One of the early surprises of the 2007-08 season is the Orlando Magic. After 12 games the Magic have won ten times (the first team to get to double digits in wins) and currently hold the second best record in the Eastern Conference. And by handing the Celtics their only …
In 1996-97 the San Antonio Spurs won 20 games. The next season, with the additions of Tim Duncan and a healthy David Robinson, the Spurs won 56 games. This 36 game improvement stands as the greatest leap forward in NBA history. Last season the Boston Celtics won 24 games. This …
Marc Stein of ESPN.com wrote a column this weekend asking where the combination of Kevin Garnett, Paul Pierce, and Ray Allen rank in the NBA. Specifically, is there a better trio in The Association?
One of my tasks this past weekend – beyond watching football and basketball — was to review a paper for the Journal of Sports Economics. Although I can’t reveal the details of the paper, I can note that this paper was relatively standard in the sports economics literature. A model …
Superstition is a major part of sports. If our team is successful when we sit a certain way, we keep sitting that way. If they start losing, we stand someplace else. Okay, maybe I am the only one who does this. Following the theme that higher powers are regulating our sports …
I am writing my weekly football column as I watch Michigan battle Ohio State. Given the importance of this game to Michigan fans (which I am), my main focus is going to be on watching the game. But in between plays, I will try and offer a few random football …
Way back in October the NBA season began. And here we are, already halfway through November. So with this much time elapsed, it’s time to determine the NBA’s Rookie of the Year. I know, what took us so long? Okay, teams haven’t even played 10 games yet. But David Thorpe …
If I understand the story correctly (and that’s a big if) Stephon Marbury decided this week he was not happy coming to work anymore because he didn’t want to come off the bench. The Knicks responded by taking away his paycheck, which suddenly caused Starbury to come to work. Given …
Maurice Brooks (a feature writer at NBA.com) and John Jacobson (an editor at NBA.com) had an on-line debate last week concerning the relative merits of Deron Williams and Chris Paul. Here is an excerpt from their conversation: Here is an instant messenger conversation I had with NBA.com editor John Jacobson. …
The Wages of Wins tells many stories about baseball, football, and basketball. Of all these stories, though, the one that has received the most attention is that scoring in the NBA is over-valued by decision-makers. Players like Allen Iverson, Ben Gordon, and Eddy Curry are not as valuable as people …