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<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?><rss version="2.0" xmlns:content="http://purl.org/rss/1.0/modules/content/" xmlns:wfw="http://wellformedweb.org/CommentAPI/" xmlns:dc="http://purl.org/dc/elements/1.1/" xmlns:atom="http://www.w3.org/2005/Atom" xmlns:sy="http://purl.org/rss/1.0/modules/syndication/" xmlns:slash="http://purl.org/rss/1.0/modules/slash/" > <channel> <title>Sports Reference</title> <atom:link href="http://www.sports-reference.com/blog/feed/" rel="self" type="application/rss+xml" /> <link>http://www.sports-reference.com/blog</link> <description>Sports Statistics Easier</description> <lastBuildDate>Thu, 22 Jun 2017 15:00:34 +0000</lastBuildDate> <language>en-US</language> <sy:updatePeriod>hourly</sy:updatePeriod> <sy:updateFrequency>1</sy:updateFrequency> <generator>https://wordpress.org/?v=4.7.5</generator> <item> <title>WNBA Players Added to Sports Reference Linker</title> <link>http://www.sports-reference.com/blog/2017/06/wnba-players-added-to-sports-reference-linker/</link> <comments>http://www.sports-reference.com/blog/2017/06/wnba-players-added-to-sports-reference-linker/#respond</comments> <pubDate>Thu, 22 Jun 2017 15:00:34 +0000</pubDate> <dc:creator><![CDATA[Mike Lynch]]></dc:creator> <category><![CDATA[Announcement]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Basketball-Reference.com]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Features]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Linker]]></category> <guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.sports-reference.com/blog/?p=6237</guid> <description><![CDATA[We recently added WNBA players to our Linker Tool, which allows for bloggers to use our bookmarklet to instantly link their blogs to our player pages and then have their posts show up in the newsfeed section of the player's page. We hope to have the newsfeeds up and running on the WNBA player pages […]]]></description> <content:encoded><![CDATA[We recently added <a href="http://www.basketball-reference.com/wnba/">WNBA</a> players to our <a href="http://www.basketball-reference.com/linker/">Linker Tool</a>, which allows for bloggers to use our bookmarklet to instantly link their blogs to our player pages and then have their posts show up in the newsfeed section of the player's page. We hope to have the newsfeeds up and running on the WNBA player pages in the near future. ]]></content:encoded> <wfw:commentRss>http://www.sports-reference.com/blog/2017/06/wnba-players-added-to-sports-reference-linker/feed/</wfw:commentRss> <slash:comments>0</slash:comments> </item> <item> <title>Scouting the 2017 NBA Draft</title> <link>http://www.sports-reference.com/blog/2017/06/scouting-the-2017-nba-draft/</link> <comments>http://www.sports-reference.com/blog/2017/06/scouting-the-2017-nba-draft/#respond</comments> <pubDate>Mon, 19 Jun 2017 18:19:44 +0000</pubDate> <dc:creator><![CDATA[Jonah Gardner]]></dc:creator> <category><![CDATA[Announcement]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Basketball-Reference.com]]></category> <category><![CDATA[CBB at Sports Reference]]></category> <guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.sports-reference.com/blog/?p=6222</guid> <description><![CDATA[The 2017 NBA Playoffs are in the books and one thing is clear: people like the Cleveland Cavaliers and Golden State Warriors. The TV ratings reached record highs as two of the most dominant teams we've seen in NBA history rampaged through their respective conferences on the way to a showdown that featured plenty of memorable moments, even […]]]></description> <content:encoded><![CDATA[The <a href="http://www.basketball-reference.com/playoffs/NBA_2017.html">2017 NBA Playoffs</a> are in the books and one thing is clear: people like the <a href="http://www.basketball-reference.com/teams/CLE/">Cleveland Cavaliers</a> and <a href="http://www.basketball-reference.com/teams/GSW/">Golden State Warriors</a>. The TV ratings reached record highs as two of the most dominant teams we've seen in NBA history rampaged through their respective conferences on the way to a showdown that featured plenty of memorable moments, even while lacking in suspense. Barring an unprecedented shakeup during the offseason, there's little reason to think we won't be seeing something a lot like this next year. However, for one night on Thursday, the basketball world will turn its attention to building a future without the Warriors and Cavs' dominance. That's right, it's time for the 2017 <a href="http://www.basketball-reference.com/draft/">NBA Draft</a> because basketball never sleeps! This year's draft could be particularly important to the shape of the league's future, especially in light of the blockbuster trade between the <a href="http://www.basketball-reference.com/teams/BOS/">Boston Celtics</a> and the <a href="http://www.basketball-reference.com/teams/PHI/">Philadelphia 76ers</a>, giving the latter the number one pick while the former picked up an extra asset to potentially trade for a star. For fans enmeshed in the NBA for the last few months, it might be hard to think back to the NCAA season, so consider this blog post a refresher on the top five prospects. However, as any fan of <a href="http://www.basketball-reference.com/players/b/butleji01.html?utm_campaign=Linker&utm_source=direct&utm_medium=linker-" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Jimmy Butler</a> or <a href="http://www.basketball-reference.com/players/l/leonaka01.html?utm_campaign=Linker&utm_source=direct&utm_medium=linker-" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Kawhi Leonard</a> will tell you, there's often talent to be found in the deeper parts of the draft. So, to pair with the big names, I'll also identify a player outside of the lottery who may have his own star-level upside. <a href="http://www.sports-reference.com/cbb/players/markelle-fultz-1.html?utm_campaign=Linker&utm_source=direct&utm_medium=linker-" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Markelle Fultz</a>, <a href="http://www.sports-reference.com/cbb/schools/washington/">Washington Huskies</a>. 2016-17 <a href="http://www.basketball-reference.com/about/bpm.html">Box Plus/Minus</a>: 9.1. 2016-17 <a href="http://www.basketball-reference.com/about/per.html">PER</a>: 27.9 Comp: <a href="http://www.basketball-reference.com/players/h/hardeja01.html?utm_campaign=Linker&utm_source=direct&utm_medium=linker-" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">James Harden</a> with defense. Doppelgänger: <a href="http://www.sports-reference.com/cbb/players/sindarius-thornwell-1.html?utm_campaign=Linker&utm_source=direct&utm_medium=linker-" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Sindarius Thornwell</a> Fultz has been out of the spotlight even longer than the rest of this year's top prospects, since his team missed out on the <a href="http://www.sports-reference.com/cbb/postseason/">NCAA Tournament</a>. However, while the group around him wasn't ideal, Fultz is the real deal; he's the <a href="http://cbbref.com/tiny/1PaSs">second Power Five player since 1992-93</a> to average 20 <a href="http://www.basketball-reference.com/leaders/pts_career.html">points</a>, 5 <a href="http://www.basketball-reference.com/leaders/trb_career.html">rebounds</a>, and 5 <a href="http://www.basketball-reference.com/leaders/ast_career.html">assists</a> per game and the second in any conference to do it as a freshman. Fultz was a two-way force, <a href="http://www.sports-reference.com/cbb/conferences/pac-12/2017-leaders.html">leading</a> the <a href="http://www.sports-reference.com/cbb/conferences/pac-12/">Pac-12</a> in <a href="http://www.sports-reference.com/cbb/leaders/pprod-player-career.html">points produced</a> per game while also ranking in the top 10 in both <a href="http://www.basketball-reference.com/leaders/stl_career.html">blocks</a> and <a href="http://www.basketball-reference.com/leaders/stl_career.html">steals</a>. It's hard to find a comp for Fultz. He stuffs the stats sheet the way we saw Harden and Westbrook do it this year, but he's less battering ram reckless than Westbrook and already seems like a more capable defender than Harden. His 64.9% shooting on <a href="http://www.basketball-reference.com/leaders/ft_career.html">free throws</a> is a tad concerning, but since he was a 41% three-point shooter, that seems easily correctable. That three-point stroke is going to be especially important if Fultz is going to be slotting in alongside <a href="http://www.basketball-reference.com/players/s/simmobe01.html?utm_campaign=Linker&utm_source=direct&utm_medium=linker-" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Ben Simmons</a> on the 76ers. While Simmons showed unusual ability as a ball-handler and playmaker for someone his size, he only made one three-pointer in college and shot 67% from the charity stripe. This inability to space the floor may not be a total drag on Simmons value, but it could hurt Philly as they try to fashion a modern NBA offense around him. A good comparison is <a href="http://www.basketball-reference.com/players/a/antetgi01.html?utm_campaign=Linker&utm_source=direct&utm_medium=linker-" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Giannis Antetokounmpo</a> and the <a href="http://www.basketball-reference.com/teams/MIL/">Milwaukee Bucks</a>. The Bucks still managed to rank 13th in <a href="http://www.basketball-reference.com/about/ratings.html">offensive rating</a> in the regular season, but they totally collapsed on that end in the playoffs, the price of having a primary ball-handler who isn't a fearsome long-range shooter (although The Greek Freak did go 4-10 on threes in the <a href="http://www.basketball-reference.com/playoffs/2017-nba-eastern-conference-first-round-bucks-vs-raptors.html">Bucks' playoff series</a> against the <a href="http://www.basketball-reference.com/teams/TOR/">Toronto Raptors</a>). If he develops into the player scouts think he'll be, Fultz helps solve this problem. Fultz can make plays with or without the ball and provide an escape valve for the Philly offense while also being more than capable of making plays on his own. And all of this is without mentioning the true heart of the team: unicorn center <a href="http://www.basketball-reference.com/players/e/embiijo01.html?utm_campaign=Linker&utm_source=direct&utm_medium=linker-" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Joel Embiid</a>. A Fultz/Simmons/Embiid trio ranks as the most exciting collection of lottery talent on a single team since the <a href="http://www.basketball-reference.com/teams/OKC/">Oklahoma City Thunder</a> had Harden, Westbrook, and <a href="http://www.basketball-reference.com/players/d/duranke01.html?utm_campaign=Linker&utm_source=direct&utm_medium=linker-" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Kevin Durant</a>. And unlike OKC's big three, Philly's has the interlocking skill-set, off-ball ability, and defensive potential to seem like a team that can stay together long-term while playing at a high level. However, it's worth noting that Fultz wasn't actually the best player in college basketball this year. According to Box Plus/Minus, that honor actually goes to Sindarius Thornwell, who led <a href="http://www.sports-reference.com/cbb/schools/south-carolina/2017.html">South Carolina</a> to an unexpected Final Four appearance. Thornwell is projected as a late second rounder, but he may be worth a deeper look, consider this list of players: <img class="alignnone size-full wp-image-6224" src="http://www.sports-reference.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2017/06/Screen-Shot-2017-06-16-at-10.45.11-AM.png" alt="" width="626" height="372" /> That's everyone who led the nation in BPM since 2010-11, and it's quite a list. In 2012 and 2015, the BPM leader was the #1 pick and pretty unquestionably the best player in the draft. While injuries have held Embiid back, its pretty clear that in a vacuum, he's the best player from the 2014 draft. And while you'd probably rather have Davis or <a href="http://www.basketball-reference.com/players/l/lillada01.html?utm_campaign=Linker&utm_source=direct&utm_medium=linker-" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Damian Lillard</a>, it's tough to argue <a href="http://www.basketball-reference.com/players/g/greendr01.html?utm_campaign=Linker&utm_source=direct&utm_medium=linker-" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Draymond Green</a> hasn't been one of the three or four best players from the <a href="http://www.basketball-reference.com/draft/NBA_2012.html">2012 NBA Draft</a>. Even Oladipo, who may look out of place on a list like this, has been one of the best players from his super-weak draft year. Only <a href="http://www.sports-reference.com/cbb/players/denzel-valentine-1.html?utm_campaign=Linker&utm_source=direct&utm_medium=linker-" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Denzel Valentine</a> is really an outlier here and he's only played one season on a relatively dysfunctional team. I'm not saying a team should take Thornwell over Fultz or anything crazy like that, but in the second round, when most of the picks are a shot in the dark anyway, Thornwell seems well worth the risk. <a href="http://www.sports-reference.com/cbb/players/lonzo-ball-1.html?utm_campaign=Linker&utm_source=direct&utm_medium=linker-" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Lonzo Ball</a>, <a href="http://www.sports-reference.com/cbb/schools/ucla/">UCLA Bruins</a>. 2016-17 Box Plus/Minus: 12.2. 2016-17 PER: 24.7 Comp: <a href="http://www.basketball-reference.com/players/k/kiddja01.html?utm_campaign=Linker&utm_source=direct&utm_medium=linker-" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Jason Kidd</a>. Doppelgänger: <a href="http://www.sports-reference.com/cbb/players/jawun-evans-1.html?utm_campaign=Linker&utm_source=direct&utm_medium=linker-" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Jawun Evans</a> So far, Lonzo's been the second most discussed member of the Ball family (and I'm obliged at this point to direct readers to <a href="http://www.sports-reference.com/cbb/players/lavar-ball-1.html?utm_campaign=Linker&utm_source=direct&utm_medium=linker-" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">LaVar Ball</a>'s hilarious College Basketball Reference page). However, that looks poised to change once Lonzo enters the league. While his dad has been yelling at Stephen A. Smith, Lonzo has put together one of the best freshman seasons in Pac-12 history. Lonzo excelled as a playmaker, averaging the most <a href="http://www.basketball-reference.com/leaders/ast_per_g_career.html">assists per game</a> <a href="http://cbbref.com/tiny/c1LJo">by a Pac-12 freshman</a> since Jason Kidd. He also seems like he could be an incredible defender, considering he's 6'6" and nearly averaged two steals and a block per game. Lonzo seems perfectly suited to the modern NBA: he's incredible in transition, shoots over 40% from 3, and has the frame to be a two-way player at a position that's stacked with many of the league's best players. At the other end of the draft, there's Jawun Evans. Evans doesn't have any of Lonzo's physical gifts -- he's listed at 6' but that may be generous -- but he actually outperformed Ball as a playmaker (43.6% <a href="http://www.basketball-reference.com/leaders/ast_pct_career.html">assist rate</a> vs Lonzo's 31.4) while also shouldering a larger creative burden (32.7% <a href="http://www.basketball-reference.com/leaders/usg_pct_career.html">usage rate</a> vs 18.1). Evans was second in the Big 12 in PER with a 27.3 and it's worth keeping in mind that the <a href="http://www.sports-reference.com/cbb/seasons/2017.html">Big 12 was the best conference in college hoops</a> this year, according to SRS. Evans' size will present problems in the bigger, tougher NBA, but <a href="http://www.basketball-reference.com/players/t/thomais02.html?utm_campaign=Linker&utm_source=direct&utm_medium=linker-" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Isaiah Thomas</a> has shown that its possible for a score-first undersized point guard to thrive in the modern game. Ball's the obvious choice at 2, but Evans should go well before the 60th pick, where Thomas was famously drafted as Mr. Irrelevant in 2011. <a href="http://www.sports-reference.com/cbb/search/search.fcgi?pid=josh-jackson-1,josh-jackson-2&search=Josh+Jackson&utm_campaign=Linker&utm_source=direct&utm_medium=linker-" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Josh Jackson</a>, <a href="http://www.sports-reference.com/cbb/schools/kansas/">Kansas Jayhawks</a>. 2016-17 Box Plus/Minus: 10.7. 2016-17 PER: 24.1 Comp: Kawhi Leonard. Doppelgänger: <a href="http://www.sports-reference.com/cbb/players/caleb-swanigan-1.html?utm_campaign=Linker&utm_source=direct&utm_medium=linker-" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Caleb Swanigan</a> Josh Jackson is the kind of player that every team wants: a 6'8" wing who can hang with <a href="http://www.sports-reference.com/cbb/players/kevin-durant-1.html?utm_campaign=Linker&utm_source=direct&utm_medium=linker-" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Kevin Durant</a> and switch onto <a href="http://www.basketball-reference.com/players/c/curryst01.html?utm_campaign=Linker&utm_source=direct&utm_medium=linker-" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Stephen Curry</a> defensively while being enough of an offensive threat to avoid getting the <a href="http://www.basketball-reference.com/players/a/allento01.html?utm_campaign=Linker&utm_source=direct&utm_medium=linker-" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Tony Allen</a> treatment. Jackson is the very definition of a two-way player; since 2010-11, only four other players broke 5.0 in both offensive and defensive BPM and they all seem to be on their way to excellent NBA careers: <div class="sr_share_wrap" style="overflow: auto;"> <table id="" class="sr_share" style="border-collapse: collapse; font-size: .83em; border: 1px sold #aaa; overflow: auto;" data-cols-to-freeze="2"> <caption>Query Results Table</caption> <colgroup> <col /> <col /> <col /> <col /> <col /> <col /> <col /> <col /> <col /> <col /> <col /> <col /> <col /> <col /> <col /> <col /> <col /> <col /> <col /> <col /> <col /> <col /> <col /> <col /> <col /> <col /> <col /> <col /> <col /></colgroup> <thead> <tr> <th style="background-color: #ddd; border: 1px solid #aaa; padding: 2px;" colspan="1" data-stat=""></th> <th style="background-color: #ddd; border: 1px solid #aaa; padding: 2px;" colspan="1" data-stat=""></th> <th style="background-color: #ddd; border: 1px solid #aaa; padding: 2px;" colspan="1" data-stat=""></th> <th style="background-color: #ddd; border: 1px solid #aaa; padding: 2px;" colspan="1" data-stat=""></th> <th style="background-color: #ddd; border: 1px solid #aaa; padding: 2px;" colspan="1" data-stat=""></th> <th style="background-color: #ddd; border: 1px solid #aaa; padding: 2px;" colspan="1" data-stat=""></th> <th style="background-color: #ddd; border: 1px solid #aaa; padding: 2px;" colspan="1" data-stat="header_advanced">Adva</th> <th style="background-color: #ddd; border: 1px solid #aaa; padding: 2px;" colspan="1" data-stat="header_advanced">Adva</th> <th style="background-color: #ddd; border: 1px solid #aaa; padding: 2px;" colspan="1" data-stat="header_advanced">Adva</th> </tr> <tr> <th style="background-color: #ddd; border: 1px solid #aaa; padding: 2px;" scope="col" data-stat="ranker">Rk</th> <th style="background-color: #ddd; border: 1px solid #aaa; padding: 2px;" scope="col" data-stat="player">Player</th> <th style="background-color: #ddd; border: 1px solid #aaa; padding: 2px;" scope="col" data-stat="class">Class</th> <th style="background-color: #ddd; border: 1px solid #aaa; padding: 2px;" scope="col" data-stat="season">Season</th> <th style="background-color: #ddd; border: 1px solid #aaa; padding: 2px;" scope="col" data-stat="school_name">School</th> <th style="background-color: #ddd; border: 1px solid #aaa; padding: 2px;" scope="col" data-stat="conf_abbr">Conf</th> <th style="background-color: #ddd; border: 1px solid #aaa; padding: 2px;" scope="col" data-stat="obpm" data-over-header="Advanced" data-filter="1" data-name="Offensive Box Plus/Minus">OBPM</th> <th style="background-color: #ddd; border: 1px solid #aaa; padding: 2px;" scope="col" data-stat="dbpm" data-over-header="Advanced" data-filter="1" data-name="Defensive Box Plus/Minus">DBPM</th> <th style="background-color: #ddd; border: 1px solid #aaa; padding: 2px;" scope="col" data-stat="bpm" data-over-header="Advanced" data-filter="1" data-name="Box Plus/Minus">BPM</th> </tr> </thead> <tbody> <tr data-row="0"> <th style="border: 1px solid #ccc; padding: 2px 3px 2px 2px; white-space: nowrap;" scope="row" data-stat="ranker">1</th> <td style="border: 1px solid #ccc; padding: 2px 3px 2px 2px; white-space: nowrap;" data-append-csv="josh-jackson-2" data-stat="player"><a href="http://www.sports-reference.com/cbb/players/josh-jackson-2.html?utm_source=direct&utm_medium=Share&utm_campaign=ShareTool">Josh Jackson</a></td> <td style="border: 1px solid #ccc; padding: 2px 3px 2px 2px; white-space: nowrap;" data-stat="class">FR</td> <td