Statistical Trivia

[Mike G]

Teams will have a better point differential in the playoffs, because the values are adjusted for the lineups that are playing for their opponents (which are tightened up for the post season).

But, overall, the players should average exactly the same as the same players did in the regular season (accounting for minutes).

Thanks again for the correction. In general, better players get more minutes in the playoffs.
The Cavs were one team for which this may not have been the case: Love played just 4 of their 20 games, and Irving missed 7.

Their aggregate PER dropped 0.81 (PO-RS), their WS/48 was unchanged (+.002), and BPM was +1.25

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Cavs 2014-15      playoff      regular season            playoff
Player            G   Min    PER    WS/48   BPM       PER   WS/48   BPM
LeBron James     20   844    25.9   .199    7.4      25.3   .173   11.0
Tristan Thompson 20   727    15.6   .148    -.6      15.4   .167    1.4
Iman Shumpert    20   695    11.1   .065     .6      10.6   .104    2.4
J.R. Smith       18   560    14.5   .124    2.9      13.5   .128    2.2
Timofey Mozgov   20   529    18.7   .161     .6      17.9   .156    1.2

Matt Dellavedova 20   497     8.5   .067   -2.6       6.8   .020   -3.0
Kyrie Irving     13   464    21.5   .183    3.3      20.9   .209    4.6
James Jones      20   311    11.1   .110   -1.4       7.9   .100    -.5
Kevin Love        4   107    18.8   .165    1.9      20.0   .208    3.3
Mike Miller       9    65     4.6   .028   -3.0       6.6   .098   -3.7

Kendrick Perkins  8    33     4.7  -.059   -7.6       3.8  -.085  -14.6
Shawn Marion      6    25    11.0   .074   -1.3       6.0  -.003   -3.2
Joe Harris        6    16     5.6   .018   -4.5      10.9   .064   -6.9

Among the top 10 in the playoff rotation, only Love was up in all 3 stats. Only Delly was down in all 3.

[Mike G]

NBA scoring is up from 100.0 ppg last year to 101.1 this year.
Steph Curry's ppg are up 12, accounting for about 1/3 of that uptick.

There are 13 players who have had a season of 40+ Pts/100 possessions since 1978.
Jordan did it 9 times, LeBron has 2 such seasons, and nobody else more than once.

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Pts/100
(53.0   Curry   2016)
46.4   Jordan   1987
45.6   Kobe     2006
42.5   Gervin   1982
42.3   B King   1985
42.0   McGrady  2003
41.8   Durant   2014
41.8   Wade     2009
41.4   Carmelo  2013
41.1  Westbrook 2015
40.8   LeBron   2009
40.6   Malone   1990
40.5   Wilkins  1988
40.1   Shaq     1998

[Showing just players' highest Pts/100.]
http://bkref.com/tiny/fdyHI
Jordan has 7 of the 8 highest marks; Kobe the #2 spot.

[Mike G]

In his season opener, DeMarcus Cousins (Sac) hit 4 of 5 three-pointers. His previous high season was 4 from the arc.
After 3 games totaling 0-9, he again hit 4/5 last night.
Before this year, his 3PAr was .013, and this year it's .201

His FTr was .441 thru 5 seasons, and this year it's .582
His FG% (.407) is .055 below his career avg; FT% (.717) is .013 below avg; but TS% (.525) is just above (.523)

Of players 6-11 and taller who are listed at or above Cousins' weight (270), I find no one as big who has averaged more than 1.2 3FG/G (Byron Mullens, 2013)
http://bkref.com/tiny/eIE2T
At 6-10 and over, still no one close to that size.

[sideshowbob]

Pace is up yet again. League average is currently 97.2 and there are 6 teams >100.0. It is trending downward though; after the first week it was above 98.5 and we even had one team (SAC) above 105.0.

League ORTG/DRTG is down/up at 103.6, but trending upward and should normalize at the usual 105-106.

GSW offense above LA is +8.8, defense below is -8.6, and they've held up a +14.02 SRS through 9 games. Monster start.

