Today’s Sports Stat: April 16, 2018
The Boston Celtics and Philadelphia 76ers each won Game One in their NBA playoff series. Should they continue and win their first-round series (Boston over Milwaukee and Philadelphia over Miami) the Celtics and 76ers would meet in the Eastern Conference semi-finals. What makes that potential matchup noteworthy is that Boston-Philadelphia matchups in the NBA playoffs are the most frequent NBA playoff matchups in NBA history.
Since the league began, the Boston Celtics and Philadelphia 76ers franchises have met 20 times in the NBA playoffs, most of any matchup in league history in the post-season. The two teams have played 100 playoff games and the Celtics have won 12 of the 20 series. The two teams, however, have not met in the post-season since 2012.
Here’s a look at the NBA playoff series matchups that have happened 10 or more times in league history.
Number of times franchises have faced each other in NBA playoffs (franchises are listed below by current city)
20: Boston Celtics-Philadelphia 76ers
15: Boston Celtics-New York Knicks
12: Atlanta Hawks-Boston Celtics
12: Boston-Los Angeles Lakers
12: Detroit Pistons-Los Angeles Lakers
12: Los Angeles Lakers-Phoenix Suns
12: Los Angeles Lakers-San Antonio Spurs
11: Los Angeles Lakers-Sacramento Kings
11: Los Angeles Lakers-Portland Trailblazers
10: Atlanta Hawks-Los Angeles Lakers
10: Golden State Warriors-Philadelphia 76ers
10: New York Knicks-Philadelphia 76ers
10: Phoenix Suns-San Antonio Spurs
Of the current eight first-round playoff series, the Boston-Milwaukee matchup has been the most frequent; these two franchises are playing in the post-season for the sixth time in league history. At the other end, the New Orleans-Portland series is the first time these franchises have ever faced each other in the playoffs.
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Today’s Sports Stat: April 9, 2018
First, the Eagles gave Philadelphia their first Super Bowl in February. Then Villanova a few weeks later did the city proud with its second men’s NCAA Division I basketball title in three years. Is it possible the City of Brotherly Love has another championship on the horizon?
Whether or not the young Philadelphia 76ers squad makes a serious run at the NBA title this season, one thing is for sure… they have done something this year that has never happened before in the NBA.
Back in 2015-16, the Sixers won only 10 games that campaign. In 2016-17, they increased that total to 28. With two games remaining this season, they are 50-30, their first 50-win season since 2000-01. That turnaround from 10 wins two seasons ago to 50 (or more) wins this year is historic.
The 76ers are the first team in NBA history to win less than 20 games one season and then win 50 or more just two seasons later. Four teams went from under 20 wins to 50+ wins in three seasons while six teams went from less than 20 wins to 50+ in four years.
Following are the 11 NBA teams that went from fewer than 20 wins in a season to 50 or more wins in a season in less than five years.
(Note: This stat does not include the 1998-99 NBA season when the season was shortened to 50 games due to a lockout that delayed the start of that campaign.)
From fewer than 20 wins to 50+ wins in two seasons
Philadelphia 76ers: 10 wins in 2015-16; 50 wins in 2017-18
From fewer than 20 wins to 50+ wins in three seasons
Houston Rockets: 14 wins in 1982-83; 51 wins in 1985-86
Cleveland Cavs: 17 wins in 2002-03; 50 wins in 2005-06
New Orleans Hornets: 18 wins in 2004-05; 56 wins in 2007-08
Miami Heat: 15 wins in 2007-08; 58 wins in 2010-11
From fewer than 20 wins to 50+ wins in four seasons
Minneapolis/L.A. Lakers: 19 wins in 1957-58; 54 wins in 1961-62
Cincinnati Royals: 19 wins in 1959-60; 55 wins in 1963-64
Philadelphia 76ers: 9 wins in 1972-73; 50 wins in 1976-77
Orlando Magic: 18 wins in 1989-90; 50 wins in 1993-94
L.A. Clippers: 19 wins in 2008-09; 56 wins in 2012-13
Cleveland Cavs: 19 wins in 2010-11; 53 wins in 2014-15
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What happens the year following an NBA team winning less than 20 games in a season?
How many games will the Bucks win this year with rookie Jabari Parker?
Two NBA teams last year won less than 20 games: the Milwaukee Bucks (with a league-low 15 wins) and the Philadelphia 76ers (19 wins).
So, the questions becomes: What can we expect from the Bucks and 76ers this year? Better stated, how many wins will these teams have for the 2014-15 season?
Based on past history, we can expect these teams to increase their win totals by about nine wins. Since the 1976-77 NBA-ABA merger, there have been only three teams that went from less than 20 wins in a season to fewer wins the following year. In 1995-96, Vancouver won 15 games; the following year the win-total was 14. In 1999-2000, the Chicago Bulls had only 17 wins. Next year that total decreased to 15. In that same season, the Golden State Warriors had 19 wins and won two less, 17, the following year.
Forty-eight teams since the merger have won less than 20 games in a season. Of those 48, two were last year, while seven of those teams played in shortened seasons the following campaign. Of the remaining 39 teams, nine of those teams went from under 20 wins one season to 30 or ore the following year. They were:
1989-90: Orlando (18 wins to 31 wins)
1993-94: Dallas (13 wins to 36 wins)
1996-97: Boston (15 wins to 36 wins)
1999-2000: L.A. Clippers (15 wins to 31 wins)
2000-01: Washington (19 wins to 37 wins)
2002-03: Cleveland (17 wins to 35 wins)
2002-03: Denver (17 wins to 43 wins)
2004-05: New Orleans (18 wins to 38 wins)
2007-08: Miami (15 wins to 43 wins)
The 39 teams that played a full schedule the following year increased their wins by a total of 366 wins, an increase of 9.4 wins. With only two teams going from under 20 wins to over 40 the following year (2002-03 Denver and the 2007-08 Miami Heat) there’s only a slim chance that either the Bucks or 76ers will make the playoffs this year.
