Game Thread GAME# 82: PELICANS @ BLAZERS - APRIL 12, 2017 - WEDNESDAY, 7:30 (PDT), ESPN & KGW

[Chris Craig]

So Lillard and CJ are for sure playing?

 

[blue9]

The difference between the two figures (.412-.370=.042) is about 11% of Dame's percentage (.042/.370=.1135). So Curry's percentage is 11% better than Dame's, relative to Dame's percentage as a baseline.

Huh. Okay. I've never really seen people compare players shooting percentages in this way.

 

[TBpup]

^^^ what @PtldPlatypus said. Sorry if that was confusing. Come by my office sometime....it's a financial/numbers panacea. I could get people really confused.

 

[TBpup]

Perhaps here is a better example and why I went this route. If someone is taking a 4% dividend and someone else is taking a 5% dividend, that is only a 1% difference, right? Tell that to the guy who is getting 25% more from his dividend check into his bank account. Does that make sense?

 

[illmatic99]

Perhaps here is a better example and why I went this route. If someone is taking a 4% dividend and someone else is taking a 5% dividend, that is only a 1% difference, right? Tell that to the guy who is getting 25% more from his dividend check into his bank account. Does that make sense?

It makes sense, but not in this context, especially how you said it ("10% gap between the two players"). Never seen anyone comparing shooting percentages this way.

 

[BlazerCaravan]

Huh. Okay. I've never really seen people compare players shooting percentages in this way.

This is usually reserved for actual amounts; I personally haven't seen percentage variance expressed as a percent; usually those are expressed in percentage point difference. Side Note: I live in retail math 8 hours a day for my grown up job.

 

[PtldPlatypus]

Huh. Okay. I've never really seen people compare players shooting percentages in this way.

Which doesn't surprise me. But it's precisely the same thing as if someone said that there's a 11% gap between Dame and Curry in assists (which there is); it's just not intuitive to most to calculate a percent of a percent.

 

[BlazerCaravan]

Which doesn't surprise me. But it's precisely the same thing as if someone said that there's a 11% gap between Dame and Curry in assists (which there is); it's just not intuitive to most to calculate a percent of a percent.

Not intuitive meaning bad math. You typically never do multiplication or division math on percentages.

 

[Boob-No-More]

Oh and the Greek Freak is 2nd team and Paul George will make it ahead of Butler. Gobert might be first team. Cousins really didn't distinguish himself as a winner. Many people thought Pelicans would contend for playoffs with him and in fact, they played even worse. So here's my vote:

Westbrook
Harden
LeBron
Kawhi
Gobert

Curry
Thomas
Greek Freak
Paul George
Jordan

Wall
DeRozen
Durant
Davis
Cousins

I'd put Durant ahead of Paul George. He has better numbers and has done it on the best team in the league.

The center position is totally up in the air. I think Gobert will be in the running for DPOY, but I don't think his offensive numbers are good enough for 1st team all NBA: 14.1/12.8/2.7, PER = 23.4.

Cousins and KAT have the best stats of the centers, but neither has helped their team win much:

Boogie: 27.0/11.1/1.3 with 4.6 AST/G, PER = 23.4. Combined record in SAC and NOP = 30-42.
KAT: 25.1/12.2/1.3, PER = 25.8, record = 31-49 (that will hurt his chances)

Don't sleep on Whiteside, he gives you defense close to Gobert, but slightly better offense and rebounding: 16.9/14.1/2.1, PER = 22.4. Plus, the way MIA turned their season around after losing Wade and Bosch is a nice feel good story. Voters eat that shit up.

To me, that means that DeAndre Jordan doesn't deserve to be all NBA. Hell, I don't think any of the Clipper deserve to be. They've struggled to get a top 4 seed in the West and Jordan's numbers just aren't that impressive (and numbers matter to voters): 12.6/13.7/1.6, PER = 21.1.

I think the three that will make it are Cousins, Whiteside and Gobert, possibly in that order, possibly not. Cousins has constantly been in the media and has the highest scoring average, So, that will get him the votes he needs. Too bad, I think KAT has actually had a better season, but will probably get overlooked.

BNM

 

[PtldPlatypus]

Not intuitive meaning bad math. You typically never do multiplication or division math on percentages.

But if you were to say that Curry's PPS on 3PA is 11% higher than Dame's, that would be saying exactly the same thing and wouldn't be considered "bad math" at all.

Just because it is unusual or seemed confusing doesn't make it wrong.

 

[B-Roy]

Perhaps here is a better example and why I went this route. If someone is taking a 4% dividend and someone else is taking a 5% dividend, that is only a 1% difference, right? Tell that to the guy who is getting 25% more from his dividend check into his bank account. Does that make sense?

I don't understand why this is so hard to understand for some people.

Also, the debate between Curry and Lillard is kind of ridiculous. Curry has better advanced stats across the board, similar raw stats, and is the best or second best player on one of the greatest regular season teams of all time.

The next time they give individual honors to a player on a 41 win team over a player on a 67 win team with similar stats will be the first. This isn't a situation where there aren't enough good centers or forwards to fill out on the all-nba ballot. There are a plethora of good guards and I think Lillard is honestly better than some of the forwards or centers that are going to make the all-nba teams.