Stephen Curry is leading the league in PTS/G and TS% (among qualified players according to BBR). Per 100 possessions he's no longer above 50.0, but at 44.8 he's at the highest mark since Kobe in 2006 (45.6) and only Jordan in 87 has been higher.

[Mike G]

Stephen Curry is leading the league in PTS/G and TS% (among qualified players according to BBR). Per 100 possessions he's no longer above 50.0, but at 44.8 he's at the highest mark since Kobe in 2006 (45.6) and only Jordan in 87 has been higher.

How many players, if any, have led in both of these?
Who has come closest, most recently?

[sideshowbob]

Notable ranks through the years (looking only at qualified guys ranked top 5 in each going back to 1960):

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Season    Player   PTS/G   TS%
2016      Curry    1       1
2014      Lebron   3       2
2014      Durant   1       3
2014      Harden   5       5
2013      Durant   2       2
2013      Lebron   3       3
2008      Amare    5       1
2003      Shaq     4       2
1994      Shaq     2       5
1993      Malone   3       5
1991      Barkley  4       4
1990      Malone   2       5
1988      Barkley  4       1
1986      Dantley  2       5
1984      Dantley  1       2
1982      Dantley  3       3
1981      Dantley  1       4
1980      Dantley  3       4
1977      Kareem   3       2
1975      McAdoo   1       5
1974      McAdoo   1       1 (DING DING DING)
1973      Kareem   2       3
1972      Kareem   1       2
1971      Kareem   1       2
1969      Oscar    5       2
1968      Oscar    1       2
1967      Oscar    2       2
1967      West     3       4
1967      Wilt     5       1
1966      Oscar    3       2
1966      West     2       1
1966      Wilt     1       4
1965      Oscar    3       3
1965      West     2       2
1964      Bellamy  5       5
1964      Oscar    2       2
1964      West     3       4
1963      Bellamy  5       4
1963      Oscar    4       2
1963      Wilt     1       5
1962      Bellamy  2       1 (tie)
1962      Oscar    5       1 (tie)
1962      Wilt     1       5
1961      Oscar    3       1
1960      Hagan    5       4

SO, hasn't been done since McAdoo in 1974, 30.6 PTS/G and 59.4% TS. He played 43.0 MPG and per 100 possessions he scored an estimated 30.5 PTS.

Obviously, the standard for leading the league in PTS/G and TS% vary. In the mid 2000s, there weren't many guys breaking too far past the .600 barrier and there are years where the top end volume scorers are far beyond the 27-28ish level we've been seeing for the past few years (given the concentration of scoring talent on strong offensive teams). In the mid 60s, West, Wilt, and Robertson were often (not always) hitting top 5 in TS% with around 55% TS.

Still, I think it's pretty reasonable to say Curry's start has been historic.

Notably, the trend of high volume/efficiency wings/smalls seems to be pretty new, with Durant and James ushering in the era. Barkley/Malone/Shaq otherwise dominate this list in the past 25-30 years.

West/Robertson/Wilt/Bellamy were hitting the top 5 in both quite frequently in the 60s, oftentimes with low standards for qualified players (Bellamy/Oscar were #1 in TS% in 1962 at 55.4%).

[Mike G]

Awesome! I had guessed Wilt and/or Kareem had done it, but they were only close.
Neil Johnston led the league in PPG for 3 years, 1953, 54, 55; led in TS% the next 2 years; never in the same season. McAdoo stands alone.
Except that Connie Hawkins led the ABA in both in 1968.

[sideshowbob]

So after last night's game, he's at the highest scoring rate of all time AND the highest TS% of all time among qualified players.

[Mike G]

After an 11 points on 5 attempts (1.111) night, Doug McDermott (Chi) was briefly in the TS% lead.
With a couple of 'off' nights -- .583 and .581 -- he's dropped back to 2nd.

Curry's 33.4 ppg is 5 ppg better than next-best Harden.
Last time anyone ended a season with such an advantage was 1987 -- Jordan at 37 to Wilkins' 29.

Curry has dropped to 2nd in all-time pts/100, with 45.7 -- after Jordan's 46.4 in 1987
Those '87 Bulls gave up 107.6 pts/100, so Jordan was scoring 43.1% of what the other team was scoring, while on the floor.
Curry is scoring 46.7% of what Warriors' opponents are getting.