style="border: 1px solid #ccc; padding: 2px 3px 2px 2px; white-space: nowrap;" data-stat="season"><a href="http://www.sports-reference.com/cbb/seasons/2017.html?utm_source=direct&utm_medium=Share&utm_campaign=ShareTool">2016-17</a></td> <td style="border: 1px solid #ccc; padding: 2px 3px 2px 2px; white-space: nowrap;" data-stat="school_name"><a href="http://www.sports-reference.com/cbb/schools/kansas/2017.html?utm_source=direct&utm_medium=Share&utm_campaign=ShareTool">Kansas</a></td> <td style="border: 1px solid #ccc; padding: 2px 3px 2px 2px; white-space: nowrap;" data-stat="conf_abbr"><a href="http://www.sports-reference.com/cbb/conferences/big-12/2017.html?utm_source=direct&utm_medium=Share&utm_campaign=ShareTool">Big 12</a></td> <td style="border: 1px solid #ccc; padding: 2px 3px 2px 2px; white-space: nowrap;" data-stat="obpm">5.1</td> <td style="border: 1px solid #ccc; padding: 2px 3px 2px 2px; white-space: nowrap;" data-stat="dbpm">5.7</td> <td style="border: 1px solid #ccc; padding: 2px 3px 2px 2px; white-space: nowrap;" data-stat="bpm">10.7</td> </tr> <tr data-row="1"> <th style="border: 1px solid #ccc; padding: 2px 3px 2px 2px; white-space: nowrap;" scope="row" data-stat="ranker">2</th> <td style="border: 1px solid #ccc; padding: 2px 3px 2px 2px; white-space: nowrap;" data-append-csv="ben-simmons-1" data-stat="player"><a href="http://www.sports-reference.com/cbb/players/ben-simmons-1.html?utm_source=direct&utm_medium=Share&utm_campaign=ShareTool">Ben Simmons</a></td> <td style="border: 1px solid #ccc; padding: 2px 3px 2px 2px; white-space: nowrap;" data-stat="class">FR</td> <td style="border: 1px solid #ccc; padding: 2px 3px 2px 2px; white-space: nowrap;" data-stat="season"><a href="http://www.sports-reference.com/cbb/seasons/2016.html?utm_source=direct&utm_medium=Share&utm_campaign=ShareTool">2015-16</a></td> <td style="border: 1px solid #ccc; padding: 2px 3px 2px 2px; white-space: nowrap;" data-stat="school_name"><a href="http://www.sports-reference.com/cbb/schools/louisiana-state/2016.html?utm_source=direct&utm_medium=Share&utm_campaign=ShareTool">Louisiana State</a></td> <td style="border: 1px solid #ccc; padding: 2px 3px 2px 2px; white-space: nowrap;" data-stat="conf_abbr"><a href="http://www.sports-reference.com/cbb/conferences/sec/2016.html?utm_source=direct&utm_medium=Share&utm_campaign=ShareTool">SEC</a></td> <td style="border: 1px solid #ccc; padding: 2px 3px 2px 2px; white-space: nowrap;" data-stat="obpm">6.3</td> <td style="border: 1px solid #ccc; padding: 2px 3px 2px 2px; white-space: nowrap;" data-stat="dbpm">5.3</td> <td style="border: 1px solid #ccc; padding: 2px 3px 2px 2px; white-space: nowrap;" data-stat="bpm">11.6</td> </tr> <tr data-row="2"> <th style="border: 1px solid #ccc; padding: 2px 3px 2px 2px; white-space: nowrap;" scope="row" data-stat="ranker">3</th> <td style="border: 1px solid #ccc; padding: 2px 3px 2px 2px; white-space: nowrap;" data-append-csv="justise-winslow-1" data-stat="player"><a href="http://www.sports-reference.com/cbb/players/justise-winslow-1.html?utm_source=direct&utm_medium=Share&utm_campaign=ShareTool">Justise Winslow</a></td> <td style="border: 1px solid #ccc; padding: 2px 3px 2px 2px; white-space: nowrap;" data-stat="class">FR</td> <td style="border: 1px solid #ccc; padding: 2px 3px 2px 2px; white-space: nowrap;" data-stat="season"><a href="http://www.sports-reference.com/cbb/seasons/2015.html?utm_source=direct&utm_medium=Share&utm_campaign=ShareTool">2014-15</a></td> <td style="border: 1px solid #ccc; padding: 2px 3px 2px 2px; white-space: nowrap;" data-stat="school_name"><a href="http://www.sports-reference.com/cbb/schools/duke/2015.html?utm_source=direct&utm_medium=Share&utm_campaign=ShareTool">Duke</a></td> <td style="border: 1px solid #ccc; padding: 2px 3px 2px 2px; white-space: nowrap;" data-stat="conf_abbr"><a href="http://www.sports-reference.com/cbb/conferences/acc/2015.html?utm_source=direct&utm_medium=Share&utm_campaign=ShareTool">ACC</a></td> <td style="border: 1px solid #ccc; padding: 2px 3px 2px 2px; white-space: nowrap;" data-stat="obpm">5.1</td> <td style="border: 1px solid #ccc; padding: 2px 3px 2px 2px; white-space: nowrap;" data-stat="dbpm">5.3</td> <td style="border: 1px solid #ccc; padding: 2px 3px 2px 2px; white-space: nowrap;" data-stat="bpm">10.4</td> </tr> <tr data-row="3"> <th style="border: 1px solid #ccc; padding: 2px 3px 2px 2px; white-space: nowrap;" scope="row" data-stat="ranker">4</th> <td style="border: 1px solid #ccc; padding: 2px 3px 2px 2px; white-space: nowrap;" data-append-csv="marcus-smart-1" data-stat="player"><a href="http://www.sports-reference.com/cbb/players/marcus-smart-1.html?utm_source=direct&utm_medium=Share&utm_campaign=ShareTool">Marcus Smart</a></td> <td style="border: 1px solid #ccc; padding: 2px 3px 2px 2px; white-space: nowrap;" data-stat="class">FR</td> <td style="border: 1px solid #ccc; padding: 2px 3px 2px 2px; white-space: nowrap;" data-stat="season"><a href="http://www.sports-reference.com/cbb/seasons/2013.html?utm_source=direct&utm_medium=Share&utm_campaign=ShareTool">2012-13</a></td> <td style="border: 1px solid #ccc; padding: 2px 3px 2px 2px; white-space: nowrap;" data-stat="school_name"><a href="http://www.sports-reference.com/cbb/schools/oklahoma-state/2013.html?utm_source=direct&utm_medium=Share&utm_campaign=ShareTool">Oklahoma State</a></td> <td style="border: 1px solid #ccc; padding: 2px 3px 2px 2px; white-space: nowrap;" data-stat="conf_abbr"><a href="http://www.sports-reference.com/cbb/conferences/big-12/2013.html?utm_source=direct&utm_medium=Share&utm_campaign=ShareTool">Big 12</a></td> <td style="border: 1px solid #ccc; padding: 2px 3px 2px 2px; white-space: nowrap;" data-stat="obpm">5.4</td> <td style="border: 1px solid #ccc; padding: 2px 3px 2px 2px; white-space: nowrap;" data-stat="dbpm">6.7</td> <td style="border: 1px solid #ccc; padding: 2px 3px 2px 2px; white-space: nowrap;" data-stat="bpm">12.0</td> </tr> <tr data-row="4"> <th style="border: 1px solid #ccc; padding: 2px 3px 2px 2px; white-space: nowrap;" scope="row" data-stat="ranker">5</th> <td style="border: 1px solid #ccc; padding: 2px 3px 2px 2px; white-space: nowrap;" data-append-csv="anthony-davis-5" data-stat="player"><a href="http://www.sports-reference.com/cbb/players/anthony-davis-5.html?utm_source=direct&utm_medium=Share&utm_campaign=ShareTool">Anthony Davis</a></td> <td style="border: 1px solid #ccc; padding: 2px 3px 2px 2px; white-space: nowrap;" data-stat="class">FR</td> <td style="border: 1px solid #ccc; padding: 2px 3px 2px 2px; white-space: nowrap;" data-stat="season"><a href="http://www.sports-reference.com/cbb/seasons/2012.html?utm_source=direct&utm_medium=Share&utm_campaign=ShareTool">2011-12</a></td> <td style="border: 1px solid #ccc; padding: 2px 3px 2px 2px; white-space: nowrap;" data-stat="school_name"><a href="http://www.sports-reference.com/cbb/schools/kentucky/2012.html?utm_source=direct&utm_medium=Share&utm_campaign=ShareTool">Kentucky</a></td> <td style="border: 1px solid #ccc; padding: 2px 3px 2px 2px; white-space: nowrap;" data-stat="conf_abbr"><a href="http://www.sports-reference.com/cbb/conferences/sec/2012.html?utm_source=direct&utm_medium=Share&utm_campaign=ShareTool">SEC</a></td> <td style="border: 1px solid #ccc; padding: 2px 3px 2px 2px; white-space: nowrap;" data-stat="obpm">7.8</td> <td style="border: 1px solid #ccc; padding: 2px 3px 2px 2px; white-space: nowrap;" data-stat="dbpm">10.8</td> <td style="border: 1px solid #ccc; padding: 2px 3px 2px 2px; white-space: nowrap;" data-stat="bpm">18.7</td> </tr> </tbody> </table> <div id="credit_stats" class="sr_share" style="font-size: 0.83em;">Provided by <a href="http://www.sports-reference.com/sharing.html?utm_source=direct&utm_medium=Share&utm_campaign=ShareTool">CBB at Sports Reference</a>: <a href="http://www.sports-reference.com/cbb/play-index/psl_finder.cgi?request=1&match=single&class_is_fr=Y&force%3Aclass_is=1&pos_is_g=Y&pos_is_gf=Y&pos_is_f=Y&pos_is_fg=Y&pos_is_fc=Y&pos_is_c=Y&pos_is_cf=Y&games_type=A&c1stat=obpm&c1comp=gt&c1val=5&c2stat=dbpm&c2comp=gt&c2val=5&c3stat=mp&c3comp=gt&c3val=1000&order_by=year_id&utm_source=direct&utm_medium=Share&utm_campaign=ShareTool#stats">View Original Table</a> Generated 6/16/2017.</div> </div> However, it's reasonable to ask whether Jackson's upside might be closer to Smart or Winslow than Simmons or Davis. He's unquestionably a less skilled offensive player than the latter and it's worth keeping in mind that he only made 34 <a href="http://www.basketball-reference.com/leaders/fg3_career.html">three-pointers</a> (a little over one per game), despite the NCAA's shorter three point line. Still, these are nit-picks, and even Jackson's downside seems to be closer to being some kind of <a href="http://www.basketball-reference.com/players/b/barneha02.html?utm_campaign=Linker&utm_source=direct&utm_medium=linker-" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Harrison Barnes</a>-esque role player than a total bust. But if teams pick a future Barnes, they may look back on the draft and regret missing out on this year's Draymond Green. Honestly, comparing Caleb Swanigan to Draymond has become somewhat hackish at this point, but that's only because Swanigan did so much to merit it. Like Draymond, Swanigan is a <a href="http://www.sports-reference.com/cbb/conferences/big-ten/">Big Ten</a> <a href="http://www.sports-reference.com/cbb/awards/all-america-2010-2019.html">consensus All-American</a> projected to go in the second round and like Draymond, Swanigan doesn't shy away from doing the dirty work (12.5 rebounds per game in 2016-17). He doesn't have Draymond's gawdy assist numbers (3.0 assists per game in 2016-17), but neither did Draymond in college (3.8 assist per game in his final year at Michigan State). Swanigan has shown improvement as a three-point shooter, draining 44.7% of shots from downtown in 2016-17 and making more threes in total than Jackson. He's also the <a href="http://cbbref.com/tiny/M2xpd">only player since 2010-11</a> to post a 25 PER, a 20% <a href="http://www.basketball-reference.com/leaders/trb_pct_career.html">rebound rate</a>, and a 15% assist rate. Swanigan could end up being the prototype for a post-Warriors modern NBA big; not bad for someone projected to go in the 40s. <a href="http://www.sports-reference.com/cbb/players/jayson-tatum-1.html?utm_campaign=Linker&utm_source=direct&utm_medium=linker-" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Jayson Tatum</a>, <a href="http://www.sports-reference.com/cbb/schools/duke/">Duke Blue Devils</a>. 2016-17 Box Plus/Minus: 7.5. 2016-17 PER: 22.0 Comp: <a href="http://www.sports-reference.com/cbb/players/andrew-wiggins-1.html?utm_campaign=Linker&utm_source=direct&utm_medium=linker-" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Andrew Wiggins</a>. Doppelgänger: <a href="http://www.sports-reference.com/cbb/players/og-anunoby-1.html?utm_campaign=Linker&utm_source=direct&utm_medium=linker-" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">OG Anunoby</a> Tatum is the only top five player I'm not crazy about, mainly because I'm not sure how much of a place in the modern NBA there is for a <a href="http://www.sports-reference.com/cbb/players/carmelo-anthony-1.html?utm_campaign=Linker&utm_source=direct&utm_medium=linker-" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Carmelo Anthony</a>/<a href="http://www.sports-reference.com/cbb/players/rudy-gay-1.html?utm_campaign=Linker&utm_source=direct&utm_medium=linker-" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Rudy Gay</a> style volume scorer who doesn't contribute much else. Tatum only shot 34.2% from three (.507 <a href="http://www.basketball-reference.com/leaders/efg_pct_career.html">effective field goal percentage</a> in total) without breaking 15% in assist or rebound rate. But maybe I'm being too hard on Tatum. He has excellent size and averaged over a steal and block per game. If he can continue at that level as an NBA player, he'll be a good enough defender to hang with the top players in the league. And, to be fair to Melo, he hasn't exactly been surrounded by great talent in recent years. Still, his game is kind of a throwback, in contrast to OG Anunoby, the man of mystery from the Indiana Hoosiers. Anunoby was a relatively unheralded prospect who burst on the scene last year and continued his fantastic play this season. He's quick enough to keep up with wings but strong enough to be a power forward or perhaps even hang at center against teams like the Warriors. His shooting is a question mark, having shot 31% on a much higher volume of threes as a sophomore after doing pretty well as a freshman. However, if he can get that down, he'll be the exact kind of player the Cavaliers badly needed in the Finals: an energetic, quick, and strong defender who can also contribute on offense. <a href="http://www.sports-reference.com/cbb/players/deaaron-fox-1.html?utm_campaign=Linker&utm_source=direct&utm_medium=linker-" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">De'Aaron Fox</a>, <a href="http://www.sports-reference.com/cbb/schools/kentucky/">Kentucky Wildcats</a>. 2016-17 Box Plus/Minus: 8.7. 2016-17 PER: 22.6 Comp: <a href="http://www.basketball-reference.com/players/w/walljo01.html?utm_campaign=Linker&utm_source=direct&utm_medium=linker-" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">John Wall</a>. Doppelgänger: <a href="http://www.sports-reference.com/cbb/players/nigel-williams-goss-1.html?utm_campaign=Linker&utm_source=direct&utm_medium=linker-" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Nigel Williams-Goss</a> Like Fultz and Ball, Fox is a tall and long at the league's most stacked position, making him a natural top pick. However, he's going to have to improve his shooting or he simply won't be playable at point guard in the NBA. Ask <a href="http://www.sports-reference.com/cbb/players/michael-carter-williams-1.html?utm_campaign=Linker&utm_source=direct&utm_medium=linker-" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Michael Carter-Williams</a> or <a href="http://www.basketball-reference.com/players/r/rondora01.html?utm_campaign=Linker&utm_source=direct&utm_medium=linker-" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Rajon Rondo</a> what its like for an NBA PG in 2017 who shoots 24.6% from three (although, I suppose there'll still be a spot for Fox on the <a href="http://www.basketball-reference.com/teams/CHI/">Chicago Bulls</a> if he doesn't improve). Still, Fox has speed and size which, unlike shooting, can't be improved with practice. However, while he has one of the highest upsides in the draft, his floor is definitely lower than someone like Nigel Williams-Goss. Williams-Goss was a better shooter than Fox by <a href="http://www.basketball-reference.com/leaders/fg3_pct_career.html">three-point percentage</a>, <a href="http://www.basketball-reference.com/leaders/ts_pct_career.html">true shooting percentage</a>, and effective field goal rate. Williams-Goss didn't play in nearly as challenging a conference as Fox, but he seems like someone who could slot onto an NBA bench and run a second unit ]]></content:encoded> <wfw:commentRss>http://www.sports-reference.com/blog/2017/06/scouting-the-2017-nba-draft/feed/</wfw:commentRss> <slash:comments>0</slash:comments> </item> <item> <title>2017 MLB Draft Results Added</title> <link>http://www.sports-reference.com/blog/2017/06/2017-mlb-draft-results-added/</link> <comments>http://www.sports-reference.com/blog/2017/06/2017-mlb-draft-results-added/#respond</comments> <pubDate>Fri, 16 Jun 2017 18:07:15 +0000</pubDate> <dc:creator><![CDATA[Mike Lynch]]></dc:creator> <category><![CDATA[Announcement]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Baseball-Reference.com]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Data]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Draft]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Features]]></category> <guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.sports-reference.com/blog/?p=6229</guid> <description><![CDATA[We have posted the results of the recently completed 2017 MLB Draft.]]></description> <content:encoded><![CDATA[We have posted the results of the recently completed <a href="http://www.baseball-reference.com/draft/?query_type=year_round&year_ID=2017&draft_round=1&draft_type=junreg&">2017 MLB Draft</a>. ]]></content:encoded> <wfw:commentRss>http://www.sports-reference.com/blog/2017/06/2017-mlb-draft-results-added/feed/</wfw:commentRss> <slash:comments>0</slash:comments> </item> <item> <title>2017-18 NBA Free Agent Tracker Added</title> <link>http://www.sports-reference.com/blog/2017/06/2017-18-nba-free-agent-tracker-added/</link> <comments>http://www.sports-reference.com/blog/2017/06/2017-18-nba-free-agent-tracker-added/#respond</comments> <pubDate>Fri, 16 Jun 2017 17:15:07 +0000</pubDate> <dc:creator><![CDATA[Mike Lynch]]></dc:creator> <category><![CDATA[Announcement]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Basketball-Reference.com]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Data]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Features]]></category> <guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.sports-reference.com/blog/?p=6226</guid> <description><![CDATA[In advance of July's NBA Free Agency season, we have added our 2017-18 NBA Free Agent Tracker, which we will keep updated (as best we can) as deals are agreed to and signed. The headliners of this year's free agency class are reigning champions Stephen Curry and Kevin Durant, but something tells us they're not going […]]]></description> <content:encoded><![CDATA[In advance of July's NBA Free Agency season, we have added our 2017-18 <a href="http://www.basketball-reference.com/friv/free_agents.fcgi">NBA Free Agent Tracker</a>, which we will keep updated (as best we can) as deals are agreed to and signed. The headliners of this year's free agency class are reigning champions <a href="http://www.basketball-reference.com/players/c/curryst01.html">Stephen Curry</a> and <a href="http://www.basketball-reference.com/players/d/duranke01.html">Kevin Durant</a>, but something tells us they're not going anywhere. ]]></content:encoded> <wfw:commentRss>http://www.sports-reference.com/blog/2017/06/2017-18-nba-free-agent-tracker-added/feed/</wfw:commentRss> <slash:comments>0</slash:comments> </item> <item> <title>NBA Finals Leaderboards Updated</title> <link>http://www.sports-reference.com/blog/2017/06/nba-finals-leaderboards-updated/</link> <comments>http://www.sports-reference.com/blog/2017/06/nba-finals-leaderboards-updated/#respond</comments> <pubDate>Thu, 15 Jun 2017 19:16:09 +0000</pubDate> <dc:creator><![CDATA[Jonah Gardner]]></dc:creator> <category><![CDATA[Announcement]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Basketball-Reference.com]]></category> <guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.sports-reference.com/blog/?p=6220</guid> <description><![CDATA[With the 2017 NBA Finals in the books, we've gone ahead and updated all of our NBA Finals leaderboards. This year's Finals was an important one from a historic perspective, as it saw LeBron James move from 7th to 3rd all-time in career points in the Finals. Along the way, he passed Bill Russell and […]]]></description> <content:encoded><![CDATA[With the <a href="http://www.basketball-reference.com/playoffs/2017-nba-finals-cavaliers-vs-warriors.html">2017 NBA Finals</a> in the books, we've gone ahead and updated all of our <a href="http://www.basketball-reference.com/leaders/">NBA Finals leaderboards</a>. This year's Finals was an important one from a historic perspective, as it saw <a href="http://www.basketball-reference.com/players/j/jamesle01.html?utm_campaign=Linker&utm_source=direct&utm_medium=linker-" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">LeBron James</a> move from 7th to 3rd all-time in career points in the Finals. Along the way, he passed <a href="http://www.basketball-reference.com/players/r/russebi01.html?utm_campaign=Linker&utm_source=direct&utm_medium=linker-" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Bill Russell</a> and <a href="http://www.basketball-reference.com/players/j/jordami01.html?utm_campaign=Linker&utm_source=direct&utm_medium=linker-" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Michael Jordan</a>, among others. ]]></content:encoded> <wfw:commentRss>http://www.sports-reference.com/blog/2017/06/nba-finals-leaderboards-updated/feed/</wfw:commentRss> <slash:comments>0</slash:comments> </item> <item> <title>LeBron James When Facing Elimination</title> <link>http://www.sports-reference.com/blog/2017/06/lebron-james-when-facing-elimination/</link> <comments>http://www.sports-reference.com/blog/2017/06/lebron-james-when-facing-elimination/#comments</comments> <pubDate>Tue, 13 Jun 2017 16:10:52 +0000</pubDate> <dc:creator><![CDATA[Mike Lynch]]></dc:creator> <category><![CDATA[Announcement]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Basketball-Reference.com]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Data]]></category> <category><![CDATA[History]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Playoffs]]></category> <guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.sports-reference.com/blog/?p=6214</guid> <description><![CDATA[A quick blog post, just to save this table as a reference and for posterity... A couple years ago, we ran a blog post which featured a comparison of various players when facing elimination from the playoffs. At the time, LeBron James appeared to be objectively the best of the elite group we looked at. […]]]></description> <content:encoded><![CDATA[A quick blog post, just to save this table as a reference and for posterity... A couple years ago, we ran <a href="http://www.sports-reference.com/blog/2016/04/kobe-bryant-has-always-had-fascinating-goodbyes/">a blog post</a> which featured <a href="http://www.sports-reference.