NBA Playoff Update

Thanks to Brian Tuohy for continuing to compile on his website the key statistic of the playoffs -- the differential in free-throw attempts.

We are learning several things in this case-study:

The league does not give a Tinker's Damn about the Celtics, Knicks, Hawks, or Magic.

The Bulls have already eliminated the Indiana Pacers in five games.

The Heat are up 3-1 on the 76ers.

In those two series:

• The Heat have gotten more free-throw attempts in all four games. (Including an absurd 39-15 differential in Game 1.)
• The Bulls had more free-throw attempts in all four of their wins (and some additional apparent help, as Tuohy adds in. The one game the Pacers won (in Indiana, of course), they had more free throw attempts.
  

In those two series, the team with more free-throw attempts is 8-1.

In the other two series:

• The Celtics swept the Knicks, despite the Knicks getting more free-throw attempts in three of the four games.
• The Hawks are up 3-2 on the Magic, and the team who has more free-throw attempts in 1-4.

In these two series, the team with more free-throw attempts is 2-7.

What does this say?

There are only two relevant teams in the Eastern Conference (the Bulls and the Heat), and they WILL meet in the Eastern Conference Finals.

How about out West??

The Lakers are being sent a message direct from David $tern: Shut up, or your reign is over!

This isn't only because of the Kobe gay slur, either.

A few days after this, the Lakers were fined $75,000 by the league for unauthorized public comments about their CBA situation.

This was only a very short time before the playoffs, and I already asserted that I believe the first incident probably cost them the title this year to begin with, and Phil Jackson openly telling reporters that there will be an NBA lockout this year (he's right, but that's beside the point!) might well be the dagger.

So, what happens?? The Lakers are now 2-2 with lowly New Orleans (well, lowly by Western Conference standards -- it took ten games above .500 to make the Western Conference playoffs, while the 12th-place Golden State Warriors (who just fired their coach as a result!) would've only missed the Eastern Conference playoffs by one game!!).

The Lakers have not received a free-throw advantage of over +3 the entire series, while the Game Two New Orleans loss actually had New Orleans get a +10 in the free-throw attempts.

One or two more incidents, and the coronation of the Eastern Conference will be complete.

Next: The Spurs are done, unless $tern really gets on the beat here.

The Memphis Grizzlies won Game 1 with a -14 free-throw differential, lost Game 2 with a -12, and had the advantage slightly in both games (both wins) in Memphis.

If there is a Game 6, I'd watch that one VERY VERY closely. Memphis leads 3-1.

Next: Cuban's rants must be doing something right.

I always had a gut feeling that Mark Cuban was more than happy to take fines to get the league to be forced to listen to him.

Look at Game 4 (Blazers +13, two late calls got Cuban ranting as the series went 2-2), and then Game 5 (Mavericks +16). Dallas leads 3-2.

Finally: The league doesn't care about Oklahoma City or Denver -- someone's probably got the over in all the games of this series!

289 free throws in four games????

Seventy-two free throws per game???

The entire Bulls-Pacers series had 266, in one more game.

The entire Celtics-Knicks series had 174.

189 in the first four for Heat-76ers.

252 in the first five for Magic-Hawks.

228 for the first four for Spurs-Grizzlies.

225 for the first four in Lakers-Hornets.

226 for five games in Mavericks-Trailblazers.

You don't think someone has The Over here in this last series???

Hmmmm...