Per game, Jordan scored .357 of what opponents scored; Curry's at .341
Best PPG @ TS% seasons:

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player    yr    Pts/G   TS%
Wilt     1962   50.4   .536
Wilt     1963   44.8   .550
Jordan   1987   37.1   .562
Jordan   1988   35.0   .603
Kareem   1972   34.8   .603
Jordan   1990   33.6   .606
(Curry   2016   33.4   .687)
Gilmore  1982   18.5   .702
Chandler 2012   11.3   .708
Wilcox   2013    4.2   .725
Hollins  2014    2.3   .730

Artis Gilmore is the only player to score half as many points, with such a high %. Also in '81 (17.9 @ .699)

[Mike G]

About 16 players in the league have raised their teams' TS% by as much as .010, strictly by their shooting.
Separated by position, the top and bottom 5 in raising team TS%.

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TS+      Centers        tm    TS%        TS+     Centers        tm    TS%
.013  Hassan Whiteside Mia   .607      -.007   Joakim Noah     Chi   .354
.011   Clint Capela    Hou   .700      -.007   Pau Gasol       Chi   .472
.010 Jonas Valanciunas Tor   .605      -.005   DeJuan Blair    Was   .208
.009   Brook Lopez     Brk   .528      -.004  Anderson Varejao Cle   .350
.009   Dwight Howard   Hou   .614               
                        
TS+     Power Forward  tm     TS%        TS+    Power Forward   tm    TS%
.015   Dirk Nowitzki   Dal   .616      -.015   Markieff Morris Phx   .423
.015   Blake Griffin   LAC   .590      -.012   Trevor Booker   Uta   .304
.014   Paul George     Ind   .556      -.011   Darrell Arthur  Den   .292
.010   Kenneth Faried  Den   .596      -.010   Jordan Hill     Ind   .413
.008   Ersan Ilyasova  Det   .568      -.010 Marreese Speights GSW   .402
                        
TS+     Small Forward  tm     TS%        TS+    Small Forward   tm    TS%
.014   Doug McDermott  Chi   .663      -.016   Corey Brewer    Hou   .354
.014   Kevin Durant    Okl   .622      -.014   Joe Johnson     Brk   .409
.013  Danilo Gallinari Den   .583      -.010   Kobe Bryant     LAL   .449
.010   Kawhi Leonard   SAS   .591      -.008   Kyle Singler    Okl   .329
.010   Evan Fournier   Orl   .556      -.008   Matt Barnes     Mem   .407
                        
TS+   Shooting Guard   tm     TS%        TS+  Shooting Guard    tm    TS%
.013   J.J. Redick     LAC   .667      -.011   Danny Green     SAS   .425
.012   Jeremy Lamb     Cha   .638      -.010   J.R. Smith      Cle   .399
.011   Will Barton     Den   .595      -.010   Monta Ellis     Ind   .455
.009   Nick Young      LAL   .608      -.009   Sasha Vujacic   NYK   .339
.009   Jimmy Butler    Chi   .550      -.009   Randy Foye      Den   .400
                        
TS+     Point Guard    tm     TS%        TS+    Point Guard     tm    TS%
.035   Stephen Curry   GSW   .678      -.025   Emmanuel Mudiay Den   .387
.014   Eric Bledsoe    Phx   .584      -.017   Derrick Rose    Chi   .424
.012 Langston Galloway NYK   .619      -.014   Rajon Rondo     Sac   .439
.009   Cory Joseph     Tor   .634      -.011   Greivis Vasquez Mil   .428
.009   Kyle Lowry      Tor   .569      -.011   Elfrid Payton   Orl   .429

PG has the best and the worst, by far, in each column.

[BasketDork]

So far, 11 games into the season, Russell Westbrook is once again averaging a triple-double per 100 possessions. The all-time list, including Westbrook's 2014-15 includes 7 different players who've accomplished the feat 15 different times, (at least 1,000 MP) it's not quite Oscar Robertson's averaging a triple-double/per game for an entire season, but it's still shows a player's versatility and skill set, as well as his ability to take over the game.