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2016/04/Screen-Shot-2016-04-13-at-11.07.22-AM.png">a comparison of various players when facing elimination from the playoffs</a>. At the time, <a href="http://www.basketball-reference.com/players/j/jamesle01.html">LeBron James</a> appeared to be objectively the best of the elite group we looked at. Since that time, he's played five more games facing elimination, winning four of them before losing in <a href="http://www.basketball-reference.com/boxscores/201706120GSW.html">Game 5</a> of the <a href="http://www.basketball-reference.com/playoffs/2017-nba-finals-cavaliers-vs-warriors.html">2017 NBA Finals</a> last night. For his career, LeBron is now 11-9 when facing elimination, with averages of 33.0 PPG, 10.9 RPG and 7.4 APG on a 52.1 eFG%, with an average Game Score of 26.2. For comparison's sake, <a href="http://www.basketball-reference.com/players/j/jordami01.html">Michael Jordan</a>'s average Game Score when facing elimination was 23.3. Furthermore, LeBron's 33.0 PPG is the highest in NBA history by a player facing elimination (Jordan averaged 31.3 and <a href="http://www.basketball-reference.com/players/c/chambwi01.html">Wilt Chamberlain</a> averaged 31.1) Some point to the <a href="http://www.basketball-reference.com/playoffs/2011-nba-finals-mavericks-vs-heat.html">2011 NBA Finals</a> as a case of LeBron going out meekly (and they'd be right). But since then, he's faced elimination 12 times, winning nine times and putting up these insane numbers: 35.1 PPG, 11.9 RPG and 7.3 APG on a 55.7 eFG%, with an average Game Score of 30.1! Here are his lines for those 20 games, with links to each of the box scores if you'd like further details. And remember to bookmark this page the next time someone argues LeBron hasn't been a clutch performer. <div class="sr_share_wrap" style="overflow: auto;"> <table id="" class="sr_share" style="border-collapse: collapse; font-size: .83em; border: 1px sold #aaa; overflow: auto;" data-cols-to-freeze="2"> <caption>Query Results Table</caption> <colgroup> <col /> <col /> <col class="sort_col" /> <col /> <col /> <col /> <col /> <col /> <col /> <col /> <col /> <col /> <col /> <col /> <col /> <col /> <col /> <col /> <col /> <col /> <col /> <col /> <col /> <col /> <col /> <col /> <col /> <col /> <col /> <col /> <col /></colgroup> <thead> <tr> <th style="background-color: #ffa; border: 1px solid #aaa; padding: 2px;" scope="col" data-stat="date_game">Date</th> <th style="background-color: #ddd; border: 1px solid #aaa; padding: 2px;" scope="col" data-stat="team_id">Tm</th> <th style="background-color: #ddd; border: 1px solid #aaa; padding: 2px;" scope="col" data-stat="opp_id">Opp</th> <th style="background-color: #ddd; border: 1px solid #aaa; padding: 2px;" scope="col" data-stat="game_result"></th> <th style="background-color: #ddd; border: 1px solid #aaa; padding: 2px;" scope="col" data-stat="mp">MP</th> <th style="background-color: #ddd; border: 1px solid #aaa; padding: 2px;" scope="col" data-stat="fg">FG</th> <th style="background-color: #ddd; border: 1px solid #aaa; padding: 2px;" scope="col" data-stat="fga">FGA</th> <th style="background-color: #ddd; border: 1px solid #aaa; padding: 2px;" scope="col" data-stat="fg3">3P</th> <th style="background-color: #ddd; border: 1px solid #aaa; padding: 2px;" scope="col" data-stat="fg3a">3PA</th> <th style="background-color: #ddd; border: 1px solid #aaa; padding: 2px;" scope="col" data-stat="ft">FT</th> <th style="background-color: #ddd; border: 1px solid #aaa; padding: 2px;" scope="col" data-stat="fta">FTA</th> <th style="background-color: #ddd; border: 1px solid #aaa; padding: 2px;" scope="col" data-stat="trb">TRB</th> <th style="background-color: #ddd; border: 1px solid #aaa; padding: 2px;" scope="col" data-stat="ast">AST</th> <th style="background-color: #ddd; border: 1px solid #aaa; padding: 2px;" scope="col" data-stat="stl">STL</th> <th style="background-color: #ddd; border: 1px solid #aaa; padding: 2px;" scope="col" data-stat="blk">BLK</th> <th style="background-color: #ddd; border: 1px solid #aaa; padding: 2px;" scope="col" data-stat="tov">TOV</th> <th style="background-color: #ddd; border: 1px solid #aaa; padding: 2px;" scope="col" data-stat="pts">PTS</th> <th style="background-color: #ddd; border: 1px solid #aaa; padding: 2px;" scope="col" data-stat="game_score">GmSc</th> </tr> </thead> <tbody> <tr data-row="6"> <td style="border: 1px solid #ccc; padding: 2px 3px 2px 2px; white-space: nowrap;" data-stat="date_game"><a href="http://www.basketball-reference.com/boxscores/200605210DET.html?utm_source=direct&utm_medium=Share&utm_campaign=ShareTool">2006-05-21</a></td> <td style="border: 1px solid #ccc; padding: 2px 3px 2px 2px; white-space: nowrap;" data-stat="team_id"><a href="http://www.basketball-reference.com/teams/CLE/2006.html?utm_source=direct&utm_medium=Share&utm_campaign=ShareTool">CLE</a></td> <td style="border: 1px solid #ccc; padding: 2px 3px 2px 2px; white-space: nowrap;" data-stat="opp_id"><a href="http://www.basketball-reference.com/teams/DET/2006.html?utm_source=direct&utm_medium=Share&utm_campaign=ShareTool">DET</a></td> <td style="border: 1px solid #ccc; padding: 2px 3px 2px 2px; white-space: nowrap;" data-stat="game_result">L</td> <td style="border: 1px solid #ccc; padding: 2px 3px 2px 2px; white-space: nowrap;" data-stat="mp">47</td> <td style="border: 1px solid #ccc; padding: 2px 3px 2px 2px; white-space: nowrap;" data-stat="fg">11</td> <td style="border: 1px solid #ccc; padding: 2px 3px 2px 2px; white-space: nowrap;" data-stat="fga">24</td> <td style="border: 1px solid #ccc; padding: 2px 3px 2px 2px; white-space: nowrap;" data-stat="fg3">0</td> <td style="border: 1px solid #ccc; padding: 2px 3px 2px 2px; white-space: nowrap;" data-stat="fg3a">4</td> <td style="border: 1px solid #ccc; padding: 2px 3px 2px 2px; white-space: nowrap;" data-stat="ft">5</td> <td style="border: 1px solid #ccc; padding: 2px 3px 2px 2px; white-space: nowrap;" data-stat="fta">8</td> <td style="border: 1px solid #ccc; padding: 2px 3px 2px 2px; white-space: nowrap;" data-stat="trb">8</td> <td style="border: 1px solid #ccc; padding: 2px 3px 2px 2px; white-space: nowrap;" data-stat="ast">2</td> <td style="border: 1px solid #ccc; padding: 2px 3px 2px 2px; white-space: nowrap;" data-stat="stl">1</td> <td style="border: 1px solid #ccc; padding: 2px 3px 2px 2px; white-space: nowrap;" data-stat="blk">0</td> <td style="border: 1px solid #ccc; padding: 2px 3px 2px 2px; white-space: nowrap;" data-stat="tov">3</td> <td style="border: 1px solid #ccc; padding: 2px 3px 2px 2px; white-space: nowrap;" data-stat="pts">27</td> <td style="border: 1px solid #ccc; padding: 2px 3px 2px 2px; white-space: nowrap;" data-stat="game_score">15.6</td> </tr> <tr data-row="14"> <td style="border: 1px solid #ccc; padding: 2px 3px 2px 2px; white-space: nowrap;" data-stat="date_game"><a href="http://www.basketball-reference.com/boxscores/200706140CLE.html?utm_source=direct&utm_medium=Share&utm_campaign=ShareTool">2007-06-14</a></td> <td style="border: 1px solid #ccc; padding: 2px 3px 2px 2px; white-space: nowrap;" data-stat="team_id"><a href="http://www.basketball-reference.com/teams/CLE/2007.html?utm_source=direct&utm_medium=Share&utm_campaign=ShareTool">CLE</a></td> <td style="border: 1px solid #ccc; padding: 2px 3px 2px 2px; white-space: nowrap;" data-stat="opp_id"><a href="http://www.basketball-reference.com/teams/SAS/2007.html?utm_source=direct&utm_medium=Share&utm_campaign=ShareTool">SAS</a></td> <td style="border: 1px solid #ccc; padding: 2px 3px 2px 2px; white-space: nowrap;" data-stat="game_result">L</td> <td style="border: 1px solid #ccc; padding: 2px 3px 2px 2px; white-space: nowrap;" data-stat="mp">46</td> <td style="border: 1px solid #ccc; padding: 2px 3px 2px 2px; white-space: nowrap;" data-stat="fg">10</td> <td style="border: 1px solid #ccc; padding: 2px 3px 2px 2px; white-space: nowrap;" data-stat="fga">30</td> <td style="border: 1px solid #ccc; padding: 2px 3px 2px 2px; white-space: nowrap;" data-stat="fg3">2</td> <td style="border: 1px solid #ccc; padding: 2px 3px 2px 2px; white-space: nowrap;" data-stat="fg3a">7</td> <td style="border: 1px solid #ccc; padding: 2px 3px 2px 2px; white-space: nowrap;" data-stat="ft">2</td> <td style="border: 1px solid #ccc; padding: 2px 3px 2px 2px; white-space: nowrap;" data-stat="fta">6</td> <td style="border: 1px solid #ccc; padding: 2px 3px 2px 2px; white-space: nowrap;" data-stat="trb">6</td> <td style="border: 1px solid #ccc; padding: 2px 3px 2px 2px; white-space: nowrap;" data-stat="ast">10</td> <td style="border: 1px solid #ccc; padding: 2px 3px 2px 2px; white-space: nowrap;" data-stat="stl">0</td> <td style="border: 1px solid #ccc; padding: 2px 3px 2px 2px; white-space: nowrap;" data-stat="blk">0</td> <td style="border: 1px solid #ccc; padding: 2px 3px 2px 2px; white-space: nowrap;" data-stat="tov">6</td> <td style="border: 1px solid #ccc; padding: 2px 3px 2px 2px; white-space: nowrap;" data-stat="pts">24</td> <td style="border: 1px solid #ccc; padding: 2px 3px 2px 2px; white-space: nowrap;" data-stat="game_score">7.8</td> </tr> <tr data-row="21"> <td style="border: 1px solid #ccc; padding: 2px 3px 2px 2px; white-space: nowrap;" data-stat="date_game"><a href="http://www.basketball-reference.com/boxscores/200805160CLE.html?utm_source=direct&utm_medium=Share&utm_campaign=ShareTool">2008-05-16</a></td> <td style="border: 1px solid #ccc; padding: 2px 3px 2px 2px; white-space: nowrap;" data-stat="team_id"><a href="http://www.basketball-reference.com/teams/CLE/2008.html?utm_source=direct&utm_medium=Share&utm_campaign=ShareTool">CLE</a></td> <td style="border: 1px solid #ccc; padding: 2px 3px 2px 2px; white-space: nowrap;" data-stat="opp_id"><a href="http://www.basketball-reference.com/teams/BOS/2008.html?utm_source=direct&utm_medium=Share&utm_campaign=ShareTool">BOS</a></td> <td style="border: 1px solid #ccc; padding: 2px 3px 2px 2px; white-space: nowrap;" data-stat="game_result">W</td> <td style="border: 1px solid #ccc; padding: 2px 3px 2px 2px; white-space: nowrap;" data-stat="mp">47</td> <td style="border: 1px solid #ccc; padding: 2px 3px 2px 2px; white-space: nowrap;" data-stat="fg">9</td> <td style="border: 1px solid #ccc; padding: 2px 3px 2px 2px; white-space: nowrap;" data-stat="fga">23</td> <td style="border: 1px solid #ccc; padding: 2px 3px 2px 2px; white-space: nowrap;" data-stat="fg3">1</td> <td style="border: 1px solid #ccc; padding: 2px 3px 2px 2px; white-space: nowrap;" data-stat="fg3a">3</td> <td style="border: 1px solid #ccc; padding: 2px 3px 2px 2px; white-space: nowrap;" data-stat="ft">13</td> <td style="border: 1px solid #ccc; padding: 2px 3px 2px 2px; white-space: nowrap;" data-stat="fta">15</td> <td style="border: 1px solid #ccc; padding: 2px 3px 2px 2px; white-space: nowrap;" data-stat="trb">12</td> <td style="border: 1px solid #ccc; padding: 2px 3px 2px 2px; white-space: nowrap;" data-stat="ast">6</td> <td style="border: 1px solid #ccc; padding: 2px 3px 2px 2px; white-space: nowrap;" data-stat="stl">2</td> <td style="border: 1px solid #ccc; padding: 2px 3px 2px 2px; white-space: nowrap;" data-stat="blk">1</td> <td style="border: 1px solid #ccc; padding: 2px 3px 2px 2px; white-space: nowrap;" data-stat="tov">8</td> <td style="border: 1px solid #ccc; padding: 2px 3px 2px 2px; white-space: nowrap;" data-stat="pts">32</td> <td style="border: 1px solid #ccc; padding: 2px 3px 2px 2px; white-space: nowrap;" data-stat="game_score">21.6</td> </tr> <tr data-row="22"> <td style="border: 1px solid #ccc; padding: 2px 3px 2px 2px; white-space: nowrap;" data-stat="date_game"><a href="http://www.basketball-reference.com/boxscores/200805180BOS.html?utm_source=direct&utm_medium=Share&utm_campaign=ShareTool">2008-05-18</a></td> <td style="border: 1px solid #ccc; padding: 2px 3px 2px 2px; white-space: nowrap;" data-stat="team_id"><a href="http://www.basketball-reference.com/teams/CLE/2008.html?utm_source=direct&utm_medium=Share&utm_campaign=ShareTool">CLE</a></td> <td style="border: 1px solid #ccc; padding: 2px 3px 2px 2px; white-space: nowrap;" data-stat="opp_id"><a href="http://www.basketball-reference.com/teams/BOS/2008.html?utm_source=direct&utm_medium=Share&utm_campaign=ShareTool">BOS</a></td> <td style="border: 1px solid #ccc; padding: 2px 3px 2px 2px; white-space: nowrap;" data-stat="game_result">L</td> <td style="border: 1px solid #ccc; padding: 2px 3px 2px 2px; white-space: nowrap;" data-stat="mp">47</td> <td style="border: 1px solid #ccc; padding: 2px 3px 2px 2px; white-space: nowrap;" data-stat="fg">14</td> <td style="border: 1px solid #ccc; padding: 2px 3px 2px 2px; white-space: nowrap;" data-stat="fga">29</td> <td style="border: 1px solid #ccc; padding: 2px 3px 2px 2px; white-space: nowrap;" data-stat="fg3">3</td> <td style="border: 1px solid #ccc; padding: 2px 3px 2px 2px; white-space: nowrap;" data-stat="fg3a">11</td> <td style="border: 1px solid #ccc; padding: 2px 3px 2px 2px; white-space: nowrap;" data-stat="ft">14</td> <td style="border: 1px solid #ccc; padding: 2px 3px 2px 2px; white-space: nowrap;" data-stat="fta">19</td> <td style="border: 1px solid #ccc; padding: 2px 3px 2px 2px; white-space: nowrap;" data-stat="trb">5</td> <td style="border: 1px solid #ccc; padding: 2px 3px 2px 2px; white-space: nowrap;" data-stat="ast">6</td> <td style="border: 1px solid #ccc; padding: 2px 3px 2px 2px; white-space: nowrap;" data-stat="stl">2</td> <td style="border: 1px solid #ccc; padding: 2px 3px 2px 2px; white-space: nowrap;" data-stat="blk">0</td> <td style="border: 1px solid #ccc; padding: 2px 3px 2px 2px; white-space: nowrap;" data-stat="tov">2</td> <td style="border: 1px solid #ccc; padding: 2px 3px 2px 2px; white-space: nowrap;" data-stat="pts">45</td> <td style="border: 1px solid #ccc; padding: 2px 3px 2px 2px; white-space: nowrap;" data-stat="game_score">32.8</td> </tr> <tr data-row="26"> <td style="border: 1px solid #ccc; padding: 2px 3px 2px 2px; white-space: nowrap;" data-stat="date_game"><a href="http://www.basketball-reference.com/boxscores/200905280CLE.html?utm_source=direct&utm_medium=Share&utm_campaign=ShareTool">2009-05-28</a></td> <td style="border: 1px solid #ccc; padding: 2px 3px 2px 2px; white-space: nowrap;" data-stat="team_id"><a href="http://www.basketball-reference.com/teams/CLE/2009.html?utm_source=direct&utm_medium=Share&utm_campaign=ShareTool">CLE</a></td> <td style="border: 1px solid #ccc; padding: 2px 3px 2px 2px; white-space: nowrap;" data-stat="opp_id"><a href="http://www.basketball-reference.com/teams/ORL/2009.html?utm_source=direct&utm_medium=Share&utm_campaign=ShareTool">ORL</a></td> <td style="border: 1px solid #ccc; padding: 2px 3px 2px 2px; white-space: nowrap;" data-stat="game_result">W</td> <td style="border: 1px solid #ccc; padding: 2px 3px 2px 2px; white-space: nowrap;" data-stat="mp">46</td> <td style="border: 1px solid #ccc; padding: 2px 3px 2px 2px; white-space: nowrap;" data-stat="fg">11</td> <td style="border: 1px solid #ccc; padding: 2px 3px 2px 2px; white-space: nowrap;" data-stat="fga">24</td> <td style="border: 1px solid #ccc; padding: 2px 3px 2px 2px; white-space: nowrap;" data-stat="fg3">0</td> <td style="border: 1px solid #ccc; padding: 2px 3px 2px 2px; white-space: nowrap;" data-stat="fg3a">2</td> <td style="border: 1px solid #ccc; padding: 2px 3px 2px 2px; white-space: nowrap;" data-stat="ft">15</td> <td style="border: 1px solid #ccc; padding: 2px 3px 2px 2px; white-space: nowrap;" data-stat="fta">19</td> <td style="border: 1px solid #ccc; padding: 2px 3px 2px 2px; white-space: nowrap;" data-stat="trb">14</td> <td style="border: 1px solid #ccc; padding: 2px 3px 2px 2px; white-space: nowrap;" data-stat="ast">12</td> <td style="border: 1px solid #ccc; padding: 2px 3px 2px 2px; white-space: nowrap;" data-stat="stl">1</td> <td style="border: 1px solid #ccc; padding: 2px 3px 2px 2px; white-space: nowrap;" data-stat="blk">1</td> <td style="border: 1px solid #ccc; padding: 2px 3px 2px 2px; white-space: nowrap;" data-stat="tov">4</td> <td style="border: 1px solid #ccc; padding: 2px 3px 2px 2px; white-space: nowrap;" data-stat="pts">37</td> <td style="border: 1px solid #ccc; padding: 2px 3px 2px 2px; white-space: nowrap;" data-stat="game_score">33.3</td> </tr> <tr data-row="27"> <td style="border: 1px solid #ccc; padding: 2px 3px 2px 2px; white-space: nowrap;" data-stat="date_game"><a href="http://www.basketball-reference.com/boxscores/200905300ORL.html?utm_source=direct&utm_medium=Share&utm_campaign=ShareTool">2009-05-30</a></td> <td style="border: 1px solid #ccc; padding: 2px 3px 2px 2px; white-space: nowrap;" data-stat="team_id"><a href="http://www.basketball-reference.com/teams/CLE/2009.html?utm_source=direct&utm_medium=Share&utm_campaign=ShareTool">CLE</a></td> <td style="border: 1px solid #ccc; padding: 2px 3px 2px 2px; white-space: nowrap;" data-stat="opp_id"><a href="http://www.basketball-reference.com/teams/ORL/2009.html?utm_source=direct&utm_medium=Share&utm_campaign=ShareTool">ORL</a></td> <td style="border: 1px solid #ccc; padding: 2px 3px 2px 2px; white-space: nowrap;" data-stat="game_result">L</td> <td style="border: 1px solid #ccc; padding: 2px 3px 2px 2px; white-space: nowrap;" data-stat="mp">45</td> <td style="border: 1px solid #ccc; padding: 2px 3px 2px 2px; white-space: nowrap;" data-stat="fg">8</td> <td style="border: 1px solid #ccc; padding: 2px 3px 2px 2px; white-space: nowrap;" data-stat="fga">20</td> <td style="border: 1px solid #ccc; padding: 2px 3px 2px 2px; white-space: nowrap;" data-stat="fg3">2</td> <td style="border: 1px solid #ccc; padding: 2px 3px 2px 2px; white-space: nowrap;" data-stat="fg3a">8</td> <td style="border: 1px solid #ccc; padding: 2px 3px 2px 2px; white-space: nowrap;" data-stat="ft">7</td> <td style="border: 1px solid #ccc; padding: 2px 3px 2px 2px; white-space: nowrap;" data-stat="fta">11</td> <td style="border: 1px solid #ccc; padding: 2px 3px 2px 2px; white-space: nowrap;" data-stat="trb">7</td> <td style="border: 1px solid #ccc; padding: 2px 3px 2px 2px; white-space: nowrap;" data-stat="ast">7</td> <td style="border: 1px solid #ccc; padding: 2px 3px 2px 2px; white-space: nowrap;" data-stat="stl">0</td> <td style="border: 1px solid #ccc; padding: 2px 3px 2px 2px; white-space: nowrap;" data-stat="blk">1</td> <td style="border: 1px solid #ccc; padding: 2px 3px 2px 2px; white-space: nowrap;" data-stat="tov">3</td> <td style="border: 1px solid #ccc; padding: 2px 3px 2px 2px; white-space: nowrap;" data-stat="pts">25</td> <td style="border: 1px solid #ccc; padding: 2px 3px 2px 2px; white-space: nowrap;" data-stat="game_score">16.1</td> </tr> <tr data-row="32"> <td style="border: 1px solid #ccc; padding: 2px 3px 2px 2px; white-space: nowrap;" data-stat="date_game"><a href="http://www.basketball-reference.com/boxscores/201005130BOS.html?utm_source=direct&utm_medium=Share&utm_campaign=ShareTool">2010-05-13</a></td> <td style="border: 1px solid #ccc; padding: 2px 3px 2px 2px; white-space: nowrap;" data-stat="team_id"><a href="http://www.basketball-reference.com/teams/CLE/2010.html?utm_source=direct&utm_medium=Share&utm_campaign=ShareTool">CLE</a></td> <td style="border: 1px solid #ccc; padding: 2px 3px 2px 2px; white-space: nowrap;" data-stat="opp_id"><a href="http://www.basketball-reference.com/teams/BOS/2010.html?utm_source=direct&utm_medium=Share&utm_campaign=ShareTool">BOS</a></td> <td style="border: 1px solid #ccc; padding: 2px 3px 2px 2px; white-space: nowrap;" data-stat="game_result">L</td> <td style="border: 1px solid #ccc; padding: 2px 3px 2px 2px; white-space: nowrap;" data-stat="mp">46</td> <td style="border: 1px solid #ccc; padding: 2px 3px 2px 2px; white-space: nowrap;" data-stat="fg">8</td> <td style="border: 1px solid #ccc; padding: 2px 3px 2px 2px; white-space: nowrap;" data-stat="fga">21</td> <td style="border: 1px solid #ccc; padding: 2px 3px 2px 2px; white-space: nowrap;" data-stat="fg3">2</td> <td style="border: 1px solid #ccc; padding: 2px 3px 2px 2px; white-space: nowrap;" data-stat="fg3a">4</td> <td style="border: 1px solid #ccc; padding: 2px 3px 2px 2px; white-space: nowrap;" data-stat="ft">9</td> <td style="border: 1px solid #ccc; padding: 2px 3px 2px 2px; white-space: nowrap;" data-stat="fta">12</td> <td style="border: 1px solid #ccc; padding: 2px 3px 2px 2px; white-space: nowrap;" data-stat="trb">19</td> <td style="border: 1px solid #ccc; padding: 2px 3px 2px 2px; white-space: nowrap;" data-stat="ast">10</td> <td style="border: 1px solid #ccc; padding: 2px 3px 2px 2px; white-space: nowrap;" data-stat="stl">3</td> <td style="border: 1px solid #ccc; padding: 2px 3px 2px 2px; white-space: nowrap;" data-stat="blk">1</td> <td