2009 NBA Playoffs
Forget Shaq; The Lakers Won This Title Without Kobe
That’s a lie, obviously.
Kobe Bryant was the clearly the biggest part and the moving force behind the Lakers’ 2009 championship run.
But in the Finals, it felt like Kobe was behind the scenes. Like he was conducting the orchestra, instead of playing a solo, for five games.
And perhaps it’s because of Kobe’s deference to his team, [...]
Once You’re Lucky, Twice You’re Good: Graphing NBA Finals Game Four
Derek Fisher was the Lakers’ hero for Game Four of the NBA Finals. Twice.
His stat line doesn’t look like much—only 12 points, and he only made 2-7 from beyond the arc—but his two trios came at the best possible times. One tied the game to send it into overtime, and the other gave the Lakers [...]
Orlando Magic Shoot Their Brains Out: NBA Finals Game Three Graphs
The Orlando Magic hosted the Lakers in Game Three of the NBA Finals, and they weren’t exactly gracious hosts.
The Lakers shot an exceptional 51.3 percent from the field, and cut the Magic lead to zero within the final minutes of the game.
The Magic however, shot a mind blowing NBA Finals-record 62.5 percent and held off [...]
Lakers Get That Boom Boom Pau: Graphing NBA Finals Game Two
Kobe Bryant didn’t score 40 points in Game 2, but he didn’t have to. Pau Gasol came to play.
The game went to overtime, but by the end it didn’t feel like it—Gasol scored seven of the Lakers’ 13 overtime points, and the Lakers closed out a five-point victory to go up 2-0 in the series.
The [...]
Magic Pick on Someone Their Own Size, Lose: NBA Finals Game One in Graphs
The Lakers and Magic met in LA, and the result wasn’t pretty for Orlando fans.
The Lakers had what the Cavaliers didn’t: a slew of big men to throw at Dwight Howard, and enough length to put pressure on the perimeter shooting. Now that a whole day has passed, I’ve had time to crunch the numbers, [...]
Lakers-Magic: Spider Graph Follow-Up
I think “Spider Graphs” is a good name for these, don’t you?
If you haven’t seen these before, don’t go any further before reading the original article. This article is a follow-up, based on feedback and comments received in the first go-around.
I’d also like to say thanks to everybody who contributed, either in the comments of [...]
Lakers vs. Magic: A Mathematical Breakdown of Matchups
I’ve developed a method of graphing players in order to compare styles and performance—and I can’t think of a better way to give it a maiden voyage than comparing the two NBA Finals teams, the Los Angeles Lakers and Orlando Magic.
The graphs are designed to give an overall view of a player in a single glance, based on [...]
How the Magic Tortoise Beat the Cavalier Hare
The Magic and Cavaliers only played two different games in their six-game series.
They just played each one three times.
It’s not our design here to explore how individual plays, sets, or players affected the game. That’s been done and the answers are clear—Orlando’s consistent pick-and-roll offense, paired with the deepest roster of three-point shooters in the [...]
The Lakers Won the Series, but the Nuggets Are More Fun
The Lakers-Nuggets Western Conference Finals was a great series to watch.
We were treated to games won by last-minute steals, aggressive defense from both sides, and Carmelo matching Kobe point-for-point. The Lakers lived up to expectations by taking the series, but it was the Nuggets that made it fun to watch.
The following is my list of [...]
Which Players Would Be in NBA Jam 2009 Edition?
NBA Jam changed the lives of millions of American males.
It took the game of basketball out of its rigid world of fouls, rules, and established laws of physics and dropped it into the world that exists deep in the mind of every guy.
The world where the ball actually catches fire when you’re on a roll. [...]
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