2011 Playoff "closing" stats, and Brian Windhorst.

[huevonkiller]

82games.com did not track 2009-2010 playoff stats, so I wasn't able to get clutch numbers for that part of the season. I think that was a big oversight on their part.

Will they fix that this post-season, or is there any website that tracks that data?

I could always look at the play-by-play, but I was hoping there would be something more convenient. There's always some ignorant pundit that brings up how LeBron James fails at closing or is inferior to player X, so I would like to keep track of that. Brian Windhorst in particular has caught my attention, I'd love to shove the information in his face if he's proven wrong, or ends up making overzealous conclusions.

I don't think it is enough for a player to succeed in APBRmetrics, it is important to address silly media claims as well. I think David Robinson has struggled in the playoffs during his prime years, Dirk struggled in the post-season two crucial series in a row in 2006 and 2007, but some players are surrounded by bad teammates when they lose. It is important to address issues involving intangibles, because some end up being accurate. In this instance, it is annoying to have to read about Lebron not being a good closer over and over again when a website like 82games.com exists.

Why do some of the most popular and influential writers continue to insist on this nonsense? If you're a good or bad closer, I'm pretty sure you'll show up somewhere on this list. http://www.82games.com/1011/CSORT11.HTM

I only mention this because I've been following the ESPN's Heat Index and Brian Windhorst for much of the season. I think it is enjoyable and they do some great work over there. Windhorst is a decent writer, however I can't stand how Windhorst arbitrarily talks about closing or cherry picks sample sizes to make a point against LeBron in favor of Wade. They've only played one playoff game dude...

I recall how this guy complained about LeBron leaving Cleveland, only to ditch the Cleveland Plain Dealer in the same off-season.

[greyberger]

Huevonkiller said...

If you're a good or bad closer, I'm pretty sure you'll show up somewhere on this list.

To the extent that there is such a thing. Only five players in the league this season had more than 200 clutch minutes in the sample. If you lower the standards for a clutch minute it gets further away from what people think of as high-pressure situations. But 200 minutes? I'm not saying (sabermatrics style) that there isn't such a thing as clutch performance. I'm just asking, are we sure it's there and we can measure it?

[Crow]

bump

[huevonkiller]

Ah no worries, it seems NBA.com's statscube tracks 2011 post-season clutch numbers.

Windhorst supports Derrick Rose for MVP, so his illogical positions now make sense. He has no problem with extremely small sample sizes (a couple of regular season games in this case).

[greyberger]

It's a little off-topic, but I didn't want to start a new thread. Don't miss James Jones being interviewed about defensive and defensive statistics, it seems like he could teach the media a thing or two...

[Crow]

bump