style="border: 1px solid #ccc; padding: 2px 3px 2px 2px; white-space: nowrap;" data-stat="tov">9</td> <td style="border: 1px solid #ccc; padding: 2px 3px 2px 2px; white-space: nowrap;" data-stat="pts">27</td> <td style="border: 1px solid #ccc; padding: 2px 3px 2px 2px; white-space: nowrap;" data-stat="game_score">22.1</td> </tr> <tr data-row="42"> <td style="border: 1px solid #ccc; padding: 2px 3px 2px 2px; white-space: nowrap;" data-stat="date_game"><a href="http://www.basketball-reference.com/boxscores/201106120MIA.html?utm_source=direct&utm_medium=Share&utm_campaign=ShareTool">2011-06-12</a></td> <td style="border: 1px solid #ccc; padding: 2px 3px 2px 2px; white-space: nowrap;" data-stat="team_id"><a href="http://www.basketball-reference.com/teams/MIA/2011.html?utm_source=direct&utm_medium=Share&utm_campaign=ShareTool">MIA</a></td> <td style="border: 1px solid #ccc; padding: 2px 3px 2px 2px; white-space: nowrap;" data-stat="opp_id"><a href="http://www.basketball-reference.com/teams/DAL/2011.html?utm_source=direct&utm_medium=Share&utm_campaign=ShareTool">DAL</a></td> <td style="border: 1px solid #ccc; padding: 2px 3px 2px 2px; white-space: nowrap;" data-stat="game_result">L</td> <td style="border: 1px solid #ccc; padding: 2px 3px 2px 2px; white-space: nowrap;" data-stat="mp">40</td> <td style="border: 1px solid #ccc; padding: 2px 3px 2px 2px; white-space: nowrap;" data-stat="fg">9</td> <td style="border: 1px solid #ccc; padding: 2px 3px 2px 2px; white-space: nowrap;" data-stat="fga">15</td> <td style="border: 1px solid #ccc; padding: 2px 3px 2px 2px; white-space: nowrap;" data-stat="fg3">2</td> <td style="border: 1px solid #ccc; padding: 2px 3px 2px 2px; white-space: nowrap;" data-stat="fg3a">5</td> <td style="border: 1px solid #ccc; padding: 2px 3px 2px 2px; white-space: nowrap;" data-stat="ft">1</td> <td style="border: 1px solid #ccc; padding: 2px 3px 2px 2px; white-space: nowrap;" data-stat="fta">4</td> <td style="border: 1px solid #ccc; padding: 2px 3px 2px 2px; white-space: nowrap;" data-stat="trb">4</td> <td style="border: 1px solid #ccc; padding: 2px 3px 2px 2px; white-space: nowrap;" data-stat="ast">6</td> <td style="border: 1px solid #ccc; padding: 2px 3px 2px 2px; white-space: nowrap;" data-stat="stl">1</td> <td style="border: 1px solid #ccc; padding: 2px 3px 2px 2px; white-space: nowrap;" data-stat="blk">1</td> <td style="border: 1px solid #ccc; padding: 2px 3px 2px 2px; white-space: nowrap;" data-stat="tov">6</td> <td style="border: 1px solid #ccc; padding: 2px 3px 2px 2px; white-space: nowrap;" data-stat="pts">21</td> <td style="border: 1px solid #ccc; padding: 2px 3px 2px 2px; white-space: nowrap;" data-stat="game_score">13.6</td> </tr> <tr data-row="50"> <td style="border: 1px solid #ccc; padding: 2px 3px 2px 2px; white-space: nowrap;" data-stat="date_game"><a href="http://www.basketball-reference.com/boxscores/201206070BOS.html?utm_source=direct&utm_medium=Share&utm_campaign=ShareTool">2012-06-07</a></td> <td style="border: 1px solid #ccc; padding: 2px 3px 2px 2px; white-space: nowrap;" data-stat="team_id"><a href="http://www.basketball-reference.com/teams/MIA/2012.html?utm_source=direct&utm_medium=Share&utm_campaign=ShareTool">MIA</a></td> <td style="border: 1px solid #ccc; padding: 2px 3px 2px 2px; white-space: nowrap;" data-stat="opp_id"><a href="http://www.basketball-reference.com/teams/BOS/2012.html?utm_source=direct&utm_medium=Share&utm_campaign=ShareTool">BOS</a></td> <td style="border: 1px solid #ccc; padding: 2px 3px 2px 2px; white-space: nowrap;" data-stat="game_result">W</td> <td style="border: 1px solid #ccc; padding: 2px 3px 2px 2px; white-space: nowrap;" data-stat="mp">45</td> <td style="border: 1px solid #ccc; padding: 2px 3px 2px 2px; white-space: nowrap;" data-stat="fg">19</td> <td style="border: 1px solid #ccc; padding: 2px 3px 2px 2px; white-space: nowrap;" data-stat="fga">26</td> <td style="border: 1px solid #ccc; padding: 2px 3px 2px 2px; white-space: nowrap;" data-stat="fg3">2</td> <td style="border: 1px solid #ccc; padding: 2px 3px 2px 2px; white-space: nowrap;" data-stat="fg3a">4</td> <td style="border: 1px solid #ccc; padding: 2px 3px 2px 2px; white-space: nowrap;" data-stat="ft">5</td> <td style="border: 1px solid #ccc; padding: 2px 3px 2px 2px; white-space: nowrap;" data-stat="fta">9</td> <td style="border: 1px solid #ccc; padding: 2px 3px 2px 2px; white-space: nowrap;" data-stat="trb">15</td> <td style="border: 1px solid #ccc; padding: 2px 3px 2px 2px; white-space: nowrap;" data-stat="ast">5</td> <td style="border: 1px solid #ccc; padding: 2px 3px 2px 2px; white-space: nowrap;" data-stat="stl">0</td> <td style="border: 1px solid #ccc; padding: 2px 3px 2px 2px; white-space: nowrap;" data-stat="blk">0</td> <td style="border: 1px solid #ccc; padding: 2px 3px 2px 2px; white-space: nowrap;" data-stat="tov">4</td> <td style="border: 1px solid #ccc; padding: 2px 3px 2px 2px; white-space: nowrap;" data-stat="pts">45</td> <td style="border: 1px solid #ccc; padding: 2px 3px 2px 2px; white-space: nowrap;" data-stat="game_score">36.4</td> </tr> <tr data-row="51"> <td style="border: 1px solid #ccc; padding: 2px 3px 2px 2px; white-space: nowrap;" data-stat="date_game"><a href="http://www.basketball-reference.com/boxscores/201206090MIA.html?utm_source=direct&utm_medium=Share&utm_campaign=ShareTool">2012-06-09</a></td> <td style="border: 1px solid #ccc; padding: 2px 3px 2px 2px; white-space: nowrap;" data-stat="team_id"><a href="http://www.basketball-reference.com/teams/MIA/2012.html?utm_source=direct&utm_medium=Share&utm_campaign=ShareTool">MIA</a></td> <td style="border: 1px solid #ccc; padding: 2px 3px 2px 2px; white-space: nowrap;" data-stat="opp_id"><a href="http://www.basketball-reference.com/teams/BOS/2012.html?utm_source=direct&utm_medium=Share&utm_campaign=ShareTool">BOS</a></td> <td style="border: 1px solid #ccc; padding: 2px 3px 2px 2px; white-space: nowrap;" data-stat="game_result">W</td> <td style="border: 1px solid #ccc; padding: 2px 3px 2px 2px; white-space: nowrap;" data-stat="mp">48</td> <td style="border: 1px solid #ccc; padding: 2px 3px 2px 2px; white-space: nowrap;" data-stat="fg">9</td> <td style="border: 1px solid #ccc; padding: 2px 3px 2px 2px; white-space: nowrap;" data-stat="fga">21</td> <td style="border: 1px solid #ccc; padding: 2px 3px 2px 2px; white-space: nowrap;" data-stat="fg3">1</td> <td style="border: 1px solid #ccc; padding: 2px 3px 2px 2px; white-space: nowrap;" data-stat="fg3a">5</td> <td style="border: 1px solid #ccc; padding: 2px 3px 2px 2px; white-space: nowrap;" data-stat="ft">12</td> <td style="border: 1px solid #ccc; padding: 2px 3px 2px 2px; white-space: nowrap;" data-stat="fta">17</td> <td style="border: 1px solid #ccc; padding: 2px 3px 2px 2px; white-space: nowrap;" data-stat="trb">12</td> <td style="border: 1px solid #ccc; padding: 2px 3px 2px 2px; white-space: nowrap;" data-stat="ast">2</td> <td style="border: 1px solid #ccc; padding: 2px 3px 2px 2px; white-space: nowrap;" data-stat="stl">1</td> <td style="border: 1px solid #ccc; padding: 2px 3px 2px 2px; white-space: nowrap;" data-stat="blk">1</td> <td style="border: 1px solid #ccc; padding: 2px 3px 2px 2px; white-space: nowrap;" data-stat="tov">3</td> <td style="border: 1px solid #ccc; padding: 2px 3px 2px 2px; white-space: nowrap;" data-stat="pts">31</td> <td style="border: 1px solid #ccc; padding: 2px 3px 2px 2px; white-space: nowrap;" data-stat="game_score">22.4</td> </tr> <tr data-row="60"> <td style="border: 1px solid #ccc; padding: 2px 3px 2px 2px; white-space: nowrap;" data-stat="date_game"><a href="http://www.basketball-reference.com/boxscores/201306030MIA.html?utm_source=direct&utm_medium=Share&utm_campaign=ShareTool">2013-06-03</a></td> <td style="border: 1px solid #ccc; padding: 2px 3px 2px 2px; white-space: nowrap;" data-stat="team_id"><a href="http://www.basketball-reference.com/teams/MIA/2013.html?utm_source=direct&utm_medium=Share&utm_campaign=ShareTool">MIA</a></td> <td style="border: 1px solid #ccc; padding: 2px 3px 2px 2px; white-space: nowrap;" data-stat="opp_id"><a href="http://www.basketball-reference.com/teams/IND/2013.html?utm_source=direct&utm_medium=Share&utm_campaign=ShareTool">IND</a></td> <td style="border: 1px solid #ccc; padding: 2px 3px 2px 2px; white-space: nowrap;" data-stat="game_result">W</td> <td style="border: 1px solid #ccc; padding: 2px 3px 2px 2px; white-space: nowrap;" data-stat="mp">41</td> <td style="border: 1px solid #ccc; padding: 2px 3px 2px 2px; white-space: nowrap;" data-stat="fg">8</td> <td style="border: 1px solid #ccc; padding: 2px 3px 2px 2px; white-space: nowrap;" data-stat="fga">17</td> <td style="border: 1px solid #ccc; padding: 2px 3px 2px 2px; white-space: nowrap;" data-stat="fg3">1</td> <td style="border: 1px solid #ccc; padding: 2px 3px 2px 2px; white-space: nowrap;" data-stat="fg3a">2</td> <td style="border: 1px solid #ccc; padding: 2px 3px 2px 2px; white-space: nowrap;" data-stat="ft">15</td> <td style="border: 1px solid #ccc; padding: 2px 3px 2px 2px; white-space: nowrap;" data-stat="fta">16</td> <td style="border: 1px solid #ccc; padding: 2px 3px 2px 2px; white-space: nowrap;" data-stat="trb">8</td> <td style="border: 1px solid #ccc; padding: 2px 3px 2px 2px; white-space: nowrap;" data-stat="ast">4</td> <td style="border: 1px solid #ccc; padding: 2px 3px 2px 2px; white-space: nowrap;" data-stat="stl">2</td> <td style="border: 1px solid #ccc; padding: 2px 3px 2px 2px; white-space: nowrap;" data-stat="blk">1</td> <td style="border: 1px solid #ccc; padding: 2px 3px 2px 2px; white-space: nowrap;" data-stat="tov">2</td> <td style="border: 1px solid #ccc; padding: 2px 3px 2px 2px; white-space: nowrap;" data-stat="pts">32</td> <td style="border: 1px solid #ccc; padding: 2px 3px 2px 2px; white-space: nowrap;" data-stat="game_score">29.2</td> </tr> <tr data-row="64"> <td style="border: 1px solid #ccc; padding: 2px 3px 2px 2px; white-space: nowrap;" data-stat="date_game"><a href="http://www.basketball-reference.com/boxscores/201306180MIA.html?utm_source=direct&utm_medium=Share&utm_campaign=ShareTool">2013-06-18</a></td> <td style="border: 1px solid #ccc; padding: 2px 3px 2px 2px; white-space: nowrap;" data-stat="team_id"><a href="http://www.basketball-reference.com/teams/MIA/2013.html?utm_source=direct&utm_medium=Share&utm_campaign=ShareTool">MIA</a></td> <td style="border: 1px solid #ccc; padding: 2px 3px 2px 2px; white-space: nowrap;" data-stat="opp_id"><a href="http://www.basketball-reference.com/teams/SAS/2013.html?utm_source=direct&utm_medium=Share&utm_campaign=ShareTool">SAS</a></td> <td style="border: 1px solid #ccc; padding: 2px 3px 2px 2px; white-space: nowrap;" data-stat="game_result">W</td> <td style="border: 1px solid #ccc; padding: 2px 3px 2px 2px; white-space: nowrap;" data-stat="mp">50</td> <td style="border: 1px solid #ccc; padding: 2px 3px 2px 2px; white-space: nowrap;" data-stat="fg">11</td> <td style="border: 1px solid #ccc; padding: 2px 3px 2px 2px; white-space: nowrap;" data-stat="fga">26</td> <td style="border: 1px solid #ccc; padding: 2px 3px 2px 2px; white-space: nowrap;" data-stat="fg3">1</td> <td style="border: 1px solid #ccc; padding: 2px 3px 2px 2px; white-space: nowrap;" data-stat="fg3a">5</td> <td style="border: 1px solid #ccc; padding: 2px 3px 2px 2px; white-space: nowrap;" data-stat="ft">9</td> <td style="border: 1px solid #ccc; padding: 2px 3px 2px 2px; white-space: nowrap;" data-stat="fta">12</td> <td style="border: 1px solid #ccc; padding: 2px 3px 2px 2px; white-space: nowrap;" data-stat="trb">10</td> <td style="border: 1px solid #ccc; padding: 2px 3px 2px 2px; white-space: nowrap;" data-stat="ast">11</td> <td style="border: 1px solid #ccc; padding: 2px 3px 2px 2px; white-space: nowrap;" data-stat="stl">3</td> <td style="border: 1px solid #ccc; padding: 2px 3px 2px 2px; white-space: nowrap;" data-stat="blk">1</td> <td style="border: 1px solid #ccc; padding: 2px 3px 2px 2px; white-space: nowrap;" data-stat="tov">6</td> <td style="border: 1px solid #ccc; padding: 2px 3px 2px 2px; white-space: nowrap;" data-stat="pts">32</td> <td style="border: 1px solid #ccc; padding: 2px 3px 2px 2px; white-space: nowrap;" data-stat="game_score">25.8</td> </tr> <tr data-row="65"> <td style="border: 1px solid #ccc; padding: 2px 3px 2px 2px; white-space: nowrap;" data-stat="date_game"><a href="http://www.basketball-reference.com/boxscores/201306200MIA.html?utm_source=direct&utm_medium=Share&utm_campaign=ShareTool">2013-06-20</a></td> <td style="border: 1px solid #ccc; padding: 2px 3px 2px 2px; white-space: nowrap;" data-stat="team_id"><a href="http://www.basketball-reference.com/teams/MIA/2013.html?utm_source=direct&utm_medium=Share&utm_campaign=ShareTool">MIA</a></td> <td style="border: 1px solid #ccc; padding: 2px 3px 2px 2px; white-space: nowrap;" data-stat="opp_id"><a href="http://www.basketball-reference.com/teams/SAS/2013.html?utm_source=direct&utm_medium=Share&utm_campaign=ShareTool">SAS</a></td> <td style="border: 1px solid #ccc; padding: 2px 3px 2px 2px; white-space: nowrap;" data-stat="game_result">W</td> <td style="border: 1px solid #ccc; padding: 2px 3px 2px 2px; white-space: nowrap;" data-stat="mp">45</td> <td style="border: 1px solid #ccc; padding: 2px 3px 2px 2px; white-space: nowrap;" data-stat="fg">12</td> <td style="border: 1px solid #ccc; padding: 2px 3px 2px 2px; white-space: nowrap;" data-stat="fga">23</td> <td style="border: 1px solid #ccc; padding: 2px 3px 2px 2px; white-space: nowrap;" data-stat="fg3">5</td> <td style="border: 1px solid #ccc; padding: 2px 3px 2px 2px; white-space: nowrap;" data-stat="fg3a">10</td> <td style="border: 1px solid #ccc; padding: 2px 3px 2px 2px; white-space: nowrap;" data-stat="ft">8</td> <td style="border: 1px solid #ccc; padding: 2px 3px 2px 2px; white-space: nowrap;" data-stat="fta">8</td> <td style="border: 1px solid #ccc; padding: 2px 3px 2px 2px; white-space: nowrap;" data-stat="trb">12</td> <td style="border: 1px solid #ccc; padding: 2px 3px 2px 2px; white-space: nowrap;" data-stat="ast">4</td> <td style="border: 1px solid #ccc; padding: 2px 3px 2px 2px; white-space: nowrap;" data-stat="stl">2</td> <td style="border: 1px solid #ccc; padding: 2px 3px 2px 2px; white-space: nowrap;" data-stat="blk">0</td> <td style="border: 1px solid #ccc; padding: 2px 3px 2px 2px; white-space: nowrap;" data-stat="tov">2</td> <td style="border: 1px solid #ccc; padding: 2px 3px 2px 2px; white-space: nowrap;" data-stat="pts">37</td> <td style="border: 1px solid #ccc; padding: 2px 3px 2px 2px; white-space: nowrap;" data-stat="game_score">32.5</td> </tr> <tr data-row="73"> <td style="border: 1px solid #ccc; padding: 2px 3px 2px 2px; white-space: nowrap;" data-stat="date_game"><a href="http://www.basketball-reference.com/boxscores/201406150SAS.html?utm_source=direct&utm_medium=Share&utm_campaign=ShareTool">2014-06-15</a></td> <td style="border: 1px solid #ccc; padding: 2px 3px 2px 2px; white-space: nowrap;" data-stat="team_id"><a href="http://www.basketball-reference.com/teams/MIA/2014.html?utm_source=direct&utm_medium=Share&utm_campaign=ShareTool">MIA</a></td> <td style="border: 1px solid #ccc; padding: 2px 3px 2px 2px; white-space: nowrap;" data-stat="opp_id"><a href="http://www.basketball-reference.com/teams/SAS/2014.html?utm_source=direct&utm_medium=Share&utm_campaign=ShareTool">SAS</a></td> <td style="border: 1px solid #ccc; padding: 2px 3px 2px 2px; white-space: nowrap;" data-stat="game_result">L</td> <td style="border: 1px solid #ccc; padding: 2px 3px 2px 2px; white-space: nowrap;" data-stat="mp">41</td> <td style="border: 1px solid #ccc; padding: 2px 3px 2px 2px; white-space: nowrap;" data-stat="fg">10</td> <td style="border: 1px solid #ccc; padding: 2px 3px 2px 2px; white-space: nowrap;" data-stat="fga">21</td> <td style="border: 1px solid #ccc; padding: 2px 3px 2px 2px; white-space: nowrap;" data-stat="fg3">3</td> <td style="border: 1px solid #ccc; padding: 2px 3px 2px 2px; white-space: nowrap;" data-stat="fg3a">9</td> <td style="border: 1px solid #ccc; padding: 2px 3px 2px 2px; white-space: nowrap;" data-stat="ft">8</td> <td style="border: 1px solid #ccc; padding: 2px 3px 2px 2px; white-space: nowrap;" data-stat="fta">9</td> <td style="border: 1px solid #ccc; padding: 2px 3px 2px 2px; white-space: nowrap;" data-stat="trb">10</td> <td style="border: 1px solid #ccc; padding: 2px 3px 2px 2px; white-space: nowrap;" data-stat="ast">5</td> <td style="border: 1px solid #ccc; padding: 2px 3px 2px 2px; white-space: nowrap;" data-stat="stl">0</td> <td style="border: 1px solid #ccc; padding: 2px 3px 2px 2px; white-space: nowrap;" data-stat="blk">2</td> <td style="border: 1px solid #ccc; padding: 2px 3px 2px 2px; white-space: nowrap;" data-stat="tov">1</td> <td style="border: 1px solid #ccc; padding: 2px 3px 2px 2px; white-space: nowrap;" data-stat="pts">31</td> <td style="border: 1px solid #ccc; padding: 2px 3px 2px 2px; white-space: nowrap;" data-stat="game_score">26.8</td> </tr> <tr data-row="81"> <td style="border: 1px solid #ccc; padding: 2px 3px 2px 2px; white-space: nowrap;" data-stat="date_game"><a href="http://www.basketball-reference.com/boxscores/201506160CLE.html?utm_source=direct&utm_medium=Share&utm_campaign=ShareTool">2015-06-16</a></td> <td style="border: 1px solid #ccc; padding: 2px 3px 2px 2px; white-space: nowrap;" data-stat="team_id"><a href="http://www.basketball-reference.com/teams/CLE/2015.html?utm_source=direct&utm_medium=Share&utm_campaign=ShareTool">CLE</a></td> <td style="border: 1px solid #ccc; padding: 2px 3px 2px 2px; white-space: nowrap;" data-stat="opp_id"><a href="http://www.basketball-reference.com/teams/GSW/2015.html?utm_source=direct&utm_medium=Share&utm_campaign=ShareTool">GSW</a></td> <td style="border: 1px solid #ccc; padding: 2px 3px 2px 2px; white-space: nowrap;" data-stat="game_result">L</td> <td style="border: 1px solid #ccc; padding: 2px 3px 2px 2px; white-space: nowrap;" data-stat="mp">47</td> <td style="border: 1px solid #ccc; padding: 2px 3px 2px 2px; white-space: nowrap;" data-stat="fg">13</td> <td style="border: 1px solid #ccc; padding: 2px 3px 2px 2px; white-space: nowrap;" data-stat="fga">33</td> <td style="border: 1px solid #ccc; padding: 2px 3px 2px 2px; white-space: nowrap;" data-stat="fg3">2</td> <td style="border: 1px solid #ccc; padding: 2px 3px 2px 2px; white-space: nowrap;" data-stat="fg3a">10</td> <td style="border: 1px solid #ccc; padding: 2px 3px 2px 2px; white-space: nowrap;" data-stat="ft">4</td> <td style="border: 1px solid #ccc; padding: 2px 3px 2px 2px; white-space: nowrap;" data-stat="fta">8</td> <td style="border: 1px solid #ccc; padding: 2px 3px 2px 2px; white-space: nowrap;" data-stat="trb">18</td> <td style="border: 1px solid #ccc; padding: 2px 3px 2px 2px; white-space: nowrap;" data-stat="ast">9</td> <td style="border: 1px solid #ccc; padding: 2px 3px 2px 2px; white-space: nowrap;" data-stat="stl">2</td> <td style="border: 1px solid #ccc; padding: 2px 3px 2px 2px; white-space: nowrap;" data-stat="blk">0</td> <td style="border: 1px solid #ccc; padding: 2px 3px 2px 2px; white-space: nowrap;" data-stat="tov">6</td> <td style="border: 1px solid #ccc; padding: 2px 3px 2px 2px; white-space: nowrap;" data-stat="pts">32</td> <td style="border: 1px solid #ccc; padding: 2px 3px 2px 2px; white-space: nowrap;" data-stat="game_score">20.2</td> </tr> <tr data-row="89"> <td style="border: 1px solid #ccc; padding: 2px 3px 2px 2px; white-space: nowrap;" data-stat="date_game"><a href="http://www.basketball-reference.com/boxscores/201606130GSW.html?utm_source=direct&utm_medium=Share&utm_campaign=ShareTool">2016-06-13</a></td> <td style="border: 1px solid #ccc; padding: 2px 3px 2px 2px; white-space: nowrap;" data-stat="team_id"><a href="http://www.basketball-reference.com/teams/CLE/2016.html?utm_source=direct&utm_medium=Share&utm_campaign=ShareTool">CLE</a></td> <td style="border: 1px solid #ccc; padding: 2px 3px 2px 2px; white-space: nowrap;" data-stat="opp_id"><a href="http://www.basketball-reference.com/teams/GSW/2016.html?utm_source=direct&utm_medium=Share&utm_campaign=ShareTool">GSW</a></td> <td style="border: 1px solid #ccc; padding: 2px 3px 2px 2px; white-space: nowrap;" data-stat="game_result">W</td> <td style="border: 1px solid #ccc; padding: 2px 3px 2px 2px; white-space: nowrap;" data-stat="mp">43</td> <td style="border: 1px solid #ccc; padding: 2px 3px 2px 2px; white-space: nowrap;" data-stat="fg">16</td> <td style="border: 1px solid #ccc; padding: 2px 3px 2px 2px; white-space: nowrap;" data-stat="fga">30</td> <td style="border: 1px solid #ccc; padding: 2px 3px 2px 2px; white-space: nowrap;" data-stat="fg3">4</td> <td style="border: 1px solid #ccc; padding: 2px 3px 2px 2px; white-space: nowrap;" data-stat="fg3a">8</td> <td style="border: 1px solid #ccc; padding: 2px 3px 2px 2px; white-space: nowrap;" data-stat="ft">5</td> <td style="border: 1px solid #ccc; padding: 2px 3px 2px 2px; white-space: nowrap;" data-stat="fta">8</td> <td style="border: 1px solid #ccc; padding: 2px 3px 2px 2px; white-space: nowrap;" data-stat="trb">16</td> <td style="border: 1px solid #ccc; padding: 2px 3px 2px 2px; white-space: nowrap;" data-stat="ast">7</td> <td style="border: 1px solid #ccc; padding: 2px 3px 2px 2px; white-space: nowrap;" data-stat="stl">3</td> <td style="border: 1px solid #ccc; padding: 2px 3px 2px 2px; white-space: nowrap;" data-stat="blk">3</td> <td