AP Photo
This week’s issue of Sports Illustrated has a rather interesting excerpt on home court/home field advantage from the soon-to-be-released book “Scorecasting: The Hidden Influences Behind How Sports Are Played and Games Are Won,” by Tobias J. Moskowitz and L. Jon Wertheim.
The authors take a numbers-based look at what actually creates the advantage at home across most of the major sports worldwide at the professional and, sometimes, the collegiate level. The findings are interesting not only because of the apparent limited scope of home field/court advantage, but also because of the astounding level of consistency that teams in a particular sport enjoy the benefits of home.
First of all, the authors’ study found what everyone already knows: The home team has an advantage. But how much of an advantage the home team has varies by the sport itself more than any other factor. For example, the authors’ numbers indicate that home field advantage is the most significant in soccer. The win percentage of home teams in three of the most popular leagues in Europe, including the English Premier League, is about 65 percent. And in 40 other leagues in 24 other countries, it’s about 63 percent. Amazing. And NFL teams (57.6 percent) win at about the same rate at home as Arena Football League teams (56 percent) and college football teams (57 percent) — at least when only conference games are considered in college to account for the propensity by power teams to schedule weaklings in the non-conference schedule. Read more…
Commentary
If you’re in the mood to hear my voice say things about the Oklahoma City professional basketball team, then you’re in luck. Ryen Russillo was nice enough to have me on again to talk Thunder with him.
We talk about perception, if OKC is really a good team and who the real MVP on the team is. Also, I think I mention Jeff Green’s name once or twice.
(Also, hugely underrated basketball person? Ryen Russillo. That guy is always on point with just about everything. He really, really knows basketball. And I don’t just say that to suck up to him.)
Anyway, have a listen if you’d like.
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Stan Van Gundy after the game about the Skirvin: “What haunts me are guys like Kevin Durant,” Van Gundy said. “So, I would say this building is haunted because of guys like him, as are most of the buildings in the NBA. I haven’t run into a haunted hotel, just haunted arenas.”
Eddy Rivera of Magic Basketball: “Ironically enough, Orlando could have gotten away with Durant and Westbrook going nova on offense if they contained the role players. No offense to Nenad Krstic, but he shouldn’t be putting up 16 points and 11 rebounds. As Reggie Miller said on the TNT broadcast, that’s found money. It’s true. Guys like Jeff Green, James Harden, and Serge Ibaka are going to contribute but the key is to limit their impact and unfortunately for the Magic, they were unable to do so. That’s one of the reasons that Orlando lost in an otherwise winnable scenario.” Read more…
Bolts
Layne Murdoch/NBAE/Getty Images
BOX SCORE
Go ahead and set this one to “Do Not Erase” on your DVR. It was one of Those Games.
Not only was the game itself terrific, but players played terrific. Kevin Durant went for 36 on 13-17 shooting (!), Russell Westbrook picked up a triple-double (32-13-10 and only one turnover) (!) and as a team, the Thunder shot 56.4 percent from the field.
And they held on to beat the Magic, one of the best teams in the league. The Thunder’s been lacking a few big statement wins and they got one tonight on national TV with their best players playing some of their best games. When I go to sleep tonight I’m putting this game on in the background.
It had the big plays — KD’s runner to ice it, a classic Jeff Green 3 for his defenders to put in their pocket to defend him with in four days when people are bashing him, Serge Ibaka’s back-to-back blocks — but it also had some seriously good, mature basketball from the Thunder. They held onto the lead pretty much the entire second half, working it up to 12 at one point, but Orlando is just to good to really blow out. But OKC never slumped. It never went through a lull. There was a good amount of focus for the full 48. Good thing, because there really wasn’t an opportunity to relax in this one. Read more…
Recap
vs. 
Orlando Magic (25-13, 10-8 road) vs. OKC Thunder (26-13, 14-6 home)
TV: TNT (Cox 31, HD 730)
Stream: Click here
Radio: WWLS The Sports Animal (98.1 FM, 640 AM, 97.1 FM Tulsa)
Time: 7:00 CT
Offensive Rating: Thunder – 109.3 (9th), Magic – 106.9 (13th)
Defensive Rating: Thunder – 107.3 (16th), Magic – 101.1 (4th)
Pace: Thunder – 93.4 (10th), Magic – 92.0 (18th)
View from the enemy: Magic Basketball
Big time game tonight in Oklahoma City. TNT visits for its first ever regular season broadcast in OKC, the Orlando Magic with their cast of stars are here and then there’s the whole this is two pretty good teams playing each other thing. Read more…
Preview
Joe Murphy/NBAE/Getty Images
Most people have been disappointed with the selection of Aldrich to this point as they still call for that elusive “big man” to come swooping in and save the Thunder from their 26-13 record and first place spot in the Northwest Division. But the Aldrich pick was and remains about the future. Like everything else in Oklahoma City, it’s about developing talent.