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NBA Playoffs: 10 Game Seven stats that might determine who wins Saturday’s Celtics-76ers game
(Photo credit: Wikipedia)
Sports Stats ‘on Tapp’ is a sports statistics blog published daily focusing on stats that go beyond the numbers.
The Boston Celtics and Philadelphia 76ers will square off in Boston Saturday in Game Seven of their Eastern Conference semifinal series. This will be the seventh Game Seven the Celtics have played in the last eight years. This will be Philadelphia’s first Game Seven since the 2001 Eastern Conference Finals when they defeated the Milwaukee Bucks to advance to the NBA Finals. The 76ers did play a decisive Game Five in 2002 in a five-game first-round series against the Celtics. The Celtics won that contest.
Here’s a look at the last 21 Game Sevens (since 2005) and a handful of statistics that may determine who wins Saturday’s game.
1. Points: In the past 21 Game Sevens, the winning team has averaged 98.5 ppg while the losing team has averaged only 82.9 Teams that have scored 100 or more points have won eight and lost two. Teams that score 90 or more points are 15-7; teams that score 80 or more points are 20-11. The winning team has given up 90 or more points in only seven of the 21 Game Sevens.
2. Point Differential: None of the last 21 Game Seven have been decided by three or fewer points. Eight of the games were decided by four to nine points. Teams won by 10 or more points in seven of the games; teams won by 20 or more points in six of the Game Sevens.
3. Home Team: The home team won 14 of the last 21 Game Sevens, including seven of the last eight. The last away team to win a Game Seven: This year when the Clippers defeated Memphis in the first round of the playoffs.
4. Game Six: There doesn’t seem to be an advantage for the team that wins Game Six. The team that won Game Six only won eight of the last 21 Game Sevens.
5. Leads at the end of the quarter: The team that leads at the end of the first quarter won 18 of the 21 games. The team leading at halftime won 19 of 21. The team leading going into the fourth quarter won 17 of 20 (there was one tie at the end of the third quarter).
6. 20-Point Scorers: The team that won Game Seven had at least one player score 20 or more points in 20 of the 21 games. The losing team had a 20-point scorer in 14 of the 21 games. The Game Seven winning team had two 20-point scorers in 10 of the 21 games; the losing team had a pair of 20-point scorers in five games.
7. Turnovers: Committing fewer turnovers was not a significant stat in the last 21 Game Sevens. The winning team had fewer turnovers in only nine of the 21 games.
8. Shooting Percentage: The winning team had a higher field goal percentage in 16 of 20 games (in one game both teams had the same percentage). In 19 of the 21 games, the winning team made a higher percentage of three-point shots made than their opponents.
9. Rebounds: The Game Seven winning team had more rebounds than the losing team in 15 of 19 contests (in two games the teams had the same number of rebounds).
10. Game Seven Appearances: The Boston Celtics have played in six of the last 21 Game Sevens, tops in that category. The Celtics are 3-3 in those games. The Los Angeles Lakers and Houston Rockets have each played in four Game Sevens since 2005. The Lakers won three of those four games; the Rockets lost all four of their Game Sevens since ’05. Detroit, San Antonio and Atlanta have each played in three Game Sevens since 2005.
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76ers, Pacers & Clippers finally win playoff series
Doug Collins, 76ers coach (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
Sports Stats ‘on Tapp’ is a sports statistics blog published multiple times weekly focusing on stats that go beyond the numbers
The Philadelphia 76ers, Indiana Pacers and Los Angeles Clippers exorcised some serious NBA playoff demons with their first-round series wins in this year’s playoffs. The 76ers had not won a playoff series since 2003 when they defeated the New Orleans Hornets in the first round of the Eastern Conference playoffs. For the Pacers, their last playoff series win was in 2005. The Clippers last won a playoff series in 2006 when they ousted the Denver Nuggets in the first round.
Here’s a look at which teams now have the longest droughts for winning a playoff series.
Last year they won a playoff series, team(s)
2000: New York Knicks, Portland
2001: Milwaukee, Toronto
2004: Minnesota, Sacramento
2005: Charlotte (the Bobcats have not won a playoff series since they entered the NBA in 2004-05)
2005: Washington
2007: Golden State, New Jersey Nets
2008: Detroit, New Orleans
2009: Denver, Houston
2010: Cleveland, Orlando, Phoenix, Utah
2011: Atlanta, Chicago, Dallas, Memphis
Of the eight remaining teams in the playoffs, here’s a look at the last time they advanced to the conference finals, the last year they played in the NBA finals, and the last year they won an NBA title.
Team, last year in conference finals, last year in NBA finals, last NBA title
Boston: 2010… 2010… 2008
Indiana: 2004… 2000… Never
Los Angeles Clippers: Never… Never… Never
Los Angeles Lakers: 2010… 2010… 2010
Miami: 2011… 2011… 2006
Oklahoma City: 2011… 1996 (as Seattle)… 1979 (as Seattle)
Philadelphia: 2001… 2001… 1983
San Antonio: 2008… 2008… 2007
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