style="border: 1px solid #ccc; padding: 2px 3px 2px 2px; white-space: nowrap;" data-stat="tov">2</td> <td style="border: 1px solid #ccc; padding: 2px 3px 2px 2px; white-space: nowrap;" data-stat="pts">41</td> <td style="border: 1px solid #ccc; padding: 2px 3px 2px 2px; white-space: nowrap;" data-stat="game_score">39.2</td> </tr> <tr data-row="90"> <td style="border: 1px solid #ccc; padding: 2px 3px 2px 2px; white-space: nowrap;" data-stat="date_game"><a href="http://www.basketball-reference.com/boxscores/201606160CLE.html?utm_source=direct&utm_medium=Share&utm_campaign=ShareTool">2016-06-16</a></td> <td style="border: 1px solid #ccc; padding: 2px 3px 2px 2px; white-space: nowrap;" data-stat="team_id"><a href="http://www.basketball-reference.com/teams/CLE/2016.html?utm_source=direct&utm_medium=Share&utm_campaign=ShareTool">CLE</a></td> <td style="border: 1px solid #ccc; padding: 2px 3px 2px 2px; white-space: nowrap;" data-stat="opp_id"><a href="http://www.basketball-reference.com/teams/GSW/2016.html?utm_source=direct&utm_medium=Share&utm_campaign=ShareTool">GSW</a></td> <td style="border: 1px solid #ccc; padding: 2px 3px 2px 2px; white-space: nowrap;" data-stat="game_result">W</td> <td style="border: 1px solid #ccc; padding: 2px 3px 2px 2px; white-space: nowrap;" data-stat="mp">43</td> <td style="border: 1px solid #ccc; padding: 2px 3px 2px 2px; white-space: nowrap;" data-stat="fg">16</td> <td style="border: 1px solid #ccc; padding: 2px 3px 2px 2px; white-space: nowrap;" data-stat="fga">27</td> <td style="border: 1px solid #ccc; padding: 2px 3px 2px 2px; white-space: nowrap;" data-stat="fg3">3</td> <td style="border: 1px solid #ccc; padding: 2px 3px 2px 2px; white-space: nowrap;" data-stat="fg3a">6</td> <td style="border: 1px solid #ccc; padding: 2px 3px 2px 2px; white-space: nowrap;" data-stat="ft">6</td> <td style="border: 1px solid #ccc; padding: 2px 3px 2px 2px; white-space: nowrap;" data-stat="fta">8</td> <td style="border: 1px solid #ccc; padding: 2px 3px 2px 2px; white-space: nowrap;" data-stat="trb">8</td> <td style="border: 1px solid #ccc; padding: 2px 3px 2px 2px; white-space: nowrap;" data-stat="ast">11</td> <td style="border: 1px solid #ccc; padding: 2px 3px 2px 2px; white-space: nowrap;" data-stat="stl">4</td> <td style="border: 1px solid #ccc; padding: 2px 3px 2px 2px; white-space: nowrap;" data-stat="blk">3</td> <td style="border: 1px solid #ccc; padding: 2px 3px 2px 2px; white-space: nowrap;" data-stat="tov">1</td> <td style="border: 1px solid #ccc; padding: 2px 3px 2px 2px; white-space: nowrap;" data-stat="pts">41</td> <td style="border: 1px solid #ccc; padding: 2px 3px 2px 2px; white-space: nowrap;" data-stat="game_score">42.5</td> </tr> <tr data-row="91"> <td style="border: 1px solid #ccc; padding: 2px 3px 2px 2px; white-space: nowrap;" data-stat="date_game"><a href="http://www.basketball-reference.com/boxscores/201606190GSW.html?utm_source=direct&utm_medium=Share&utm_campaign=ShareTool">2016-06-19</a></td> <td style="border: 1px solid #ccc; padding: 2px 3px 2px 2px; white-space: nowrap;" data-stat="team_id"><a href="http://www.basketball-reference.com/teams/CLE/2016.html?utm_source=direct&utm_medium=Share&utm_campaign=ShareTool">CLE</a></td> <td style="border: 1px solid #ccc; padding: 2px 3px 2px 2px; white-space: nowrap;" data-stat="opp_id"><a href="http://www.basketball-reference.com/teams/GSW/2016.html?utm_source=direct&utm_medium=Share&utm_campaign=ShareTool">GSW</a></td> <td style="border: 1px solid #ccc; padding: 2px 3px 2px 2px; white-space: nowrap;" data-stat="game_result">W</td> <td style="border: 1px solid #ccc; padding: 2px 3px 2px 2px; white-space: nowrap;" data-stat="mp">47</td> <td style="border: 1px solid #ccc; padding: 2px 3px 2px 2px; white-space: nowrap;" data-stat="fg">9</td> <td style="border: 1px solid #ccc; padding: 2px 3px 2px 2px; white-space: nowrap;" data-stat="fga">24</td> <td style="border: 1px solid #ccc; padding: 2px 3px 2px 2px; white-space: nowrap;" data-stat="fg3">1</td> <td style="border: 1px solid #ccc; padding: 2px 3px 2px 2px; white-space: nowrap;" data-stat="fg3a">5</td> <td style="border: 1px solid #ccc; padding: 2px 3px 2px 2px; white-space: nowrap;" data-stat="ft">8</td> <td style="border: 1px solid #ccc; padding: 2px 3px 2px 2px; white-space: nowrap;" data-stat="fta">10</td> <td style="border: 1px solid #ccc; padding: 2px 3px 2px 2px; white-space: nowrap;" data-stat="trb">11</td> <td style="border: 1px solid #ccc; padding: 2px 3px 2px 2px; white-space: nowrap;" data-stat="ast">11</td> <td style="border: 1px solid #ccc; padding: 2px 3px 2px 2px; white-space: nowrap;" data-stat="stl">2</td> <td style="border: 1px solid #ccc; padding: 2px 3px 2px 2px; white-space: nowrap;" data-stat="blk">3</td> <td style="border: 1px solid #ccc; padding: 2px 3px 2px 2px; white-space: nowrap;" data-stat="tov">5</td> <td style="border: 1px solid #ccc; padding: 2px 3px 2px 2px; white-space: nowrap;" data-stat="pts">27</td> <td style="border: 1px solid #ccc; padding: 2px 3px 2px 2px; white-space: nowrap;" data-stat="game_score">23.1</td> </tr> <tr data-row="96"> <td style="border: 1px solid #ccc; padding: 2px 3px 2px 2px; white-space: nowrap;" data-stat="date_game"><a href="http://www.basketball-reference.com/boxscores/201706090CLE.html?utm_source=direct&utm_medium=Share&utm_campaign=ShareTool">2017-06-09</a></td> <td style="border: 1px solid #ccc; padding: 2px 3px 2px 2px; white-space: nowrap;" data-stat="team_id"><a href="http://www.basketball-reference.com/teams/CLE/2017.html?utm_source=direct&utm_medium=Share&utm_campaign=ShareTool">CLE</a></td> <td style="border: 1px solid #ccc; padding: 2px 3px 2px 2px; white-space: nowrap;" data-stat="opp_id"><a href="http://www.basketball-reference.com/teams/GSW/2017.html?utm_source=direct&utm_medium=Share&utm_campaign=ShareTool">GSW</a></td> <td style="border: 1px solid #ccc; padding: 2px 3px 2px 2px; white-space: nowrap;" data-stat="game_result">W</td> <td style="border: 1px solid #ccc; padding: 2px 3px 2px 2px; white-space: nowrap;" data-stat="mp">41</td> <td style="border: 1px solid #ccc; padding: 2px 3px 2px 2px; white-space: nowrap;" data-stat="fg">11</td> <td style="border: 1px solid #ccc; padding: 2px 3px 2px 2px; white-space: nowrap;" data-stat="fga">22</td> <td style="border: 1px solid #ccc; padding: 2px 3px 2px 2px; white-space: nowrap;" data-stat="fg3">3</td> <td style="border: 1px solid #ccc; padding: 2px 3px 2px 2px; white-space: nowrap;" data-stat="fg3a">8</td> <td style="border: 1px solid #ccc; padding: 2px 3px 2px 2px; white-space: nowrap;" data-stat="ft">6</td> <td style="border: 1px solid #ccc; padding: 2px 3px 2px 2px; white-space: nowrap;" data-stat="fta">10</td> <td style="border: 1px solid #ccc; padding: 2px 3px 2px 2px; white-space: nowrap;" data-stat="trb">10</td> <td style="border: 1px solid #ccc; padding: 2px 3px 2px 2px; white-space: nowrap;" data-stat="ast">11</td> <td style="border: 1px solid #ccc; padding: 2px 3px 2px 2px; white-space: nowrap;" data-stat="stl">1</td> <td style="border: 1px solid #ccc; padding: 2px 3px 2px 2px; white-space: nowrap;" data-stat="blk">0</td> <td style="border: 1px solid #ccc; padding: 2px 3px 2px 2px; white-space: nowrap;" data-stat="tov">2</td> <td style="border: 1px solid #ccc; padding: 2px 3px 2px 2px; white-space: nowrap;" data-stat="pts">31</td> <td style="border: 1px solid #ccc; padding: 2px 3px 2px 2px; white-space: nowrap;" data-stat="game_score">27.7</td> </tr> <tr data-row="97"> <td style="border: 1px solid #ccc; padding: 2px 3px 2px 2px; white-space: nowrap;" data-stat="date_game"><a href="http://www.basketball-reference.com/boxscores/201706120GSW.html?utm_source=direct&utm_medium=Share&utm_campaign=ShareTool">2017-06-12</a></td> <td style="border: 1px solid #ccc; padding: 2px 3px 2px 2px; white-space: nowrap;" data-stat="team_id"><a href="http://www.basketball-reference.com/teams/CLE/2017.html?utm_source=direct&utm_medium=Share&utm_campaign=ShareTool">CLE</a></td> <td style="border: 1px solid #ccc; padding: 2px 3px 2px 2px; white-space: nowrap;" data-stat="opp_id"><a href="http://www.basketball-reference.com/teams/GSW/2017.html?utm_source=direct&utm_medium=Share&utm_campaign=ShareTool">GSW</a></td> <td style="border: 1px solid #ccc; padding: 2px 3px 2px 2px; white-space: nowrap;" data-stat="game_result">L</td> <td style="border: 1px solid #ccc; padding: 2px 3px 2px 2px; white-space: nowrap;" data-stat="mp">46</td> <td style="border: 1px solid #ccc; padding: 2px 3px 2px 2px; white-space: nowrap;" data-stat="fg">19</td> <td style="border: 1px solid #ccc; padding: 2px 3px 2px 2px; white-space: nowrap;" data-stat="fga">30</td> <td style="border: 1px solid #ccc; padding: 2px 3px 2px 2px; white-space: nowrap;" data-stat="fg3">2</td> <td style="border: 1px solid #ccc; padding: 2px 3px 2px 2px; white-space: nowrap;" data-stat="fg3a">5</td> <td style="border: 1px solid #ccc; padding: 2px 3px 2px 2px; white-space: nowrap;" data-stat="ft">1</td> <td style="border: 1px solid #ccc; padding: 2px 3px 2px 2px; white-space: nowrap;" data-stat="fta">4</td> <td style="border: 1px solid #ccc; padding: 2px 3px 2px 2px; white-space: nowrap;" data-stat="trb">13</td> <td style="border: 1px solid #ccc; padding: 2px 3px 2px 2px; white-space: nowrap;" data-stat="ast">8</td> <td style="border: 1px solid #ccc; padding: 2px 3px 2px 2px; white-space: nowrap;" data-stat="stl">2</td> <td style="border: 1px solid #ccc; padding: 2px 3px 2px 2px; white-space: nowrap;" data-stat="blk">1</td> <td style="border: 1px solid #ccc; padding: 2px 3px 2px 2px; white-space: nowrap;" data-stat="tov">3</td> <td style="border: 1px solid #ccc; padding: 2px 3px 2px 2px; white-space: nowrap;" data-stat="pts">41</td> <td style="border: 1px solid #ccc; padding: 2px 3px 2px 2px; white-space: nowrap;" data-stat="game_score">35.2</td> </tr> </tbody> </table> <div id="credit_stats" class="sr_share" style="font-size: 0.83em;">Provided by <a href="http://www.sports-reference.com/sharing.html?utm_source=direct&utm_medium=Share&utm_campaign=ShareTool">Basketball-Reference.com</a>: <a href="http://www.basketball-reference.com/play-index/pgl_finder.cgi?request=1&match=game&is_playoffs=Y&age_min=0&age_max=99&game_num_type=series&game_num_min=4&game_num_max=7&order_by=date_game&order_by_asc=Y&player_id=jamesle01&utm_source=direct&utm_medium=Share&utm_campaign=ShareTool#stats">View Original Table</a> Generated 6/13/2017.</div> </div> ]]></content:encoded> <wfw:commentRss>http://www.sports-reference.com/blog/2017/06/lebron-james-when-facing-elimination/feed/</wfw:commentRss> <slash:comments>2</slash:comments> </item> <item> <title>New Play Index Videos: Baseball-Reference Parts 1-2</title> <link>http://www.sports-reference.com/blog/2017/06/new-play-index-videos-baseball-reference-parts-1-2/</link> <comments>http://www.sports-reference.com/blog/2017/06/new-play-index-videos-baseball-reference-parts-1-2/#respond</comments> <pubDate>Thu, 08 Jun 2017 20:38:42 +0000</pubDate> <dc:creator><![CDATA[Jonah Gardner]]></dc:creator> <category><![CDATA[Baseball-Reference.com]]></category> <category><![CDATA[How-To Videos]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Play Index]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Play Index 101]]></category> <guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.sports-reference.com/blog/?p=6212</guid> <description><![CDATA[Hi everyone, If you've been following our series of How-To videos for the site, you'll be excited to hear that we've released a couple more over the last few weeks. These videos are the first two parts of our in-depth look at Baseball-Reference's Play Index. The B-R Play Index is pretty sophisticated, and has a lot […]]]></description> <content:encoded><![CDATA[Hi everyone, If you've been following our series of How-To videos for the site, you'll be excited to hear that we've released a couple more over the last few weeks. These videos are the first two parts of our in-depth look at Baseball-Reference's Play Index. The B-R Play Index is pretty sophisticated, and has a lot of tools and features that the other sites don't. As such, we wanted to make some videos focusing on it specifically. Here's Part 1, about the Season and Game Finders: <iframe width="500" height="281" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/gW8AHQbq8JY?feature=oembed" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe> And here's Part 2, about the Split and Streak Finders: <iframe width="500" height="281" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/7qn3JKxfFT0?feature=oembed" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe> Be on the look-out for Part 3 in the next couple of weeks! And don't forget to check out all the great videos on our YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCI9dz2K2-nRr7cm1OXSh6rw ]]></content:encoded> <wfw:commentRss>http://www.sports-reference.com/blog/2017/06/new-play-index-videos-baseball-reference-parts-1-2/feed/</wfw:commentRss> <slash:comments>0</slash:comments> </item> <item> <title>2017 NBA Draft Preview is Live</title> <link>http://www.sports-reference.com/blog/2017/06/2017-nba-draft-preview-is-live/</link> <comments>http://www.sports-reference.com/blog/2017/06/2017-nba-draft-preview-is-live/#respond</comments> <pubDate>Mon, 05 Jun 2017 16:09:09 +0000</pubDate> <dc:creator><![CDATA[Jonah Gardner]]></dc:creator> <category><![CDATA[Announcement]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Basketball-Reference.com]]></category> <category><![CDATA[CBB at Sports Reference]]></category> <guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.sports-reference.com/blog/?p=6210</guid> <description><![CDATA[While the 2017 NBA Finals are in full swing, we wouldn't blame anyone who isn't a fan of the Cleveland Cavaliers or Golden State Warriors for looking ahead to the 2017 NBA Draft. In fact, after the first two games, we wouldn't even blame Cavs fans, were it not for the fact that Cleveland doesn't have a draft […]]]></description> <content:encoded><![CDATA[While the <a href="http://www.basketball-reference.com/playoffs/2017-nba-finals-cavaliers-vs-warriors.html">2017 NBA Finals</a> are in full swing, we wouldn't blame anyone who isn't a fan of the <a href="http://www.basketball-reference.com/teams/CLE/">Cleveland Cavaliers</a> or <a href="http://www.basketball-reference.com/teams/GSW/">Golden State Warriors</a> for looking ahead to the <a href="http://www.basketball-reference.com/draft/preview.html">2017 NBA Draft</a>. In fact, after the first two games, we wouldn't even blame Cavs fans, were it not for the fact that Cleveland doesn't have a draft pick this year. Either way, to help you get ready for June 22, we've added our <a href="http://www.basketball-reference.com/draft/preview.html">preview page</a> for the Draft to the site! You can see the full draft order, as well as the expected return and the best players to be taken in every draft slot from one to sixty. We've also got college stats on all the top prospects, such as <a href="http://www.sports-reference.com/cbb/players/markelle-fultz-1.html?utm_campaign=Linker&utm_source=direct&utm_medium=linker-" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Markelle Fultz</a>, <a href="http://www.sports-reference.com/cbb/search/search.fcgi?pid=josh-jackson-1,josh-jackson-2&search=Josh+Jackson&utm_campaign=Linker&utm_source=direct&utm_medium=linker-" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Josh Jackson</a>, and <a href="http://www.sports-reference.com/cbb/players/lonzo-ball-1.html?utm_campaign=Linker&utm_source=direct&utm_medium=linker-" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Lonzo Ball</a>. And, for you Big Baller Brand aficionados, don't forget that <a href="http://www.sports-reference.com/blog/2017/03/college-basketball-player-stats-added-back-to-1947-48/">College Basketball Reference's recent data update</a> included the full college career of the true star of the 2017 Draft, <a href="http://www.sports-reference.com/cbb/players/lavar-ball-1.html?utm_campaign=Linker&utm_source=direct&utm_medium=linker-" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">LaVar Ball</a>. ]]></content:encoded> <wfw:commentRss>http://www.sports-reference.com/blog/2017/06/2017-nba-draft-preview-is-live/feed/</wfw:commentRss> <slash:comments>0</slash:comments> </item> <item> <title>2017 NBA Finals Preview</title> <link>http://www.sports-reference.com/blog/2017/06/2017-nba-finals-preview/</link> <comments>http://www.sports-reference.com/blog/2017/06/2017-nba-finals-preview/#comments</comments> <pubDate>Thu, 01 Jun 2017 16:39:20 +0000</pubDate> <dc:creator><![CDATA[Jonah Gardner]]></dc:creator> <category><![CDATA[Announcement]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Basketball-Reference.com]]></category> <guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.sports-reference.com/blog/?p=6205</guid> <description><![CDATA[Sometimes, what makes sports wonderful is the unpredictability. No matter what game you like, you've probably had plenty of that in the last year: Blown 3-1 leads, a century-long curse overturned, a 5,000-to-1 shot winning the richest league in the world's most popular sport. But sometimes what makes sports wonderful is that it gives us exactly what we want. 346 […]]]></description> <content:encoded><![CDATA[Sometimes, what makes sports wonderful is the unpredictability. No matter what game you like, you've probably had plenty of that in the last year: Blown 3-1 leads, a century-long curse overturned, a 5,000-to-1 shot winning the richest league in the world's most popular sport. But sometimes what makes sports wonderful is that it gives us exactly what we want. 346 days ago, when the curtain dropped on the <a href="http://www.basketball-reference.com/playoffs/2016-nba-finals-cavaliers-vs-warriors.html">2016 NBA Finals</a>, there was one thing every basketball fan wanted. More of that, please. Well, after a year of arguing about <a href="http://www.basketball-reference.com/leaders/triple-double-most-times.html">triple-doubles</a>, cap spikes, resting players, and process trusting, we're getting what we asked for. It may be in the most Monkey's Paw way imaginable, but the trade-off for having this year's <a href="http://www.basketball-reference.com/playoffs/">NBA Playoffs</a> sapped of any energy or suspense is this series. The <a href="http://www.basketball-reference.com/teams/CLE/">Cleveland Cavaliers</a> and the <a href="http://www.basketball-reference.com/teams/GSW/">Golden State Warriors</a>. The man who is perhaps the most talented player in NBA history squaring off with the team that is perhaps the most loaded the league has ever seen. On paper, the Warriors should be enormous favorites. They enter the Finals with the <a href="https://twitter.com/bball_ref/status/868129642938601473">best playoff point differential in NBA history</a>, the <a href="http://bkref.com/tiny/V4hH2">fourth best regular season SRS in NBA history</a>, and, oh yeah, four <a href="http://www.basketball-reference.com/awards/all_league.html">All-NBA</a> caliber players including, arguably, the second and third best players in the league. It's a testament to the enormity of <a href="http://www.basketball-reference.com/players/j/jamesle01.html?utm_campaign=Linker&utm_source=direct&utm_medium=linker-" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">LeBron James</a>' ability, and the ever-so-slightly underrated collection of complimentary players working in tandem with it, that it feels like the Cavs have a shot to do this. But can they? Is it really possible for this Warriors team to lose four times in seven games? And what will the outcome mean for LeBron? For <a href="http://www.basketball-reference.com/players/c/curryst01.html?utm_campaign=Linker&utm_source=direct&utm_medium=linker-" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Stephen Curry</a> and <a href="http://www.basketball-reference.com/players/d/duranke01.html?utm_campaign=Linker&utm_source=direct&utm_medium=linker-" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Kevin Durant</a>? And for a league that's essentially spent an entire year on pause in order to pick up from the exact spot it left off last June? Of course, it may be more accurate to say that the feeling of inevitability surrounding this matchup didn't really descend until last July 4, when Kevin Durant announced he'd be leaving the Oklahoma City Thunder and joining Golden State. <a href="http://www.sports-reference.com/blog/2016/07/three-big-questions-after-nba-free-agency/">At the time</a>, it was hard to imagine a way the team could improve and yet, despite the fact that they didn't approach last year's record-breaking regular season win total, the Warriors have left little doubt about the the superiority of this year's model. In the regular season, the Warriors had the league's <a href="http://www.basketball-reference.com/leagues/NBA_2017.html#misc_stats::16">highest</a> <a href="http://www.basketball-reference.com/leaders/efg_pct_career.html">effective field goal percentage</a> AND the <a href="http://www.basketball-reference.com/leagues/NBA_2017.html#misc_stats::20">lowest opponent</a> effective field goal percentage, to go along with the best <a href="http://www.basketball-reference.com/about/ratings.html">offensive