So instead of sitting on the end of the bench, Sam Presti has utilized his options. Aldrich has spent the past few weeks in Tulsa developing his game with the Thunder’s D-League affiliate 66ers.
Wednesday, the 66ers were on NBATV as part of the D-League Showcase and Aldrich has his best game as a professional at any level. He scored 19 points, grabbed five rebounds and blocked seven shots. He was a dominant post presence on both ends. And before you say, “Well this is the D-League,” yes that’s true, but Aldrich was playing against a guy many believe will be called up in the near future in Chris Johnson. Read more…
Commentary
Cole Aldrich
Jonathan Feigan of the Houston Chronicle: “Shane Battier dove at the ball, smacking it with his right hand, and for one split second, the Oklahoma City Thunder might have thought a win in Houston would never come. The Rockets trailed by 13 with 2:03 remaining, but all but two points of the Thunder lead were gone with 20 seconds left. The Rockets were scoring on every possession. The Thunder had lost 11consecutive games in Houston and finally cracked with the win one bucket from certain. Battier had his chance at a steal, and by then there was every reason to think if the Rockets could come up with the ball, they would swipe the win, too.”
Jenni Carlson, calling out Charles Barkley or something: “Come to Oklahoma, Sir Charles. See our city for yourself. Stroll around Bricktown. See the Memorial. Go to a game at the Ford Center. And you agreed to visit. NEWS 9 anchor Kelly Ogle made the official pitch at the All-Star Game in Houston. He’d been critical of you in one of his “My Two Cents” commentaries, but he brought a gift basket and an invitation to come to Oklahoma. “I’m going to come there,” you said at the time. “I’ve got to look at the schedule, see when (the Hornets) are there for a weekend.” Did we mention it’s been five years since then?” Read more…
Bolts
David J. Phillip/AP Photo
BOX SCORE
After you’ve lost to a team at their place 11 straight times dating back to 2005 when the team was in another city, you’ll take a win no matter how you get it. Even if it had some ugliness to it.
First the good stuff. Kevin Durant was terrific (30 points, 10-17 from the field, 4-4 from 3), Russell Westbrook had a good overall game (23 points, 13 assists, eight rebounds) and Oklahoma City made the necessary plays late to seal away the game. Again it was free throw shooting that was big for the Thunder as OKC knocked down eight straight in the last 25 seconds.
The Thunder used two good runs to kind of separate themselves from the Rockets. The first came in the third quarter immediately after Jeff Green took an elbow to the face and had to leave the game. The Thunder stretched out to a 10-point lead by getting multiple stops and pretty much by scoring every trip. Then again late in the fourth, the Thunder funneled through KD and Westbrook created as OKC pulled ahead to an 11-point lead with under two minutes. Those two runs really are what made the difference. Read more…
Recap
vs. 
OKC Thunder (25-13, 11-7 road) at Houston Rockets (17-21, 10-7 home)
TV: FSOK (Cox 37, HD 722, Tulsa Cox 27, DirectTV 679, UVerse 754)
Stream: Click here
Radio: WWLS The Sports Animal (98.1 FM, 640 AM, 97.1 FM Tulsa)
Time: 7:30 CT
Offensive Rating: Thunder – 109.0 (9th), Rockets – 109.8 (7th)
Defensive Rating: Thunder – 107.0 (17th), Rockets – 109.4 (24th)
Pace: Thunder – 93.3 (12th), Rockets – 94.7 (5th)
View from the enemy: Red 94
For whatever reason, Houston is just a tough place for the Thunder to win. The last OKC went down there, the Thunder played rather terrible, but if a Kevin Durant jumper drops at the buzzer, we all would’ve been happy. Instead, it was just short and we were all sad.
So in other words, a chance for redemption. Or vengeance. Or revenge. Or just a regular win would actually do fine. Read more…
Preview
Rohan Cruyff looks at the clutchness of players: “It’s interesting that Russell Westbrook shows up on the scorer list and not the creator one. His assist numbers drop drastically in clutch situations, but he’s been remarkably efficient at scoring the ball. In fact, he ranks a step above his heralded teammate, Kevin Durant. Derrick Rose also appears on this list, but his inefficiency relative to the league’s elite scorers begins to emerge a little more.”
