Author: John Paulsen (Page 30 of 937)

Bulls take Game 1 in convincing fashion

May 15, 2011 / John Paulsen

According to the oddsmakers, the Bulls are the series underdog, yet they were favored to win Game 1. (Go figure.) The game was tied at 48-48 at the half, but Chicago’s 24-15 third quarter put them control heading into the final period. A 14-6 run (from the Bulls bench) to start the fourth quarter stretched the lead to 17 and Chicago cruised to a 103-82 win.

There were two big stats in the Bulls’ favor. First, they outrebounded the Heat on the offensive glass, 19-6, so that’s 13 extra possessions which contributed to 19 additional shots and five additional free throws. Couple that with the Bulls’ stellar shooting from the three point line (10-of-21) and the result is a blowout win.

Derrick Rose had 28 points and six assists, but the difference in the game was Luol Deng (21 points, seven rebounds, four steals), who absolutely outplayed LeBron James (15 points, six rebounds, six assists). Taj Gibson (nine points, seven rebounds, two blocks) combined with Carlos Boozer (14 points, nine rebounds) to offset a surprisingly good game from Chris Bosh (30 points, nine rebounds).

Game 2 is on Wednesday.

External Sports, NBA

2011 NBA Playoffs

The great fan escape [video]

May 14, 2011 / John Paulsen

This is one of the better “fan runs on the field” videos I’ve seen.

Bottom of the ninth and Carlos Lee is trying to tie the game… when some guy runs out into Center field, evading cops and escapes in the most creative and athletic way possible.

Humor, MLB

Funny videos

Russell Westbrook strikes again!

May 14, 2011 / John Paulsen

Regular readers know that I’m no fan of Westbrook’s performance in the Playoffs. He posts gaudy numbers in virtually every game, but when it comes down to crunch time, he has been inconsistent.

Take Game 6 in Memphis. Westbrook finished with 27 points (on 11-for-22 shooting), four assists and three rebounds. Great, right? Not quite.

A closer look at Westbrook’s performance in crunch time reveals an entirely different story. After entering the game with 9:04 to play, he turns the ball over on three of the next four OKC possessions. The Grizzlies capitalize with a pair of Zach Randolph buckets. The four-point lead swells to seven.

Trailing by that margin with 3:29 to play, Westbrook misses a layup. On the next Memphis possession, Westbrook closes on an O.J. Mayo catch too quickly and Mayo goes by him for a 19-foot stop-and-pop to push the lead to nine. When Westbrook misses a 17-foot jumper with 2:23 to play, the Thunder are all but done.

He went 3-of-7 (0-2 from 3PT) with zero assists and three turnovers in the final 9:04, and his team was -8 during that span.

Can the Thunder win a title with Russell Westbrook at the point? Unless he finds a way to suddenly become much more efficient, I’d say no. He’s young, but he’s been in the league for three years and is still playing inconsistent ball in crunch time.

External Sports, NBA

2011 NBA Playoffs Russell Westbrook

Who’s still stepping it up in the NBA Playoffs?

May 13, 2011 / John Paulsen

A couple of weeks ago, I took a look at the numbers to see which players were producing at a higher rate in the Playoffs. Now that we’ve about closed down the second round, I thought it would be a good time to refresh the data.

I calculated Efficiency Per Minute for both the regular season (EPMr) and playoffs (EPMp) and took the difference as a percentage of their performance during the regular season. The resulting percentage is the gain (or drop) in their statistical production in the postseason.

Below you’ll find a table with the 18 (of 71 eligible) players that have managed to step up their games in the Playoffs. Keep in mind that I’m only looking at players that made it to the second round, so the sample size is a bit smaller.

External Sports, NBA

2011 NBA Playoffs statistical studies