But he's not going to take Curry's guard spot on the all-nba team. Let's be real here.

 

[TBpup]

Not intuitive meaning bad math. You typically never do multiplication or division math on percentages.

Perfect...wouldn't be the first time someone made reference to me or something as did as not being typical.

 

[PtldPlatypus]

By the way. this discussion (arguing best practices on expressing mathematical disparities) is one of the many reasons that @HCP calls us all nerds.

 

[Strenuus]

The difference between the two figures (.412-.370=.042) is about 11% of Dame's percentage (.042/.370=.1135). So Curry's percentage is 11% better than Dame's, relative to Dame's percentage as a baseline.

The fuck did I just read? I haven't done a math class in 2 years (Damn you, Stats 2 class) but I thoroughly got lost. lol. Not your fault, numbers just... yeah.

 

[Boob-No-More]

Doubtful the reigning 2-time MVP will fall below Dame in IMO.

This. Voters won't forget that Curry has been the best player in the league on the best team in the league for the last two seasons. Sure, now he shares the spotlight and the ball with Durant, but he still puts Lillard like numbers on the best basketball team in the world. All else being equal, 66 (or 67) wins trumps 41 (or 42).

BNM

 

[Reep]

The difference between the two figures (.412-.370=.042) is about 11% of Dame's percentage (.042/.370=.1135). So Curry's percentage is 11% better than Dame's, relative to Dame's percentage as a baseline.

FWIW, I made it through DifEq and linear algebra, and this makes perfect sense to me. Let's just make sure we don't let identity politics divide the board. The Nerds and the antiNerds (Nerdi).

 

[PtldPlatypus]

FWIW, I made it through DifEq and linear algebra, and this makes perfect sense to me. Let's just make sure we don't let identity politics divide the board. The Nerds and the antiNerds (Nerdi).

The IlluminNerdi?

 

[Reep]

The IlluminNerdi?

Shhhhhhh!!!! Don't tell anyone.

 

[KingSpeed]

Wall's not gonna be on a team. Lillards having a better season than Curry. Derozen I forgot, hell be 3rd team instead of Paul.

Bones. Wall is averaging 23 pts 11 assist 4 rebounds and 2 steals. And his team has homecourt in the first round. How can he not make it?? As for Curry, he's the starting PG on the team with the best record.

 

[BlazerCaravan]

FWIW, I made it through DifEq and linear algebra, and this makes perfect sense to me. Let's just make sure we don't let identity politics divide the board. The Nerds and the antiNerds (Nerdi).

I read a web site that made it make sense to me so I take back what I said. Y'all are horrible teachers though that a web site did better!

(In fairness to you, I was the dumbest nerd in the nerd clubs. In chess club in grade school, they put a dunce cap on my head and I left after three weeks)

 

[KingSpeed]

Bones. Curry didn't lead his team?? How so? He's two time NBA MVP starting point guard on 67 win team.

 

[H.C.]

Westbrick
Har_en
Best player in the NBA today, aka the real MVP.
Leonard
Boogie

Wall
Curry
Greek Freak
Durant
Gobert

Thomas
Lillard
Butler
George
Whiteside

 

[Strenuus]

Bones. Wall is averaging 23 pts 11 assist 4 rebounds and 2 steals. And his team has homecourt in the first round. How can he not make it?? As for Curry, he's the starting PG on the team with the best record.

I'm laughing only because of the threads you've started about Curry. LOL.

 

[PDXFonz]

Vote for the Pre-Game intro video for the Pelicans game and be entered to win an autographed basketball

http://www.nba.com/blazers/vote

 

[Dougnsalem]

Vote for the Pre-Game intro video for the Pelicans game and be entered to win an autographed basketball

http://www.nba.com/blazers/vote

That was cool. THANKS! Hopefully someone here gets it.....

 

[BonesJones]

Bones. Wall is averaging 23 pts 11 assist 4 rebounds and 2 steals. And his team has homecourt in the first round. How can he not make it?? As for Curry, he's the starting PG on the team with the best record.

This isn't the all-star game. Team success isn't rewarded as much in All-NBA teams. Lillard made 2nd team All-NBA last year with 44 wins.

27/6 > 23/11, because do those 5 extra assists actually translate to better efficiency/more buckets? No.

Portland's role players get shots out of the offense, while the Wizards role players get shots fed to them by John Wall. Doesn't make Wall better. The extra 7 wins in the weaker conference isn't a difference maker either.

 

[illmatic99]

Cool thing for today's game:

Harkless is currently at 35.1% (68/194) from 3 for the season. If he shoots above 35%, he gets a 500K bonus. He has not attempted any threes in the past two games. I really don't get why they didn't have an attempts clause (like only on 200+ attempts or something) in the contract.

If he goes just 0-1 today, he will drop below 35%. This WILL affect our final cap number this year. Something to watch out for.

 

[SlyPokerDog]

This will be the final free regular season TV game to ever be broadcast by the Portland Trail Blazers.

 

[illmatic99]

Another statistical milestone: Dame needs to get 28p, 16a, 12r tonight to hit a 27-6-5 average without having to do some rounding up for his season averages.

 

[blue9]

This will be the final free regular season TV game to ever be broadcast by the Portland Trail Blazers.

[RAGE]