rating</a> and second best <a href="http://www.basketball-reference.com/leagues/NBA_2017_ratings.html">defensive rating</a>. Then, in the playoffs, ostensibly only facing teams that rank among the best in the league, the Warriors <a href="http://www.basketball-reference.com/playoffs/NBA_2017.html#misc::13">managed to improve</a> on their regular season marks in all four of those stats. A lot of that is because of KD, however it's also thanks to the way Durant's presence on the floor has allowed Stephen Curry to thrive. Steph has done the best work of his career in these playoffs and it's not especially close. He's on pace for the best playoff <a href="http://www.basketball-reference.com/leaders/ts_pct_career.html">true shooting percentage</a> (.675) <a href="http://bkref.com/tiny/YjsWj">ever posted</a> by a player who also had a <a href="http://www.basketball-reference.com/leaders/usg_pct_career.html">usage rate</a> over 30% (with the caveat that usage rate cannot be calculated before the 1973-74 season). Curry is averaging 28.6 <a href="http://www.basketball-reference.com/leaders/pts_per_g_career.html">points per game</a>, a career playoff high, but what's more amazing is the fact that his scoring has actually been deflated by the fact that Golden State is in so many blowouts. On a per-36 minute basis, Curry is averaging <a href="http://bkref.com/tiny/UCgxD">over 30 points per game</a>, something only LeBron, <a href="http://www.basketball-reference.com/players/w/westbru01.html?utm_campaign=Linker&utm_source=direct&utm_medium=linker-" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Russell Westbrook</a>, and <a href="http://www.basketball-reference.com/players/j/jordami01.html?utm_campaign=Linker&utm_source=direct&utm_medium=linker-" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Michael Jordan</a> have done since the 1990s. It's easy to attribute Curry's shooting binge to Durant, whose presence on the floor demands extra attention from the defense in a way that <a href="http://www.basketball-reference.com/players/b/barneha02.html?utm_campaign=Linker&utm_source=direct&utm_medium=linker-" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Harrison Barnes</a>' did not. However, it's actually tougher to prove that with the numbers; in fact, it seems like the opposite. In the playoffs, not only has Curry led the team in <a href="http://www.basketball-reference.com/teams/GSW/2017.html#playoffs_per_game::27">scoring</a> and <a href="http://www.basketball-reference.com/teams/GSW/2017.html#playoffs_advanced::16">usage</a> (shouts to <a href="http://www.basketball-reference.com/players/m/mcgeeja01.html?utm_campaign=Linker&utm_source=direct&utm_medium=linker-" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">JaVale McGee</a> for being the third highest usage player on The Best Team In History), but the Warriors have been <a href="http://www.basketball-reference.com/teams/GSW/2017/on-off/">28.7 points per 100 possessions better</a> with Curry on the floor, as opposed to just +9.4 with KD. In fact, aside from Curry, the only other Warrior to break +20 in that measure has been <a href="http://www.basketball-reference.com/players/g/greendr01.html?utm_campaign=Linker&utm_source=direct&utm_medium=linker-" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Draymond Green</a>. What the numbers seem to be saying is that, despite the shiny new upgrade, this year's Warriors offense still has the same engine as last year's: the Curry/Green two-man game. While Curry leads the team in scoring and usage, Draymond leads it in <a href="http://www.basketball-reference.com/teams/GSW/2017.html#playoffs_per_game::22">playmaking</a>, averaging 7.2 <a href="http://www.basketball-reference.com/leaders/ast_per_g_career.html">assists per game</a> in the playoffs. The bigger difference is on the other side of the ball, where the Warriors have improved from a 106.1 defensive rating in the <a href="http://www.basketball-reference.com/playoffs/NBA_2016.html">2016 NBA Playoffs</a> to a 101.7 this year. That's a daunting number, but it's also important to consider it in the context of their opponents. Their first and second round matchups, against the <a href="http://www.basketball-reference.com/teams/POR/">Portland Trail Blazers</a> and <a href="http://www.basketball-reference.com/teams/UTA/">Utah Jazz</a>, contained a total of one All-NBA player and that player, <a href="http://www.basketball-reference.com/players/g/goberru01.html?utm_campaign=Linker&utm_source=direct&utm_medium=linker-" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Rudy Gobert</a>, made the second team on the basis of his incredible defense. <a href="http://www.basketball-reference.com/players/l/lillada01.html?utm_campaign=Linker&utm_source=direct&utm_medium=linker-" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Damian Lillard</a> and <a href="http://www.basketball-reference.com/players/m/mccolcj01.html?utm_campaign=Linker&utm_source=direct&utm_medium=linker-" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">C.J. McCollum</a> are proficient scorers, and <a href="http://www.basketball-reference.com/players/h/haywago01.html?utm_campaign=Linker&utm_source=direct&utm_medium=linker-" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Gordon Hayward</a> is the prototype for what you'd want in a modern, jack-of-all-trades wing, but neither team was in the <a href="http://www.basketball-reference.com/leagues/NBA_2017.html#misc_stats::10">top 10 in offense</a>. After that, they faced the <a href="http://www.basketball-reference.com/teams/SAS/">San Antonio Spurs</a>, a team that had a first-team All-NBAer...and then lost him to a lingering injury and a questionable play from <a href="http://www.basketball-reference.com/players/p/pachuza01.html?utm_campaign=Linker&utm_source=direct&utm_medium=linker-" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Zaza Pachulia</a>. In the 28ish minutes that the Warriors faced a team with a legitimately <a href="http://www.basketball-reference.com/awards/mvp.html">MVP</a>-caliber player, they were outscored 78 to 55 at home. Of course, Cleveland's opponents weren't exactly world-beaters either; in fact, none of the teams the Cavs played finished in the <a href="http://bkref.com/tiny/vvW0E">top half in playoff net rating</a> this year (the Spurs at least wound up in 5th). Still, the fact that the Warriors got walloped so hard in the only sample we have for them against an elite offense should be encouraging for the Cavaliers, because their offense has been very, very elite. In fact, despite Golden State's reputation for sharpshooting, it's the Cavaliers who have been the <a href="http://www.basketball-reference.com/playoffs/NBA_2017.html#misc::13">best shooting team in the playoffs</a>, according to eFG%. In fact, they've posted the <a href="http://bkref.com/tiny/7cFVo">best playoff eFG%</a> since at least 1984, the first year that I can run that query in the Basketball-Reference Game Finder. The images of LeBron grinding the game to a halt in the <a href="http://www.basketball-reference.com/playoffs/2015-nba-finals-cavaliers-vs-warriors.html">2015 NBA Finals</a> still looms large in people's heads, but if the Cavs are going to win this year, it's going to be with a lot of high-octane offense. And on the other hand, it's the Warriors who will likely benefit if the game turns into a defensive slugfest. Dubs' opponents have shot just .467 against them per eFG%. While that number is not as historic as the Cavs' shooting, it is much better than Cleveland's defensive mark of .508 in the playoffs. For comparison, the Rockets, hardly known for their dedication to the defensive side of the game, allowed a .502 eFG% in the playoffs this year. Effective field goal percentage is one of the <a href="http://www.basketball-reference.com/about/factors.html">four factors</a>, a group of stats identified by basketball statistician <a href="http://www.basketball-reference.com/players/o/olivede01.html?utm_campaign=Linker&utm_source=direct&utm_medium=linker-" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Dean Oliver</a> as being the keys to a team's success. The other three are <a href="http://www.basketball-reference.com/leaders/tov_career.html">turnovers</a>, <a href="http://www.basketball-reference.com/leaders/trb_career.html">rebounding</a>, and <a href="http://www.basketball-reference.com/leaders/ft_career.html">free throw</a> rate and, even more than in a normal year, it's going to be extremely important to keep an eye on those factors. Because of the reckless showmanship that fuels the greatness of the Warriors offense, they've been more prone to turnovers than other great pace and space teams like the 2013 and 2014 Spurs. The Dubs had the <a href="http://www.basketball-reference.com/leagues/NBA_2017.html#misc_stats::17">8th highest turnover rate</a> in the NBA this year, and in the stunning first half of game one, San Antonio was able to relentlessly exploit Golden State's looseness with the ball to build a huge lead. However, aside from that half, the Warriors have managed to keep the turnovers in check during the playoffs. Their turnover rate fell from 13.2% in the regular season to 12.5% <a href="http://www.basketball-reference.com/playoffs/NBA_2017.html#misc::14">in the playoffs</a>. The Cavs have also been a middle-of-the-road team in forcing turnovers, ranking 9th in the playoffs with an opponent rate of 12.1% (they also <a href="http://www.basketball-reference.com/leagues/NBA_2017.html#misc_stats::21">ranked a concerning 29th</a> in the regular season, although they were much less engaged on defense then). This is going to be important because in <a href="http://bkref.com/tiny/5VDNs">Games 1-4</a> last year, the Cavs and Warriors basically fought to a draw in the turnover battle. Cleveland had a net turnover rate of +0.3%, a virtual tie given the small sample size. In <a href="http://bkref.com/tiny/saY3X">Games 5-7</a>, that improved to nearly 1%, during a stretch which, as you may have heard, the Warriors blew a 3-1 lead. Even more than turnovers, this series may swing on what happens on the glass. Cleveland grabbed 28.4% of available <a href="http://www.basketball-reference.com/leaders/orb_career.html">offensive rebounds</a> in the 2016 Finals and, in <a href="http://www.basketball-reference.com/players/t/thomptr01.html?utm_campaign=Linker&utm_source=direct&utm_medium=linker-" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Tristan Thompson</a>, they have one of the league's best offensive rebounders. The conventional wisdom is that, especially when the Dubs put 6'7" Draymond Green at center, the way to beat them is by crashing the glass. However, Durant provides an interesting counter for this year's Warriors. Durant grabbed 23.6% of available <a href="http://www.basketball-reference.com/leaders/drb_career.html">defensive rebounds</a> this season, which is the best mark of his career and trailed only Russell Westbrook and <a href="http://www.basketball-reference.com/players/r/randlju01.html?utm_campaign=Linker&utm_source=direct&utm_medium=linker-" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Julius Randle</a> for <a href="http://bkref.com/tiny/ljjLw">rebounding rate by non-centers</a>. Harrison Barnes, in contrast, only grabbed 12.4% of available defensive rebounds last season. Remember last year's <a href="http://www.basketball-reference.com/playoffs/2016-nba-western-conference-finals-thunder-vs-warriors.html">Western Conference Finals</a>, when the <a href="http://www.basketball-reference.com/teams/OKC/">Oklahoma City Thunder</a> dominated the Warriors over the first four games? A large part of that was because Oklahoma City could play lineups with Durant and <a href="http://www.basketball-reference.com/players/i/ibakase01.html?utm_campaign=Linker&utm_source=direct&utm_medium=linker-" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Serge Ibaka</a> and rebound like a team playing a big lineup while shooting like a team playing a small lineup. Obviously, Green doesn't have Ibaka's size, but slotting Durant in at the four instead of Barnes completely changes the complexion and shrinks the limitations of the Warriors' 5-out Death Lineups. However, those lineups haven't been nearly as effective this year, despite the enormous upgrade in talent. The traditional Death Lineup (Curry/Durant/Green/Iguodala/Thompson) had a +23.0 net rating in the regular season, as opposed to a +44.4 in the 2015-16 regular season with the inferior Barnes slotting in for KD. The culprit here may be <a href="http://www.basketball-reference.com/players/i/iguodan01.html?utm_campaign=Linker&utm_source=direct&utm_medium=linker-" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Andre Iguodala</a>. While his regular season shooting numbers look good (.605, a career high), he's 33 years old and seems to have lost a step from his LeBron-smashing MVP form in the 2015 Finals. Add to that a knee injury that's caused his eFG% to sink to .440 in the playoffs and, suddenly, the Warriors Death Star looks a little less than fully operational. If the Cavs have a hiding spot for <a href="http://www.basketball-reference.com/players/l/loveke01.html?utm_campaign=Linker&utm_source=direct&utm_medium=linker-" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Kevin Love</a>, who's averaging 10.4 <a href="http://www.basketball-reference.com/leaders/trb_per_g_career.html">rebounds per game</a> in the playoffs, they have a realistic chance of beating the Death Lineup on the glass and creating enough extra possessions to make up for the blistering pace that Golden State can play with when they go small. Still, these nuances shouldn't paper over the big picture: the Warriors are one of the best basketball teams ever assembled. It will take a Herculian effort from LeBron, superstar turns from <a href="http://www.basketball-reference.com/players/i/irvinky01.html?utm_campaign=Linker&utm_source=direct&utm_medium=linker-" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Kyrie Irving</a> and Kevin Love, and an enormous contribution from the Cavaliers' off-and-on bench to swing this series. But, on the other hand, the Warriors are about to face a team that's given them a lot of trouble over the past few years, one piloted by perhaps the smartest player and best all-around teammate in NBA history. Remember that part about the Warriors having the best average point differential entering the Finals in NBA history? Well, the Cavs rank 6th in that measure. This matchup isn't David vs Goliath; it's Goliath vs Mecha-Goliath. Just please don't let it be another blowout. ]]></content:encoded> <wfw:commentRss>http://www.sports-reference.com/blog/2017/06/2017-nba-finals-preview/feed/</wfw:commentRss> <slash:comments>2</slash:comments> </item> <item> <title>Re-Doing the 2010 MLB Draft</title> <link>http://www.sports-reference.com/blog/2017/05/re-doing-the-2010-mlb-draft/</link> <comments>http://www.sports-reference.com/blog/2017/05/re-doing-the-2010-mlb-draft/#respond</comments> <pubDate>Fri, 26 May 2017 17:45:33 +0000</pubDate> <dc:creator><![CDATA[Jonah Gardner]]></dc:creator> <category><![CDATA[Announcement]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Baseball-Reference.com]]></category> <guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.sports-reference.com/blog/?p=6183</guid> <description><![CDATA[In just a couple of weeks, Rob Manfred will announce that the Minnesota Twins are on the clock, kicking off the 2017 MLB Draft. There's no shortage of talent in this year's draft pool: one MLB.com writer suggested Hunter Greene might be the best right-handed high school pitcher ever (no HS RHP has ever been drafted […]]]></description> <content:encoded><![CDATA[In just a couple of weeks, Rob Manfred will announce that the <a href="http://www.baseball-reference.com/teams/MIN/">Minnesota Twins</a> are on the clock, kicking off the <a href="http://www.baseball-reference.com/draft/2017-mlb-draft-preview.shtml">2017 MLB Draft</a>. There's no shortage of talent in this year's draft pool: <a href="http://m.mlb.com/news/article/227892448/is-hunter-greene-the-best-high-school-rhp-ever/?topicid=151437456">one MLB.com writer</a> suggested Hunter Greene might be the best right-handed high school pitcher ever (no HS RHP has ever been drafted #1 overall), while <a href="http://www.baseballamerica.com/draft/mock-mlb-draft-3-0-major-league-baseball-draft/#V72b0y3yvElPKqG3.97">Baseball America</a> thinks Kyle Wright from <a href="http://www.baseball-reference.com/schools/index.cgi?key_school=3c00dcfd">Vanderbilt University</a> has a better shot of going to the Twin Cities with the top pick. For the Twins and other teams with high picks, like the <a href="http://www.baseball-reference.com/teams/CIN/">Cincinnati Reds</a>, <a href="http://www.baseball-reference.com/teams/SDP/">San Diego Padres</a>, and <a href="http://www.baseball-reference.com/teams/TBD/">Tampa Bay Rays</a>, this is a big decision. For an example of what nailing a couple of top picks can do for a franchise, just look at the <a href="http://www.baseball-reference.com/teams/WSN/">Washington Nationals</a>. It wasn't too long ago that the Nats were a joke, failing to break even 60 wins in 2008 and 2009. However, those records resulted in back-to-back #1 overall picks in the 2009 and 2010 <a href="http://www.baseball-reference.com/draft/">MLB Draft</a>s, which they used on <a href="http://www.baseball-reference.com/players/s/strasst01.shtml?utm_campaign=Linker&utm_source=direct&utm_medium=linker-" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Stephen Strasburg</a> and <a href="http://www.baseball-reference.com/players/h/harpebr03.shtml?utm_campaign=Linker&utm_source=direct&utm_medium=linker-" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Bryce Harper</a>. Now, led by those two stars, as well as 2012 first rounder <a href="http://www.baseball-reference.com/players/r/rendoan01.shtml?utm_campaign=Linker&utm_source=direct&utm_medium=linker-" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Anthony Rendon</a>, the Nats have the second best record in the National League and lead the majors in runs scored. It can be hard to evaluate a draft in the moment or even after just a year or two. Unlike the <a href="http://www.basketball-reference.com/draft/">NBA Draft</a> and <a href="http://www.pro-football-reference.com/draft/">NFL Draft</a>, where many of the best players are able to make an immediate contribution, it can take a few years for a baseball draftee to work their way up through the minor league system and have an impact on the major league level. So, rather than look at this year's draft, I thought it might be fun to step in the time machine and take a look back at the aforementioned <a href="http://www.baseball-reference.com/draft/?year_ID=2010&query_type=year_round&from_type_jc=0&from_type_hs=0&from_type_4y=0&from_type_unk=0">2010 MLB Draft</a>. How would those teams handle the draft, knowing what they know now? To figure that out, I'll be looking at a few factors. First, and most obvious, I'll consider what the player has already accomplished in the majors, according to <a href="http://www.baseball-reference.com/about/war_explained.shtml">Wins Above Replacement</a>. I'll also consider the player's upside going forward, since someone who's racked up 5-WAR, but been in the majors for just a year or two, may be more valuable than 10-WAR player who's also a five-year MLB veteran. Lastly, I'm applying a bit of hindsight to consider how the player would fit in with the team drafting him. <a href="http://www.baseball-reference.com/players/g/grandya01.shtml?utm_campaign=Linker&utm_source=direct&utm_medium=linker-" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Yasmani Grandal</a> may be a great draft pick, but he probably wouldn't be of much use to the <a href="http://www.baseball-reference.com/teams/SFG/">San Francisco Giants</a>, who've gotten far more production out of <a href="http://www.baseball-reference.com/players/p/poseybu01.shtml?utm_campaign=Linker&utm_source=direct&utm_medium=linker-" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Buster Posey</a>. Lastly, I'm not counting players like <a href="http://www.baseball-reference.com/players/b/bryankr01.shtml?utm_campaign=Linker&utm_source=direct&utm_medium=linker-" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Kris Bryant</a>, who were drafted in 2010 but didn't sign a contract. Without further ado, let's get in Baseball-Reference's company TARDIS and set the controls to June 2010. On the clock, the Washington Nationals. #1: Washington Nationals. Actual Pick: <a href="http://www.baseball-reference.com/players/h/harpebr03.shtml?utm_campaign=Linker&utm_source=direct&utm_medium=linker-" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Bryce Harper</a> (23.9 WAR). My Pick: Harper I could try to hot take you and if I were doing this in March, I may have actually gone ahead and done it. Entering this season, Bryce Harper's resume consisted of the <a href="http://www.baseball-reference.com/tiny/RNlUf">best hitting season by a young player</a> since <a href="http://www.baseball-reference.com/players/w/willite01.shtml?utm_campaign=Linker&utm_source=direct&utm_medium=linker-" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Ted