Figuring out the Western All-Star point guards after Chris Paul: “All three of them stack up pretty evenly, so it’s difficult to make a choice. Parker has rejuvenated himself and sparked the Spurs to the league’s best record. Russell Westbrook kept his team flying high even after Kevin Durant’s slow start this year. And Deron Williams is just playing MVP ball and keeping his Jazz in contention. For my money’s worth, Westbrook is probably the most deserving player, but I’d be surprised if Williams doesn’t get the spot, if only because he’s been left out of the game for so many years. (Thunder fans, don’t worry. Westbrook will have his turn.)” Read more…
Bolts
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Today at Celtics Hub, Hayes Davenport determined that the Los Angeles Clippers are the “fattest” team in the NBA, using Body Mass Index. The Celtics with Big Baby Davis and Shaq, were surprisingly No. 2.
So naturally, I was curious where the Thunder ranked. And it’s somewhere right in the middle with an overall 25.05 BMI.
“Normal weight” is considered to be between 18.5-24.9. Overweight is from 25-29.9. Anything above that is obese, and anything below normal is underweight. As Davenport notes, “Many NBA players are in much better shape than these figures imply. LeBron’s BMI is over 27 and he’s doing okay, physically. So this is really more about “bulkiness” than fatness, or the relationship between height and weight. Also, height and weight listings on NBA rosters are a morass of deception and ignorance, so consider them with a pinch of salt.”
So really, this information is kind of worthless considering all the factors. But still, I think we all needed to know Oklahoma City’s fat rankings. Especially since Mayor Mick told us we were all going on a diet a couple years ago. Read more…
Commentary
Very Important Statistical Analysis
Zach Lowe looks at stat-padding: “The main difference between the Westbrook and Rondo plays comes down to score and time. Rondo padded his stats early, with the game in the balance, while Westbrook did so after the Hawks had already given up. Most folks would agree the sporting thing for Westbrook to do would have been to let the clock run out, though there is some merit to the notion that the Hawks are professionals who should be above crying over some late-game stat-padding.”
The 66ers won their D-League showcase game yesterday 103-83. Latavious Williams continues to look impressive, putting up 18 points and 12 rebounds. Cole Aldrich had 12 points, four rebounds and four blocks. Read more…
Bolts
This week we had a great conversation with Hoopshype.com SR NBA analyst Tracy Graven. With stops in Orlando and Phoenix, he’s been an NBA writer for the past decade. A resident of OKC, he knows the Thunder.
We talked extensively about Jeff Green and how much the Thunder defense miss Ron Adams. Brad and I also cover the week’s Deep Thoughts and the Thundie Awards.
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Podcast
Darnell Mayberry is ready to ask the question — Is Jeff Green killing the Thunder at power forward?: “If Green wants to remain with the Thunder, everything will work itself out, whether Green accepts a reduction in minutes or a move to the bench. For now, the Thunder continues rolling merrily along toward a second consecutive 50-win season. And that’s satisfactory for the next 44 games. But at some point this summer, the Thunder must answer two burning questions. What is Jeff Green? And what is he to this team as it continues to evolve?”
48 Minutes of Hell looks at why can’t other teams find a Gary Neal: “So to answer Young’s question, it is a sort of mystique. But one that has more to do with the players they are playing with rather than the name on their jersey. All that needs to be known is when Popovich inserts a player that has fans scrambling for wikipedia or media guides into a clutch situation, you might not know his name, but you should already know the results.” Read more…
Bolts
Layne Murdoch/NBAE/Getty Images
BOX SCORE
It’s always good to see a young team learn from mistakes and get a better result. It helps too when you play a team again after just five days too so all of that is fresh on you mind.
After grabbing just three offensive rebounds in the last meeting, Oklahoma City worked a lot better on the glass, pulling in 17 offensive boards and holding a 47-40 overall rebounding edge en route to a very nice 109-100 win over the Grizzlies.
Just like the last meeting, OKC went big down the stretch. Except this time, it actually worked. Zach Randolph puled in 16 rebounds again, but this time they weren’t nearly as devastating. Nick Collison had the assignment on Randolph for most of the fourth, but really it was the entire Thunder defense that did a great job. Russell Westbrook was great at limited Mike Conley’s dribble penetration. Collison and Ibaka did a nice job protecting the paint and making Memphis take fadeaway post jumpers instead of easy point blank looks. And you know who did a pretty excellent job on Memphis’s top option? Jeff Green. Read more…
Recap
