Ross Siler points out the relevance of Rockets statistical analysis to Game 4:
The Rockets are an organization that crunches numbers to no end with general manager Daryl Morey trying to adapt statistical analysis to the NBA in similar ways to what Billy Beane has done with the Oakland A’s.
Before the series started, I heard it mentioned that the Jazz were far and away the No. 1 team in the NBA at grabbing offensive rebounds after missed free throws. It seemed like one of those interesting stats but not all that important in the grand scheme.
Of course, Mehmet Okur then beat Carl Landry and Tracy McGrady to the rebound after Deron Williams missed two free throws with 7.3 seconds left and the chance to close out the Jazz’s Game 4 victory.
Just like the world is full of mountains and then there is Everest, there are many loud, intimidating venues throughout the NBA.
Then there is Utah.
The sound alone can be the difference between listening to drumming fingers on a tabletop and standing next to a jet engine.
The off-the-wall, often-maniacal following of the Jazz can make visiting teams feel like they have just walked in on feeding time at the zoo.
“I’ve heard them yell things in Utah that I wouldn’t say” is an old line from Charles Barkley, who routinely uses language that is bluer than a Smurf.
The Dream Shake blames the Houston loss on the refs and T-Mac’s free throw shooting:
I’m not blaming the refs per se. The Rockets knew they wouldn’t get any calls. They knew that the word “charge” is no longer in the rules unless Utah is on offense. Fine, no problem. We worked around it. Until the last 14 seconds where we got absolutely completely hosed by supposed veteran officials. What-the-fuck-ever.
Let me get this straight… if Luis Scola tries to rebound, it’s a foul. Even if he has position and his hand on the ball? On the flip side, Okur can push someone in the back… step on them… kick the ball out of bounds on his own… and it’s a foul on the Rockets!?!? Fuck that noise.
Of course, if Tracy McGrady could make a freakin’ free throw this would all have been a non-issue. Or maybe stop taking 3s. I thought we had stopped doing that. I was wrong.
Hoops Adict points out that the NBA is doing a great job of marketing itself on the internet, particularly referencing social media:
The NBA does a fantastic job marketing itself on the Internet. This statement seems obvious coming from a basketball website, right? Sure, but the breadth of this Internet dominance had not really hit me until I saw a startling stat the other day.
Embarrassingly enough, the statistic came via Facebook, when I stumbled upon the NBA Fan Page application. It turns out that over 125,000 people are fans of the NBA on Facebook. This seems low, but consider that not everyone has Facebook, some don’t use it a great deal, and some don’t bother with applications. Obviously, too, the Fan Pages may not have reached everyone yet. Admittedly though, the number seems low.
However, a quick search returned Fan Pages for the NFL and MLB. The NFL Fan Page has just 1200 members, while the MLB is struggling with 700. I think these results make the picture seem more extreme than it actually is, but it piqued my interest enough to delve into the topic a little further.
Leave a Reply