If the playoffs started today

[Admin]

Just watch another team who has a similar winning percentage to us for a few games and see all the dumb, careless mistakes they make. When you see every game of a team, as we do with the Hawks, we see ALL their mistakes. Fact is, other top teams constantly make them as well. We are a pretty good team who is improving, we can't expect to not make dumb mistakes, it's going to happen, as it does with every other good team. We aren't yet the 72-10 Bulls.

No, other top teams don't make mistakes! Plus they never play against teams missing key players. That's why the Hawks have been lucky this year because we are so awful at rebounding and turning the ball over and we never play teams who aren't missing key players. We're damn lucky that we have more than 10 wins this year!!

[AtLaS]

No, other top teams don't make mistakes! Plus they never play against teams missing key players. That's why the Hawks have been lucky this year because we are so awful at rebounding and turning the ball over and we never play teams who aren't missing key players. We're damn lucky that we have more than 10 wins this year!!

Taking the Lakers as an example, there is a reason they call him Lamar Odumb.

[AHF]

Yes, I can clearly see that you are confused. Take a look at the following URL for last years stats:

http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/stats/rpi?se...;sortColumn=rpi

Do you agree that our RPI suggested that we'd win 35 games last year even though we won 37?

Now look at this years stats:

http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/stats/rpi?se...;sortColumn=rpi

Do you agree that based on our ExWP (Expected Winning Percentage) of .635 that we should win 52 games this year (82 * .635 = 52.07)?

Now, based on our current winning percentage of .667 spread out over 82 games we're "on pace" to win 54 games (82 * .635 = 54.694), correct?

So, even though our RPI suggested that we'd win 35 games last year we actually won 37 and then again this year our RPI suggests that we'll win 52 but we're actually "on pace" to win 54.

Does that make sense to you now that I've broken down the numbers for you?

So again I ask you to please come up with a better way of determining our future success than RPI. Something not based on your emotion. I'll wait.

I think ex was riding you because RPI and on pace are two different figures - one based on expected winning % and the other based on actual winning %. He understood the difference between the two but wasn't going to let go of the fact that you said they were the same thing.

[Admin]

I think ex was riding you because RPI and on pace are two different figures - one based on expected winning % and the other based on actual winning %. He understood the difference between the two but wasn't going to let go of the fact that you said they were the same thing.

Yeah I know, which is why I almost added "essentially" when I said they were the same thing earlier simply because I knew he'd be difficult about them because he's not capable of thinking abstractly and not in absolutes, well at least until it comes to talking about our lucky wins and what not when there are no absolutes to back up his point.

[Admin]

Taking the Lakers as an example, there is a reason they call him Lamar Odumb.

Again I have to say that we're the only team that has dumb players or make mistakes. I don't think you guys watch other top teams enough to realize how perfect they are.

[exodus]

Just watch another team who has a similar winning percentage to us for a few games and see all the dumb, careless mistakes they make. When you see every game of a team, as we do with the Hawks, we see ALL their mistakes. Fact is, other top teams constantly make them as well. We are a pretty good team who is improving, we can't expect to not make dumb mistakes, it's going to happen, as it does with every other good team. We aren't yet the 72-10 Bulls.

If you want to see something instructive watch how other teams box out and compare that to the Hawks. Watch how many other teams have pf shooting 3s even though he shoots 23% or leading the break when he can't.

[AtLaS]

If you want to see something instructive watch how other teams box out and compare that to the Hawks. Watch how many other teams have pf shooting 3s even though he shoots 23% or leading the break when he can't.

We have our own dumb problems, other teams have theirs. And, if you watch other teams you'll find tons of times where they don't box out. That problem is league wide. Some teams are better than others at it, but it still happens constantly.

[AtLaS]

Just watch the Magic, they've already made at least 3 dumb, unforced turnovers and this is the beginning of the 2nd.

[exodus]

So is it OK to criticize their play now?

[jhay610]

Only babies and fools believe in Luck at this Level Ex.

?????

BTW, This has got to be one of the more dizzying, trivial, convoluted threads I've seen in quite a while.

Good job, all.

=)

Edited January 10, 2009 by jhay610

[TheNorthCydeRises]

Just watch another team who has a similar winning percentage to us for a few games and see all the dumb, careless mistakes they make. When you see every game of a team, as we do with the Hawks, we see ALL their mistakes. Fact is, other top teams constantly make them as well. We are a pretty good team who is improving, we can't expect to not make dumb mistakes, it's going to happen, as it does with every other good team. We aren't yet the 72-10 Bulls.

Actually . . . the Pistons are one of those teams.

Lately, they've started to crank it up ( won 8 of their last 9 . . . 11 of last 14 ), but you could easily say that they're doing exactly the same thing we're doing. They're beating the bad teams that they're supposed to beat, and they can beat a good team who is missing a key player or two.

But that team is FAR from playing championship caliber basketball on a nightly basis. With Iverson, that team takes a ton . . a TON of jumpers, just like we do. They don't jack up a lot of 3's, but they shoot a lot of midrange shots, instead of going to the hole or getting it on the inside. So if they have a cold shooting night, they're going to have to do exactly what we do at times . . scratch and claw out wins, even against bad teams . . especially on the road.

But at the end of the day, they're 22 - 12, and battling us for that #4 spot in the East. Come playoff time, they're going to be a tough out for any team that plays them.

Yeah, it would be nice to have someone like a Carlos Boozer, who we could throw it to down on the low block, and see him go to work . . or have a PG that could penetrate AND FINISH ( key word . . finish ) all of the time. But we don't have that. We're a 3-point, run and gun team, that goes through our best halfcourt player when we can't get out and run.

If that's how we have to play, in order to win games, I'm satisfied with that. As long as we keep a commitment to play defense, we'll be in just about all of our games.

No excuse or justification for last night though. They just flat out stunk it up on the court. Hopefully, we'll never see that ever again.