopardy from several players, including Randolph himself. There’s nothing like striving to beat a personal best!