Williams</a> and <a href="http://www.baseball-reference.com/tiny/3yPcY">the only 5-WAR season by a teenage rookie</a> in MLB history, but it would also include sub-2 WAR seasons in two years out of the last three. And Harper had actually <a href="http://www.baseball-reference.com/players/split.fcgi?id=harpebr03&year=2016&t=b#month::none">struggled more as the season went on</a>, a warning sign that perhaps something was wrong with the young hitter's approach. Well, so much for that. Harper has basically returned to his 2015 form as a hitter (193 <a href="http://www.baseball-reference.com/leaders/onbase_plus_slugging_plus_career.shtml">adjusted OPS+</a>), currently <a href="http://www.baseball-reference.com/leagues/NL/2017-batting-leaders.shtml">ranks 5th</a> in the <a href="http://www.baseball-reference.com/leagues/NL/2017.shtml">National League</a> in WAR (2.5), and, oh yeah, he still hasn't turned 25. While he's starting to get expensive, and stands to make enough money that he can build his own Scrooge McDuck swimming pool vault in free agency after 2018, Harper's still a no-brainer choice. #2: <a href="http://www.baseball-reference.com/teams/PIT/">Pittsburgh Pirates</a>. Actual Pick: <a href="http://www.baseball-reference.com/players/t/taillja01.shtml?utm_campaign=Linker&utm_source=direct&utm_medium=linker-" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Jameson Taillon</a> (3.3 WAR). My Pick: <a href="http://www.baseball-reference.com/players/m/machama01.shtml?utm_campaign=Linker&utm_source=direct&utm_medium=linker-" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Manny Machado</a> (25.5 WAR, originally drafted 3rd) If Taillon hasn't met the expectations for a #2 pick, it's certainly through no fault of his own. Taillon had to miss all of 2014 due to <a href="http://www.baseball-reference.com/players/j/johnto01.shtml?utm_campaign=Linker&utm_source=direct&utm_medium=linker-" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Tommy John</a> surgery and all of 2015 due to a sports hernia. In 2016, he re-emerged, reached the majors, and dominated, posting a 126 <a href="http://www.baseball-reference.com/leaders/earned_run_avg_plus_career.shtml">adjusted ERA+</a> in 139 1/3 major league <a href="http://www.baseball-reference.com/leaders/IP_career.shtml">innings pitched</a> while looking like the dominant ace he was projected to be. Then tragedy struck, as Taillon was diagnosed with testicular cancer, a shocking and gut-wrenching turn. The good news is that Taillon's doctors caught the cancer early and Taillon himself <a href="http://www.espn.com/mlb/story/_/id/19421208/pittsburgh-pirates-pitcher-jameson-taillon-upbeat-cancer-fight">sounds upbeat about the fight ahead</a> (it goes without saying that all of us at Baseball-Reference wish him, as well as <a href="http://www.baseball-reference.com/players/b/bettich01.shtml?utm_campaign=Linker&utm_source=direct&utm_medium=linker-" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Chad Bettis</a>, all the best in the long fight ahead). However, even beyond Taillon's turbulent last few years, there's reason to believe that, in a 2010 do-over, the Pirates would want a player who was more MLB-ready than Taillon, who was drafted straight out of high school. While the Pirates only won 57 games in 2010, they were on the verge of a dramatic turnaround. Just three years after this draft, Pittsburgh would host postseason baseball for the first time since 1992. One thing that might have been nice to have for the <a href="http://www.baseball-reference.com/postseason/2013_NLDS1.shtml">2013 NLDS</a>, as well as the <a href="http://www.baseball-reference.com/postseason/2014_NLWC.shtml">2014</a> and <a href="http://www.baseball-reference.com/postseason/2015_NLWC.shtml">2015 Wild Card</a> games, is a second ace to slot in alongside <a href="http://www.baseball-reference.com/players/c/colege01.shtml?utm_campaign=Linker&utm_source=direct&utm_medium=linker-" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Gerrit Cole</a>. Fortunately, the highest WAR player in this draft just happens to be a college pitcher who's transformed into an ace. To date, <a href="http://www.baseball-reference.com/players/s/salech01.shtml?utm_campaign=Linker&utm_source=direct&utm_medium=linker-" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Chris Sale</a> has accumulated the most career WAR of any 2010 draftee. He spent just 11 games in the minor leagues before joining the <a href="http://www.baseball-reference.com/teams/CHW/">Chicago White Sox</a>'s major league roster as a reliever. In 2012, he turned into a starter and, since then, he hasn't finished worse than 6th in <a href="http://www.baseball-reference.com/awards/mvp_cya.shtml">Cy Young Award</a> voting. From 2013-16, Sale <a href="http://www.baseball-reference.com/players/s/salech01.shtml#2013-2016-sum:pitching_value">racked up 21.7 WAR</a>; excluding Cole, <a href="http://www.baseball-reference.com/tiny/BQ1ia">every other Pirates starting pitcher</a> combined for a total of 21.0 WAR in that span. Considering that the Pirates now appear to be heading towards another rebuild, they may have been better off taking a more aggressive, win-now approach to the draft than they did at the time. Then, they could either opt to keep Sale around this year, when he <a href="http://www.baseball-reference.com/leagues/MLB/2017-pitching-leaders.shtml">leads all pitchers in WAR</a>, or trade him for the juicy set of prospects that the <a href="http://www.baseball-reference.com/teams/BOS/">Boston Red Sox</a> sent to Chicago in exchange for the ace. However, this draft actually contained three superstars, not two, and perhaps the Pirates should have looked to #3 overall pick <a href="http://www.baseball-reference.com/players/m/machama01.shtml?utm_campaign=Linker&utm_source=direct&utm_medium=linker-" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Manny Machado</a> instead. You can easily argue that Machado's the better choice than Sale, even though Sale has the higher career WAR. Machado is four years younger, has less risk of the kind of injuries we associate with pitchers, and has already developed into one of MLB's best hitters, even with him starting off 2017 with a bit of a slump. With all of those factors, it's very easy to imagine Machado eventually closing the 8-win gap between himself and Sale. If you look at just the Pirates' three contending years, it's basically a tie by WAR, with Machado having 16.1 from 2013-15 and Sale having 16.8. One could argue that Machado would actually have beaten that mark in Pittsburgh, given that he'd have most likely stayed at his original position of shortstop, rather than moving down the defensive spectrum to third base. You could even argue that he might not have suffered the injury in 2014 that cost him half of that season under different circumstance, though obviously that's completely unknowable. However, given that the Pirates missed winning the NL Central by three games in 2013 and two games in 2014-15, either player would likely have made up the gap to get the Pirates at least one division title in that span. Given that either player moves the needle enough to push the Pirates closer to a potential pennant, I'm taking the 24-year-old position player here. #3: <a href="http://www.baseball-reference.com/teams/BAL/">Baltimore Orioles</a>. Actual Pick: Manny Machado (25.5 WAR). My Pick: <a href="http://www.baseball-reference.com/players/s/salech01.shtml?utm_campaign=Linker&utm_source=direct&utm_medium=linker-" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Chris Sale</a> (33.8 WAR, originally drafted 13th) That leaves Sale for Baltimore, which may actually be the better option for the most win-now player, given that the Os have been in the playoff chase every year since 2012. Could they have won the <a href="http://www.baseball-reference.com/postseason/2012_ALDS1.shtml">2012 ALDS</a> against the Yankees if they had Sale pitch once or even twice in the series (depending on the Wild Card game) instead of <a href="http://www.baseball-reference.com/players/s/saundjo01.shtml?utm_campaign=Linker&utm_source=direct&utm_medium=linker-" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Joe Saunders</a>? Would they have had a fighting chance in the <a href="http://www.baseball-reference.com/postseason/2014_ALCS.shtml">2014 ALCS</a> if they didn't start the series with <a href="http://www.baseball-reference.com/players/t/tillmch01.shtml?utm_campaign=Linker&utm_source=direct&utm_medium=linker-" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Chris Tillman</a> giving up 5 runs in 4 innings? Could the notoriously tempestuous Sale have brow-beaten <a href="http://www.baseball-reference.com/managers/showabu99.shtml">Buck Showalter</a> to use <a href="http://www.baseball-reference.com/players/b/brittza01.shtml">Zach Britton</a> in the 11th inning of the <a href="http://www.baseball-reference.com/boxes/TOR/TOR201610040.shtml">2016 Wild Card game</a>? The repercussions carry through to this year, even though Sale is no longer with the team that drafted him. Given how the Orioles' 2017 rotation looks below <a href="http://www.baseball-reference.com/players/b/bundydy01.shtml?utm_campaign=Linker&utm_source=direct&utm_medium=linker-" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Dylan Bundy</a> and <a href="http://www.baseball-reference.com/players/m/mileywa01.shtml?utm_campaign=Linker&utm_source=direct&utm_medium=linker-" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Wade Miley</a>, it's possible that the fact that Sale ended up in Boston instead of Baltimore will end up swinging the 2017 AL East race. #4: <a href="http://www.baseball-reference.com/teams/KCR/">Kansas City Royals</a> Actual Pick: <a href="http://www.baseball-reference.com/players/c/colonch01.shtml?utm_campaign=Linker&utm_source=direct&utm_medium=linker-" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Christian Colon</a> (1.7 WAR). My Pick: <a href="http://www.baseball-reference.com/players/s/syndeno01.shtml?utm_campaign=Linker&utm_source=direct&utm_medium=linker-" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Noah Syndergaard</a> (8.9 WAR, originally drafted 38th) From a WAR perspective, <a href="http://www.baseball-reference.com/players/c/colonch01.shtml?utm_campaign=Linker&utm_source=direct&utm_medium=linker-" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Christian Colon</a> has certainly been a disappointment, but it's tempting to just let the pick ride, given that Colon hit the <a href="http://www.baseball-reference.com/boxes/NYN/NYN201511010.shtml">go-ahead RBI</a> that ultimately won the Royals their first title in thirty years. For all intents and purposes, the Royals got the absolute most out of their recent window of contention, but perhaps they could have extended it if they had reached a little bit to take a lefty out of high school. A month ago, I'd have been tempted to take <a href="http://www.baseball-reference.com/players/s/syndeno01.shtml?utm_campaign=Linker&utm_source=direct&utm_medium=linker-" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Noah Syndergaard</a> second overall, given the utter dominance he's shown in the majors at such a young age. His ERA+ of 137 ranks <a href="http://www.baseball-reference.com/tiny/1bCVo">26th thru age-24</a> and only eight pitchers have struck out more hitters in their first sixty games than Thor: <div class="sr_share_wrap" style="overflow: auto;"> <table id="" class="sr_share" style="border-collapse: collapse; font-size: .83em; border: 1px sold #aaa; overflow: auto;" data-cols-to-freeze="2"> <caption>Results</caption> <colgroup> <col /> <col /> <col /> <col class="" /> <col /> <col /> <col /> <col /> <col /> <col /> <col /> <col /> <col /> <col /> <col /> <col /> <col /> <col /> <col /> <col class="sort_col" /> <col /> <col /> <col /> <col /> <col /> <col /> <col /></colgroup> <thead> <tr> <th style="background-color: #ddd; border: 1px solid #aaa; padding: 2px;" scope="col" data-stat="ranker" data-tip="Rank This is a count of the rows from top to bottom. It is recalculated following the sorting of a column.">Rk</th> <th style="background-color: #ddd; border: 1px solid #aaa; padding: 2px;" scope="col" data-stat="career_game_num" data-tip="Career Game Number for Player Click to see career stats through the end of this game for this player.">Gcar</th> <th style="background-color: #ddd; border: 1px solid #aaa; padding: 2px;" scope="col" data-stat="player" data-tip="Player Name Bold can mean player is active for this team or player has appeared in MLB * means LHP or LHB, # means switch hitter, + can mean HOFer.">Player</th> <th style="background-color: #ffa; border: 1px solid #aaa; padding: 2px;" scope="col" data-stat="SO" data-tip="Strikeouts">SO ▼</th> </tr> </thead> <tbody> <tr data-row="47"> <th style="border: 1px solid #ccc; padding: 2px 3px 2px 2px; white-space: nowrap;" scope="row" data-stat="ranker">1</th> <td style="border: 1px solid #ccc; padding: 2px 3px 2px 2px; white-space: nowrap;" data-stat="career_game_num"></td> <td style="border: 1px solid #ccc; padding: 2px 3px 2px 2px; white-space: nowrap;" data-append-csv="goodedw01" data-stat="player"><a href="http://www.baseball-reference.com/players/g/goodedw01.shtml?utm_source=direct&utm_medium=Share&utm_campaign=ShareTool">Dwight Gooden</a></td> <td style="border: 1px solid #ccc; padding: 2px 3px 2px 2px; white-space: nowrap;" data-stat="SO">495</td> </tr> <tr data-row="59"> <th style="border: 1px solid #ccc; padding: 2px 3px 2px 2px; white-space: nowrap;" scope="row" data-stat="ranker">2</th> <td style="border: 1px solid #ccc; padding: 2px 3px 2px 2px; white-space: nowrap;" data-stat="career_game_num"></td> <td style="border: 1px solid #ccc; padding: 2px 3px 2px 2px; white-space: nowrap;" data-append-csv="darviyu01" data-stat="player"><a href="http://www.baseball-reference.com/players/d/darviyu01.shtml?utm_source=direct&utm_medium=Share&utm_campaign=ShareTool">Yu Darvish</a></td> <td style="border: 1px solid #ccc; padding: 2px 3px 2px 2px; white-space: nowrap;" data-stat="SO">490</td> </tr> <tr data-row="2"> <th style="border: 1px solid #ccc; padding: 2px 3px 2px 2px; white-space: nowrap;" scope="row" data-stat="ranker">3</th> <td style="border: 1px solid #ccc; padding: 2px 3px 2px 2px; white-space: nowrap;" data-stat="career_game_num"></td> <td style="border: 1px solid #ccc; padding: 2px 3px 2px 2px; white-space: nowrap;" data-append-csv="woodke02" data-stat="player"><a href="http://www.baseball-reference.com/players/w/woodke02.shtml?utm_source=direct&utm_medium=Share&utm_campaign=ShareTool">Kerry Wood</a></td> <td style="border: 1px solid #ccc; padding: 2px 3px 2px 2px; white-space: nowrap;" data-stat="SO">467</td> </tr> <tr data-row="27"> <th style="border: 1px solid #ccc; padding: 2px 3px 2px 2px; white-space: nowrap;" scope="row" data-stat="ranker">4</th> <td style="border: 1px solid #ccc; padding: 2px 3px 2px 2px; white-space: nowrap;" data-stat="career_game_num"></td> <td style="border: 1px solid #ccc; padding: 2px 3px 2px 2px; white-space: nowrap;" data-append-csv="nomohi01" data-stat="player"><a href="http://www.baseball-reference.com/players/n/nomohi01.shtml?utm_source=direct&utm_medium=Share&utm_campaign=ShareTool">Hideo Nomo</a></td> <td style="border: 1px solid #ccc; padding: 2px 3px 2px 2px; white-space: nowrap;" data-stat="SO">463</td> </tr> <tr data-row="19"> <th style="border: 1px solid #ccc; padding: 2px 3px 2px 2px; white-space: nowrap;" scope="row" data-stat="ranker">5</th> <td style="border: 1px solid #ccc; padding: 2px 3px 2px 2px; white-space: nowrap;" data-stat="career_game_num"></td> <td style="border: 1px solid #ccc; padding: 2px 3px 2px 2px; white-space: nowrap;" data-append-csv="priorma01" data-stat="player"><a href="http://www.baseball-reference.com/players/p/priorma01.shtml?utm_source=direct&utm_medium=Share&utm_campaign=ShareTool">Mark Prior</a></td> <td style="border: 1px solid #ccc; padding: 2px 3px 2px 2px; white-space: nowrap;" data-stat="SO">454</td> </tr> <tr data-row="54"> <th style="border: 1px solid #ccc; padding: 2px 3px 2px 2px; white-space: nowrap;" scope="row" data-stat="ranker">6</th> <td style="border: 1px solid #ccc; padding: 2px 3px 2px 2px; white-space: nowrap;" data-stat="career_game_num"></td> <td style="border: 1px solid #ccc; padding: 2px 3px 2px 2px; white-space: nowrap;" data-append-csv="fernajo02" data-stat="player"><a href="http://www.baseball-reference.com/players/f/fernajo02.shtml?utm_source=direct&utm_medium=Share&utm_campaign=ShareTool">Jose Fernandez</a></td> <td style="border: 1px solid #ccc; padding: 2px 3px 2px 2px; white-space: nowrap;" data-stat="SO">454</td> </tr> <tr data-row="173"> <th style="border: 1px solid #ccc; padding: 2px 3px 2px 2px; white-space: nowrap;" scope="row" data-stat="ranker">7</th> <td style="border: 1px solid #ccc; padding: 2px 3px 2px 2px; white-space: nowrap;" data-stat="career_game_num"></td> <td style="border: 1px solid #ccc; padding: 2px 3px 2px 2px; white-space: nowrap;" data-append-csv="scorehe01" data-stat="player"><a href="http://www.baseball-reference.com/players/s/scorehe01.shtml?utm_source=direct&utm_medium=Share&utm_campaign=ShareTool">Herb Score</a></td> <td style="border: 1px solid #ccc; padding: 2px 3px 2px 2px; white-space: nowrap;" data-stat="SO">447</td> </tr> <tr data-row="33"> <th style="border: 1px solid #ccc; padding: 2px 3px 2px 2px; white-space: nowrap;" scope="row" data-stat="ranker">8</th> <td style="border: 1px solid #ccc; padding: 2px 3px 2px 2px; white-space: nowrap;" data-stat="career_game_num"></td> <td style="border: 1px solid #ccc; padding: 2px 3px 2px 2px; white-space: nowrap;" data-append-csv="linceti01" data-stat="player"><a href="http://www.baseball-reference.com/players/l/linceti01.shtml?utm_source=direct&utm_medium=Share&utm_campaign=ShareTool">Tim Lincecum</a></td> <td style="border: 1px solid #ccc; padding: 2px 3px 2px 2px; white-space: nowrap;" data-stat="SO">425</td> </tr> <tr data-row="7"> <th style="border: 1px solid #ccc; padding: 2px 3px 2px 2px; white-space: nowrap;" scope="row" data-stat="ranker">9</th> <td style="border: 1px solid #ccc; padding: 2px 3px 2px 2px; white-space: nowrap;" data-stat="career_game_num"></td> <td style="border: 1px solid #ccc; padding: 2px 3px 2px 2px; white-space: nowrap;" data-append-csv="syndeno01" data-stat="player"><a href="http://www.baseball-reference.com/players/s/syndeno01.shtml?utm_source=direct&utm_medium=Share&utm_campaign=ShareTool">Noah Syndergaard</a></td> <td style="border: 1px solid #ccc; padding: 2px 3px 2px 2px; white-space: nowrap;" data-stat="SO">416</td> </tr> </tbody> </table> <div id="credit_ajax_result_table" class="sr_share" style="font-size: 0.83em;">Provided by <a href="http://www.sports-reference.com/sharing.html?utm_source=direct&utm_medium=Share&utm_campaign=ShareTool">Baseball-Reference.com</a>: <a href="http://www.baseball-reference.com/play-index/game_finder.cgi?utm_source=direct&utm_medium=Share&utm_campaign=ShareTool">View Play Index Tool Used</a> Generated 5/25/2017.</div> </div> And yet, if you look at some of the names on that list, you can see why I was hesitant to take Syndergaard earlier. Given the troubling injury history of players like <a href="http://www.baseball-reference.com/players/w/woodke02.shtml?utm_campaign=Linker&utm_source=direct&utm_medium=linker-" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Kerry Wood</a> and <a href="http://www.baseball-reference.com/players/l/linceti01.shtml?utm_campaign=Linker&utm_source=direct&utm_medium=linker-" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Tim Lincecum</a>, it's concerning that Syndergaard is now going to miss a significant portion of the 2017 season with a lat tear. While at least it's not an elbow injury, it's hard to have a lot of faith in the Mets' medical staff right now. Still, when he's been on, Thor has been my favorite player in the entire major leagues to watch and, even if he never pitched again, he'd still represent a much better return for the Royals than they got out of Colon. Given that Syndergaard was 6.3 wins more valuable than Kansas City's 2016 fifth starter, <a href="http://www.baseball-reference.com/search/search.fcgi?pid=youngch03,youngch04&search=Chris+Young&utm_campaign=Linker&utm_source=direct&utm_medium=linker-" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Chris Young</a>, it's even possible that he could have pushed the Royals into a third straight playoff run. And, given the advances in medicine and surgery, it's more than possible that Syndergaard returns to form when he comes back and lives up to his superstar potential. 