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82games just released their "clutch shooting" stats for
the NBA season so far. I'll have some more in-depth analysis of this
next week, but basically the top names on the list (it's currently
sorted by points per 48 minutes) are who you would expect - the players
that are most likely in the NBA to get the ball in clutch situations. I mean, like the Cavs are going to go to anyone else but LeBron? Or the Lakers to anyone but Kobe? Even the Bulls and Ben Gordon makes tremendous sense. The biggest surprises on the top of the list might be Ginobili (but not really, because like Shaq in his prime, Duncan FT% can be a liability at clutch moments) and Jamaal Tinsley.
Breaking it down further, the question is "Who is really efficient at clutch time"? Because changes are that will mirror the team's record. Answer: here's who is not, meaning shooting under 40% in the clutch:
-Ben Gordon (.388)
-Jamaal Tinsley (.358)
-Michael Redd (.382)
-Hedo Turkoglu (.394)
-Dwyane Wade (.338)
With the exception of Turkoglu (Orlando), every one of those teams has a losing record. Taking it further, considering that there weren't many games in the Magic's hot 16-4 start to the season... it's obvious why they have cooled off considerably since. They don't have a go-to guy (Rashard Lewis is only slightly better, at .410).
One more thing to add... Jamal Crawford. He shoots .260 in the clutch. Good lord, he's not just awful... he's the worst! Zach Randolph is .481 in those situations.
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Speaking of the Knicks...Posting and Toasting has a theory on one of the subtleties of Jim Dolan's regime.
Namely that Madison Square Garden employees only distribute those
"Thunderstix" thingees to distract teams shooting free throws in the
second half; they might be afraid of the fans turning on the team if
they distributed them in the first half.Absolutely plausible in every way.
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We gave our new friends over at LeBasketBawl a challenge last week, when they posted an entry on the "6 Worst Haircuts In the NBA". Our challenge to them: Let's see you rank the prettiest mo-fos in the league.
And thus you have "Top 7 Pretty Boys" of the NBA. Well done. And now I owe them a post of their choosing!
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Here are some NBA trade deadline thoughts:
Tom Ziller ("I post on six different websites simultaneously") thought Seattle GM Sam Presti did an impressive job, getting for Rashard Lewis (who was leaving via free agency anyway) and Wally Szczerbiak the following hull: 3 first rounders, 2 second rounders, and two very tradeable expiring contracts next season. Hard to argue.
I will say this, though... I'll be more impressed with
Presti when I see what he does with those picks. Adding five players
to the roster isn't too bad for the Sonics, but will they be quality?
Those picks - two from the Suns, one from the Spurs, and the
second-rounder from the Magic - none might be higher than the 20th
pick. Meanwhile he has a team that has little talent beyond Kevin
Durant, Jeff Green, and Chris Wilcox. Meanwhile, The Association did not like the Bobby Jackson trade for the Hornets. I like all the players involved - Bobby Jackson, Mike James, and Bonzi Wells. I'm not sure it's a great trade for the Hornets, because Mike James contract runs longer than Bobby Jackson's. But Jackson was expendable, and James is a very solid backup point guard. We'll see how it plays out.
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Remember our post yesterday attacking The Guardian's post advising the NBA to stay out of Europe? Well, Ball In Europe (a favorite of ours) has a post arguing the other side, basically agreeing with The Guardian. For their take on it, check it out here.
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Our buddy MC Bias has a post up on Nike and the religious marketing of LeBron James. Reminds of the time Nike accidentally released their "Air Allah" kicks back in 1997 (see pic on the right). ************
Signal 2 Noise has some possible locations for Keyshawn Johnson to land next season, if he decides to make a comeback in the NFL.
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And finally: a friend of mine used to know this guy named Sudsy Monchik. He's the greatest racquetball player in the world. Won 5 Pro-World Championships. He used to have a website called Sudsy Rules (it doesn't exist anymore), which featured cutting edge Flash technology back in the late 90's. The intro? "Can... he... really... do... it... 5 times... in... a... row?... Yes, he can.... He's The Machine..."
And indeed, he is The Machine. Check his humble Wikipedia entry:
Sudsy Monchik, is a 5-Time Pro World Champion racquetball player. Considered by many to be the greatest player in the history of the sport, Sudsy is sometimes known as the king of racquetball, the king of racquets in all applications, and even the king of history itself. This title of king of history itself is disputed by a few historians, but their numbers are few and members nonalustrious.
F*ck them nonalustrious mo-fos! Here's some more:
Mark Teranze of Racquetball Magazine once said of Sudsy:
That's right, he had The Wink."The most dynamic competitor of this or any generation. His fiery intensity has never been matched, and for that his name will be etched into history. MJ had the tongue, Griffey had the swing, but Sudsy had the wink. He was electrifying, and seeing him play in person was like hearing a choir of angels. In short, Sudsy was magic."
All joking aside, this dude's face is all over your local Modell's or sporting goods store. Seriously, go try to buy a racquetball racquet (redundant?) without his face on it. As for his recent comeback... watch the first two minutes of this video:
Self-parody? Perhaps....
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26% for Jamal... thanks for that stat... can't say I'm surprised...
D-Wade at 34%. Hmmmmm.