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............YEAR... Pt/100-Reb/100-Ast/100-BPM
T.Boerwinkle 74-75.. 13.8---15.6---11.1--5.4
Magic             80-81..  27.2---10.9---10.8--9.2
Magic             81-82..  22.5---11.7---11.6--8.3
Magic             82-83..  21.1---10.9---13.2--7.4
Magic             88-89..  28.7---10.1---16.4--9.3
Darrell Walker 89-90..12.9---12.0---10.9--2.8
Grant Hill       96-97..  30.9---13.0---10.5--8.0
J.Kidd            01-02..  20.7---10.2---13.8--5.1
J.Kidd            04-05..  21.0---10.8---12.1--5.6
J.Kidd            05-06..  19.1---10.4---12.1--5.5
J.Kidd            06-07..  18.6---11.7---13.2--5.0
J.Kidd            07-08..  15.7---10.9---14.6--2.8
LeBron           08-09..  40.8---10.9---10.4--13.0
LeBron           12-13..  37.5---11.2---10.1--11.6
Westbrook     14-15..  41.1---10.6---12.5--11.0
Westbrook     15-16..  37.2---10.8---14.8--11.6

3 had a TS% below. 500 (Darrell Walker and Kidd's 01-02 & 07-08), while 3 have done it with a TS% above. 600 (Magic's 82-83 & 88-89 campaigns and LeBron's 2012-2013, with the highest of all seasons, .640) Only four players have ever done it while averaging 30+ Pts/100 Poss., Grant Hill, LeBron's 2 seasons and Westbrook last year. Only LeBron in 2009 and Westbrook last year ever did it at 40+ Pts/100 Poss. Pretty exclusive company, and a rare list where Michael Jordan doesn't appear at all.

[Mike G]

To get nice straight columns:
Copy your data into Notepad or similar utility.
Edit - Replace - select the tab space between any 2 data points, copy and paste into the Find what space -- in the Replace with space, enter (3 - 4) spaces on your space bar -- Replace All

Use Backspace and Delete keys to line up columns. Find a rhythm.

Once it looks right, Edit - Select All - Ctrl-C
In your post here, hit Code; Ctrl-V to copy your table within the Code brackets.

[Mike G]

Since 1978, seasons with per 100 possession rates of at least 35 pts, 7 reb, 7 ast, and 3 stl:

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35-7-7-3  yr    Pts   Reb   Ast   Stl
Jordan    85   35.5   8.2   7.4   3.0
Jordan    89   40.0   9.9   9.9   3.6
Jordan    90   42.7   8.8   8.1   3.5
Jordan    91   42.7   8.1   7.5   3.7
Jordan    93   43.0   8.8   7.2   3.7

Westbrook 14   35.7   9.4  11.4   3.1
Westbrook 15   41.1  10.6  12.5   3.0
Westbrook 16   39.1  10.9  14.5   3.0
Curry     16   46.1   7.2   7.8   3.3

Lower the Stl/100 requirement to 2.5, and you also get Jordan'92, Kobe'03, Wade'06,'10,'12, LeBron'12, and Harden'15.
http://bkref.com/tiny/a6SHT

[BasketDork]

If you throw in BLK/100, D.Wade's 2011-12 campaign is the only season in which a player averaged 35+ Points, 7+ Rebounds, 7+ Assists, 2.5 Steals, and 2+(2.0, right on the money) Blocks per 100 possessions.

[BasketDork]

There have been 43 player seasons of 4.0+ STL/100 POSS by 25 different players, with Alvin Robertson and John Stockton doing it 4 x apiece, Quinn Buckner and Nate McMillan 3x each, and Tony Allen, Dudley Bradley, Randy Brown, Brevin Knight, Ron Lee, Eric Murdock, Slick Watts, and Michael Williams each with 2 seasons under their belt. However, I noticed that ONLY FIVE of these such seasons occurred during or after a player's Age 30 season. One of them being Memphis' Tony Allen last year :

K.Gill (30) ............4.4....98-99
T.Allen (33)..........4.1....14-15
L.Conner (31).......4.1....90-91
F.Lever (33).........4.1.....93-94
N.McMillan (30)...4.0....94-95