Milwaukee Bucks finally see the win column in Phoenix
Sports Stats ‘on Tapp’ is a sports statistics blog published with a focus on stats that go beyond the numbers.
(Photo credit: Wikipedia)
The Milwaukee Bucks last night defeated the Phoenix Suns 98-94 in Phoenix snapping the team’s 24-game losing streak in Phoenix.
The last time the Bucks had beaten the Suns in Phoenix was March 9, 1987 when they won 118-110. For the record, of the 12 players who played for the Bucks in their win last night, five of them had not even been born yet when the Bucks last won in Phoenix: Ersen Ilyasova, Larry Sanders, Brandon Jennings, Ekpe Udoh and John Henson.
Now that the Bucks have a win over the Suns in the scorebook, the longest drought when it comes to road victories is now in Utah. The Bucks have not won a game at Utah since October 30, 2001. Here’s a look at where road wins have been rare for the Bucks.
Team, last road win for Bucks
1. Utah Jazz, last road win was Oct. 30, 2001. The Bucks have lost 10 straight road games to the Jazz.
2. New Orleans, last road win was Jan. 27, 2003. The Bucks have lost 11 straight road games to the Hornets.
3. Orlando, last road win was Dec. 29, 2004. The Bucks have lost 13 straight road games to the Magic.
4. Los Angeles Clippers, last road win was Dec. 4, 2007. The Bucks have lost four straight road games to the Clippers.
5. San Antonio, last road win was Dec. 30, 2008. The Bucks have lost three straight road games to the Spurs.
6. Minnesota, last road win was Nov. 6, 2009. The Bucks have lost two straight road games to the Timberwolves.
7. Memphis, last road win was Nov. 21, 2009. The Bucks have lost two straight road games to the Grizzlies.
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NHL Playoffs: The Conference Semifinals ‘seed’ advantage
Sports Stats ‘on Tapp’ is a sports statistics blog published multiple times weekly focusing on stats that go beyond the numbers.
The Stanley Cup (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
The next round of the NHL playoffs begin tonight as the first of the four Conference Semifinals will have Phoenix and Nashville facing off in Phoenix. The matchups for the Conference Semis:
No. 2 St. Louis vs. No. 8 Los Angeles
No. 3 Phoenix vs. No. 4 Nashville
No. 1 NY Rangers vs. No. 7 Washington
No. 5 Philadelphia vs. No. 6 New Jersey
Since we have each of the eight seeds (No. 1, No. 2 through No.8) represented in the second round, how well has each seed done in previous Conference Semifinals? Following are the series records of each seed in the second round from 1994-2011. (The playoffs in 1994 was the first year the league ranked eight teams from each of the two conferences No. 1 through No. 8, the current playoff format.) Notice how the No. 2 seed has the best series record since 1994; also notice how well the No. 6 seed has performed in the second round.
Series Record (series won/lost) of Seeds in Conference Semifinals
No. 1 Seed… 17-8 .680
No. 2 Seed… 14-5 .737
No. 3 Seed… 9-13 .409
No. 4 Seed… 11-11 .500
No. 5 Seed… 4-8 .333
No. 6 Seed… 7-5 .583
No. 7 Seed… 4-11 .267
No. 8 Seed… 2-7 .222
Let’s take it a step further. Here are the actual seed matchups from the second round from 1994-2011
Conference Semifinals Matchups (by seed) 1994-2011
No. 1 vs. No. 4: Series tied at 2-2; No. 1 vs. No. 5: No. 1 has won five series and lost two; No. 1 vs. No. 6: No. 1 has won two series and lost three; No. 1 vs. No. 7: No. 1 has won eight series and lost one.
No. 2 vs. No. 3: No. 2 has won nine series and lost two; No. 2 vs. No. 4: No. 2 has won one series and lost two series; No. 2 vs. No. 5: series tied at 1-1; No. 2 vs. No. 8: No. 2 has won all three series.
No. 3 vs. No. 4: No. 3 has won five series and lost three; No. 3 vs. No. 5: No. 3 lost the only series; No. 3 vs. No. 8: No. 3 has won both series.
No. 4 vs. No. 6: Series tied at 1-1; No. 4 vs. No. 7: series tied at 1-1; No. 4 vs. No. 8: No. 4 has won two series and lost one.
No. 5 vs. No. 6: No. 5 has lost only series; No. 5 vs. No. 8: No. 5 has lost only series.
No. 6 vs. No. 7: Series tied at 2-2.
Did you know? The higher seed has won the 64.7 percent of the NHL Conference Semifinals series from 1994-2011.
As mentioned above, each of the eight seeds (No. 1 through No. 8) have a team playing in the second round. This is the fourth time this has happened in the second round of the playoffs since 1994 (1995, 1999, 2006 and 2010). The No. 2 seed in 2010 and 2006 won the Stanley Cup that year… could this bode well for the St. Louis Blues?
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NBA teams that miss the playoffs with winning records
Sports Stats ‘on Tapp’ is a sports statistics blog published multiple times weekly focusing on stats that go beyond the numbers.
Photo credit: Wikipedia
If the NBA season ended today, two teams, Phoenix and Utah, would miss the playoffs even though they have a winning record (Phoenix is 31-29; Utah is 31-30). In league history, 26 teams with a regular season winning record did not make the playoffs. In the 1970-71 NBA season, three teams (Boston, Detroit and Phoenix) missed the playoffs yet had a regular season winning percentage over .500; that’s the most teams that have missed the playoffs in a season with winning records.
Six different teams have missed the playoffs two or more times when they finished the regular season with a winning record. Houston tops the list with five; they are followed by Golden State with four, Phoenix with three, and Cleveland, Seattle and Washington with two each.
Following are the times when teams with regular season winning records (over .500) did not make the playoffs.
Winning percentage, team, season
.598 Phoenix, 1971-72
.585 Phoenix, 1970-71… Golden State, 2007-08
.573 Seattle, 1971-72
.561 Phoenix, 2008-09
.549 Detroit, 1970-71… Golden State, 1981-82… Kansas City, 1982-83… Houston, 2000-01
.537 Boston, 1970-71… Golden State, 1973-74… Seattle, 2000-01… Minnesota, 2004-05
.524 Golden State, 1977-78… San Diego, 1978-79… Houston, 2002-03… Houston, 2010-11
.520 Charlotte, 1999-2000
.512 Portland, 1981-82… Washington, 1982-83…. Houston, 1991-92… Cleveland, 1996-97… Washington, 1997-98… Utah, 2003-04… Cleveland, 2004-05… Houston, 2009-10
Did you know? Of the teams that missed the playoffs with regular season winning records, 48% of those teams did make the playoffs the following year. The Golden State Warriors are the only NBA team to miss the playoffs with a winning record one year and then win the NBA title the following season. They won the NBA title in 1975 after missing the 1974 playoffs with a 44-38 record (.537 winning percentage) the previous year.
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