5: <a href="http://www.baseball-reference.com/teams/CLE/">Cleveland Indians</a> Actual Pick: <a href="http://www.baseball-reference.com/players/p/pomerdr01.shtml?utm_campaign=Linker&utm_source=direct&utm_medium=linker-" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Drew Pomeranz</a> (7.5 WAR). My Pick: <a href="http://www.baseball-reference.com/players/y/yelicch01.shtml?utm_campaign=Linker&utm_source=direct&utm_medium=linker-" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Christian Yelich</a> (14.7 WAR, originally drafted 23rd) You may think that it kind of kills my premise that the two top five teams who did the worst in the draft are also the last three American League pennant winners. I'd argue that the way Kansas City and Cleveland's windows opened so suddenly, and seem to be closing with the same speed, shows the importance of good drafting in building a team that can contend for more than a couple of years at a time. The Indians largely threw this pick away; even though Pomeranz became a solid major leaguer, Cleveland dealt him away for <a href="http://www.baseball-reference.com/players/j/jimenub01.shtml?utm_campaign=Linker&utm_source=direct&utm_medium=linker-" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Ubaldo Jimenez</a> in 2011. Jimenez then posted an unspectacular 1.8 WAR in two and a half years in Cleveland before leaving in free agency. The best player remaining on the board by WAR is <a href="http://www.baseball-reference.com/players/s/simmoan01.shtml?utm_campaign=Linker&utm_source=direct&utm_medium=linker-" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Andrelton Simmons</a>, but while he's had a solid career so far, it's hard to imagine the Indians improving very much over what <a href="http://www.baseball-reference.com/players/l/lindofr01.shtml">Francisco Lindor</a> has given them, especially factoring in Lindor's superstar potential. Instead, I'll give the Indians the big corner outfield bat they were missing last season, and one who's only 25-years-old to boot. Yelich got by with his glove and eye in his first three seasons, posting 8.5 WAR on the strength of excellent defense and <a href="http://www.baseball-reference.com/leaders/onbase_perc_career.shtml">on-base percentage</a> skills without reaching double-digits in <a href="http://www.baseball-reference.com/leaders/HR_career.shtml">home runs</a>. That changed in 2016, when Yelich added 20-HR power to his overall repertoire. The result was a 5-win season at age-24, putting him on this somewhat impressive list of Marlins to break 5 WAR before turning 25: <div class="sr_share_wrap" style="overflow: auto;"> <table id="" class="sr_share" style="border-collapse: collapse; font-size: .83em; border: 1px sold #aaa; overflow: auto;" data-cols-to-freeze="2"> <caption>Results</caption> <colgroup> <col /> <col /> <col class="sort_col" /> <col /> <col /> <col /> <col /> <col /> <col /> <col /> <col /> <col /> <col /> <col /> <col /> <col /> <col /> <col /> <col /> <col /> <col /> <col /> <col /> <col /> <col /> <col /> <col /> <col /> <col /> <col /></colgroup> <thead> <tr> <th style="background-color: #ddd; border: 1px solid #aaa; padding: 2px;" scope="col" data-stat="ranker" data-tip="Rank This is a count of the rows from top to bottom. It is recalculated following the sorting of a column.">Rk</th> <th style="background-color: #ddd; border: 1px solid #aaa; padding: 2px;" scope="col" data-stat="player" data-tip="Player Name Bold can mean player is active for this team or player has appeared in MLB * means LHP or LHB, # means switch hitter, + can mean HOFer.">Player</th> <th style="background-color: #ffa; border: 1px solid #aaa; padding: 2px;" scope="col" data-stat="year_id" data-tip="A Star indicates an all-star that season. A Ring indicates the player appeared in WS for winning team.">Year</th> <th style="background-color: #ddd; border: 1px solid #aaa; padding: 2px;" scope="col" data-stat="WAR_bat" data-tip="Wins Above Replacement for position players A single number that presents the number of wins the player added to the team above what a replacement player (think AAA or AAAA) would add. Scale: 8+ MVP Quality, 5+ All-Star Quality, 2+ Starter, 0-2 Reserve, < 0 Replacement Level Developed by Sean Smith of BaseballProjection.com" data-filter="1" data-name="WAR Position Players">WAR/pos</th> <th style="background-color: #ddd; border: 1px solid #aaa; padding: 2px;" scope="col" data-stat="age" data-tip="Player’s age at midnight of June 30th of that year">Age</th> </tr> </thead> <tbody> <tr data-row="0"> <th style="border: 1px solid #ccc; padding: 2px 3px 2px 2px; white-space: nowrap;" scope="row" data-stat="ranker">1</th> <td style="border: 1px solid #ccc; padding: 2px 3px 2px 2px; white-space: nowrap;" data-append-csv="yelicch01" data-stat="player"><a href="http://www.baseball-reference.com/players/y/yelicch01.shtml?utm_source=direct&utm_medium=Share&utm_campaign=ShareTool">Christian Yelich</a></td> <td style="border: 1px solid #ccc; padding: 2px 3px 2px 2px; white-space: nowrap;" data-stat="year_id">2016</td> <td style="border: 1px solid #ccc; padding: 2px 3px 2px 2px; white-space: nowrap;" data-stat="WAR_bat">5.3</td> <td style="border: 1px solid #ccc; padding: 2px 3px 2px 2px; white-space: nowrap;" data-stat="age">24</td> </tr> <tr data-row="1"> <th style="border: 1px solid #ccc; padding: 2px 3px 2px 2px; white-space: nowrap;" scope="row" data-stat="ranker">2</th> <td style="border: 1px solid #ccc; padding: 2px 3px 2px 2px; white-space: nowrap;" data-append-csv="stantmi03" data-stat="player"><a href="http://www.baseball-reference.com/players/s/stantmi03.shtml?utm_source=direct&utm_medium=Share&utm_campaign=ShareTool">Giancarlo Stanton</a></td> <td style="border: 1px solid #ccc; padding: 2px 3px 2px 2px; white-space: nowrap;" data-stat="year_id">2014</td> <td style="border: 1px solid #ccc; padding: 2px 3px 2px 2px; white-space: nowrap;" data-stat="WAR_bat">6.5</td> <td style="border: 1px solid #ccc; padding: 2px 3px 2px 2px; white-space: nowrap;" data-stat="age">24</td> </tr> <tr data-row="2"> <th style="border: 1px solid #ccc; padding: 2px 3px 2px 2px; white-space: nowrap;" scope="row" data-stat="ranker">3</th> <td style="border: 1px solid #ccc; padding: 2px 3px 2px 2px; white-space: nowrap;" data-append-csv="stantmi03" data-stat="player"><a href="http://www.baseball-reference.com/players/s/stantmi03.shtml?utm_source=direct&utm_medium=Share&utm_campaign=ShareTool">Giancarlo Stanton</a></td> <td style="border: 1px solid #ccc; padding: 2px 3px 2px 2px; white-space: nowrap;" data-stat="year_id">2012</td> <td style="border: 1px solid #ccc; padding: 2px 3px 2px 2px; white-space: nowrap;" data-stat="WAR_bat">5.5</td> <td style="border: 1px solid #ccc; padding: 2px 3px 2px 2px; white-space: nowrap;" data-stat="age">22</td> </tr> <tr data-row="3"> <th style="border: 1px solid #ccc; padding: 2px 3px 2px 2px; white-space: nowrap;" scope="row" data-stat="ranker">4</th> <td style="border: 1px solid #ccc; padding: 2px 3px 2px 2px; white-space: nowrap;" data-append-csv="ramirha01" data-stat="player"><a href="http://www.baseball-reference.com/players/r/ramirha01.shtml?utm_source=direct&utm_medium=Share&utm_campaign=ShareTool">Hanley Ramirez</a></td> <td style="border: 1px solid #ccc; padding: 2px 3px 2px 2px; white-space: nowrap;" data-stat="year_id">2008</td> <td style="border: 1px solid #ccc; padding: 2px 3px 2px 2px; white-space: nowrap;" data-stat="WAR_bat">6.7</td> <td style="border: 1px solid #ccc; padding: 2px 3px 2px 2px; white-space: nowrap;" data-stat="age">24</td> </tr> <tr data-row="4"> <th style="border: 1px solid #ccc; padding: 2px 3px 2px 2px; white-space: nowrap;" scope="row" data-stat="ranker">5</th> <td style="border: 1px solid #ccc; padding: 2px 3px 2px 2px; white-space: nowrap;" data-append-csv="cabremi01" data-stat="player"><a href="http://www.baseball-reference.com/players/c/cabremi01.shtml?utm_source=direct&utm_medium=Share&utm_campaign=ShareTool">Miguel Cabrera</a></td> <td style="border: 1px solid #ccc; padding: 2px 3px 2px 2px; white-space: nowrap;" data-stat="year_id">2006</td> <td style="border: 1px solid #ccc; padding: 2px 3px 2px 2px; white-space: nowrap;" data-stat="WAR_bat">5.8</td> <td style="border: 1px solid #ccc; padding: 2px 3px 2px 2px; white-space: nowrap;" data-stat="age">23</td> </tr> <tr data-row="5"> <th style="border: 1px solid #ccc; padding: 2px 3px 2px 2px; white-space: nowrap;" scope="row" data-stat="ranker">6</th> <td style="border: 1px solid #ccc; padding: 2px 3px 2px 2px; white-space: nowrap;" data-append-csv="cabremi01" data-stat="player"><a href="http://www.baseball-reference.com/players/c/cabremi01.shtml?utm_source=direct&utm_medium=Share&utm_campaign=ShareTool">Miguel Cabrera</a></td> <td style="border: 1px solid #ccc; padding: 2px 3px 2px 2px; white-space: nowrap;" data-stat="year_id">2005</td> <td style="border: 1px solid #ccc; padding: 2px 3px 2px 2px; white-space: nowrap;" data-stat="WAR_bat">5.2</td> <td style="border: 1px solid #ccc; padding: 2px 3px 2px 2px; white-space: nowrap;" data-stat="age">22</td> </tr> </tbody> </table> <div id="credit_ajax_result_table" class="sr_share" style="font-size: 0.83em;">Provided by <a href="http://www.sports-reference.com/sharing.html?utm_source=direct&utm_medium=Share&utm_campaign=ShareTool">Baseball-Reference.com</a>: <a href="http://www.baseball-reference.com/play-index/season_finder.cgi?utm_source=direct&utm_medium=Share&utm_campaign=ShareTool">View Play Index Tool Used</a> Generated 5/26/2017.</div> </div> While Yelich is slumping so far this year, he's still only 25-years-old and, having shown that he can add power to his other tools, it seems like Cleveland could have had a second young star to join <a href="http://www.baseball-reference.com/players/l/lindofr01.shtml?utm_campaign=Linker&utm_source=direct&utm_medium=linker-" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Francisco Lindor</a> #6: <a href="http://www.baseball-reference.com/teams/ARI/">Arizona Diamondbacks</a> Actual Pick: <a href="http://www.baseball-reference.com/register/player.fcgi?id=loux--001bar&utm_campaign=Linker&utm_source=direct&utm_medium=linker-" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Barret Loux</a> (N/A). My Pick: <a href="http://www.baseball-reference.com/search/search.fcgi?pid=eatonad02,eatonad01&search=Adam+Eaton&utm_campaign=Linker&utm_source=direct&utm_medium=linker-" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Adam Eaton</a> (16.6 WAR, originally drafted 571st) To say that Eaton was a lightly regarded prospect at the time of the draft may even be giving him too much credit; he was taken over 400 picks later than <a href="http://www.baseball-reference.com/register/player.fcgi?id=wilson001rus">Russell Wilson</a>, who, of course, would go on to play a completely different professional sport. Yet, to date, only five players from this draft have racked up more WAR at the major league level than Eaton. Eaton would represent a much better return for the D-Backs than they got out of <a href="http://www.baseball-reference.com/register/player.fcgi?id=loux--001bar&utm_campaign=Linker&utm_source=direct&utm_medium=linker-" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Barret Loux</a>, who was last seen pitching for the Sugar Land Skeeters in the Atlantic League. And, while Arizona looks like they're set at the corners with <a href="http://www.baseball-reference.com/players/t/tomasya01.shtml?utm_campaign=Linker&utm_source=direct&utm_medium=linker-" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Yasmany Tomas</a>, and <a href="http://www.baseball-reference.com/players/p/peralda01.shtml?utm_campaign=Linker&utm_source=direct&utm_medium=linker-" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">David Peralta</a>, the D-Backs could have tried moving Eaton or Peralta to center field, where <a href="http://www.baseball-reference.com/players/p/polloaj01.shtml?utm_campaign=Linker&utm_source=direct&utm_medium=linker-" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">A.J. Pollock</a> continues to struggle with injury. They also could have traded him and either replenished a depleted farm with a few top prospects like the White Sox did, or acquired a win-now player to help turn their 30-19 start into a serious run at the NL West title. #7: <a href="http://www.baseball-reference.com/teams/NYM/">New York Mets</a> Actual Pick: <a href="http://www.baseball-reference.com/players/h/harvema01.shtml?utm_campaign=Linker&utm_source=direct&utm_medium=linker-" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Matt Harvey</a> (10.8 WAR). My Pick: <a href="http://www.baseball-reference.com/players/k/kiermke01.shtml?utm_campaign=Linker&utm_source=direct&utm_medium=linker-" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Kevin Kiermaier</a> (17.6 WAR, 941st pick) There are a number of directions I could have gone with for the Mets here. Despite his recent struggles, taking Harvey actually worked out pretty well for New York, as the Dark Knight has racked up a double-digit career WAR while leading the team to win the NL pennant in 2015. However, since then, things have taken a turn for the worse. In <a href="http://www.baseball-reference.com/players/h/harvema01.shtml#2016-2017-sum:pitching_standard">26 starts</a> over the last two seasons, Harvey posted an <a href="http://www.baseball-reference.com/leaders/earned_run_avg_career.shtml">Earned Run Average</a> over 5.00 and <a href="http://www.baseball-reference.com/players/h/harvema01.shtml#2016-2017-sum:pitching_value">essentially been replacement level</a>, according to WAR. Instead, I'll give the Mets a different sort of run prevention boost by drafting Kiermaier, who has been perhaps the <a href="http://www.baseball-reference.com/tiny/4ggs1">best defensive center fielder</a> since <a href="http://www.baseball-reference.com/players/j/jonesan01.shtml?utm_campaign=Linker&utm_source=direct&utm_medium=linker-" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Andruw Jones</a>. Kiermaier racked up two more wins of dWAR than <a href="http://www.baseball-reference.com/players/l/lagarju01.shtml?utm_campaign=Linker&utm_source=direct&utm_medium=linker-" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Juan Lagares</a> (the player he's hypothetically replacing here) while also being a league average hitter, an improvement over Lagares' career OPS+ of 86. Kiermaier's presence in center field would be a huge boost to a Mets' outfield that's had it's share of defensive challenges over the last couple of years and save us all the spectacle of <a href="http://www.baseball-reference.com/players/c/cespeyo01.shtml?utm_campaign=Linker&utm_source=direct&utm_medium=linker-" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Yoenis Cespedes</a> in center. #8: <a href="http://www.baseball-reference.com/teams/HOU/">Houston Astros</a> Actual Pick: <a href="http://www.baseball-reference.com/search/search.fcgi?pid=deshide02,deshide01&search=Delino+DeShields&utm_campaign=Linker&utm_source=direct&utm_medium=linker-" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Delino DeShields</a> (1.6 WAR). My Pick: <a href="http://www.baseball-reference.com/players/d/degroja01.shtml?utm_campaign=Linker&utm_source=direct&utm_medium=linker-" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Jacob deGrom</a> (12.8 WAR, 272nd pick) What do you get for the team that has everything? The best player available, <a href="http://www.baseball-reference.com/players/s/simmoan01.shtml?utm_campaign=Linker&utm_source=direct&utm_medium=linker-" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Andrelton Simmons</a>, probably wouldn't be a great fit for a team that, in 2010, was just a couple of years away from drafting <a href="http://www.baseball-reference.com/players/c/correca01.shtml?utm_campaign=Linker&utm_source=direct&utm_medium=linker-" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Carlos Correa</a>, who looks like he could be the best <a href="http://www.baseball-reference.com/tiny/uL9QL">all-around young shortstop</a> since <a href="http://www.baseball-reference.com/search/search.fcgi?pid=rodrial01,rodrig011ale&search=Alex+Rodriguez&utm_campaign=Linker&utm_source=direct&utm_medium=linker-" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Alex Rodriguez</a>. Similarly, while the team eventually found an answer at catcher with <a href="http://www.baseball-reference.com/players/m/mccanbr01.shtml?utm_campaign=Linker&utm_source=direct&utm_medium=linker-" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Brian McCann</a>, it was tempting to give them framing whiz <a href="http://www.baseball-reference.com/players/g/grandya01.shtml?utm_campaign=Linker&utm_source=direct&utm_medium=linker-" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Yasmani Grandal</a>, who was worth nearly two wins more last year than their 2016 starting catcher <a href="http://www.baseball-reference.com/players/c/castrja01.shtml?utm_campaign=Linker&utm_source=direct&utm_medium=linker-" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Jason Castro</a>. In the end, however, I decided that the Astros would be best off with a pitcher to slot in alongside <a href="http://www.baseball-reference.com/players/k/keuchda01.shtml?utm_campaign=Linker&utm_source=direct&utm_medium=linker-" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Dallas Keuchel</a> and <a href="http://www.baseball-reference.com/search/search.fcgi?pid=mcculla02,mcculla01&search=Lance+McCullers&utm_campaign=Linker&utm_source=direct&utm_medium=linker-" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Lance McCullers</a>. I thought about making that pitcher <a href="http://www.baseball-reference.com/players/p/paxtoja01.shtml?utm_campaign=Linker&utm_source=direct&utm_medium=linker-" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">James Paxton</a>, who has only tallied 5.9 WAR to date, but whose 2.49 FIP since the start of 2016 seems to indicate that the Mariners' starter figured something out. But with Paxton's injury, the safer bet is deGrom. While he never hit the heights of Syndergaard and Harvey, deGrom has been the most reliable Mets starter, breaking three wins in each of his first three seasons and looking to be on pace for a fourth. His strikeout rate is spiking in 2017, as deGrom is fanning 12.3 hitters per 9 innings pitched. If he can get his uncharacteristically high walk rate down a little (3.7 <a href="http://www.baseball-reference.com/leaders/bases_on_balls_per_nine_career.shtml">walks per nine IP</a>, up from 2.2 in 2016), he could even take a step forward to become a true ace. #9: San Diego Padres Actual Pick: Karsten Whitson (N/A). My Pick: Andrelton Simmons (22.9 WAR, 70th pick) Unlike the Astros and Indians, I had no qualms picking a shortstop for the Padres. San Diego hasn't gotten more than 3 WAR out of a SS since <a href="http://www.baseball-reference.com/players/g/greenkh01.shtml?utm_campaign=Linker&utm_source=direct&utm_medium=linker-" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Khalil Greene</a> in 2007, while Simmons has broken that mark in every full season that he's been in the majors. While Andrelton was never able to re-discover the power that, combined with his ultra-elite defense, helped him break 7 WAR in 2013, he's still been a very good player. And, while his defense has taken a step back, he's been better at the plate this season than he was in any season since he first came up to the majors. I took Kiermaier and Yelich ahead of Simmons because I think they have a little more upside going forward, but that makes Simmons an absolute steal for the Padres at 9. #10: Oakland Athletics Actual Pick: <a href="http://www.baseball-reference.com/players/c/choicmi01.shtml?utm_campaign=Linker&utm_source=direct&utm_medium=linker-" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Michael Choice</a> (-2.0 WAR). My Pick: <a href="http://www.baseball-reference.com/players/s/sanchaa01.shtml?utm_campaign=Linker&utm_source=direct&utm_medium=linker-" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Aaron Sanchez</a> (8.6 WAR, 34th pick) In real life, the Blue Jays took both Sanchez and Syndergaard within five picks of each other, and it's pretty crazy to imagine what that team would have been like last year if they had hung on to both of them. Sanchez had an excellent 2016, posting an ERA+ over 140 and nearly breaking five WAR. However, there were a couple of troubling signs, mainly that he continued walking over three batters per nine innings, while only striking out 7.5. This year, his strikeout rate fell, his walk rate rose, and, most troublingly, his home run rate skyrockets to 1.5 dingers per nine. Sanchez is currently on the DL with a blister, which can be concerning to anyone who's followed <a href="http://www.baseball-reference.com/players/h/hillri01.shtml?utm_campaign=Linker&utm_source=direct&utm_medium=linker-" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Rich Hill</a>'s career. His troubling 2017 briefly made Yasmani Grandal seem like a better option. Grandal is in the midst of what looks to be a career year, pairing an .856 <a href="http://www.baseball-reference.com/leaders/onbase_plus_slugging_career.shtml">On-Base Plus Slugging</a> with excellent defense and framing skills. However, Grandal is already 28 and has only racked up 10.4 WAR to this point in his career. Given the difficulty of remaining a top catcher after 30, combined with the fact that Sanchez is only 24 and the As are in no hurry to push for wins now, I decided to go with Sanchez's huge future upside over Grandal's present value. ]]></content:encoded> <wfw:commentRss>http://www.sports-reference.com/blog/2017/05/re-doing-the-2010-mlb-draft/feed/</wfw:commentRss> <slash:comments>0</slash:comments> </item> </channel> </rss>