Basketball Statistics Online

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Knock, knock. Who’s there? Greg. Greg who?

Yes, folks, the above sentence proves a couple of things. One, it’s kind of obvious who Greg is as Greg Oden finally makes his NBA debut for the Portland Trail Blazers and did well in under 20 minutes of work, scoring 13 points on 5-for-8 shooting from the floor and 3-for-5 makes at the free-throw line. He also grabbed five boards and blocked two shots. Oden is healthy and obviously ready to make an impact in the Association. No question.

Oh, and the second thing that first sentence proves? That I really had no good punchline, so I just didn’t bother trying because I knew I would do the opposite of what Oden did versus the Sacramento Kings… he succeeded, I would have failed. C’mon, unless a beard is involved, Greg Oden jokes are hard!

Monday morning saw Rob Keefer securing the Rookie of the Year award in the 2008 Patriot League which also assured him a spot in the PL All Rookie Team which gives Lehigh the distinction of being the first school to secure back-to-back Rookie of the Year honors for their players.

The award is a recognition of Keefer’s contribution to the league and its programs for the year. With statistics showing his consistent scoring, rebounding and defense, he has steadily grown his game to the level that it is today. Aside from statistical points, the Rookie of the Year award is also based on votes cast by the different coaches in the league.

Statistics can be defined as the interpretation and analysis of numerical data to obtain a certain degree of understanding of what that data represents. In the sport of basketball statistics are vital information that help in evaluating a player, the team and the sports in general.

Statistics are also used by sports analysts in order to predict the outcome of a game or judging the current performance of a player or a team based on previous results. A player that has double digits in two statistical categories is referred to as double double, in three categories a triple double, in four categories quadruple double and so on.

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Assists are generally important in a basketball game. It requires quick thinking and personally, I think it is one of the most selfless act a basketball player can do—passing the ball to the most eligible shooter in the pitch, brushing aside the thought that the credit for the 2 or 3 points will go to his teammate, and not his. It requires quick thinking because the person who assists the shooter will have to think in a matter of seconds who among his four teammates can shoot the ball. This requires looking for open spaces, passing the ball to his teammate that is isolated, and perhaps, avoiding turnovers. Rajon Rondo topped the league table with his 172 assists, followed by Chris Paul with 135. Deron Williams garnered about 120, Paul Pierce with 119 and Kobe Bryant with 117.

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The three pointers are the most prized possessions of a basketball team. If the margin of the scoring is already large, the coach tells the defense to gear up and to let the three pointers do their thing. Miracles do happen when the three pointers shoot the ball right. A team can win by one point (or a large margin) if the three pointers are in top condition. However, these players are only humans and are bound to err. The defense should be rock solid when it comes to rebounding the ball that didn’t go in. Ray Allen is still the league leader when it comes to three point shots. He is known for his God-gifted wrists that can shoot the ball in the 3-point perimeter area in any given time.

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If we talk of basketball, the first thing that comes to mind is the ability to control the ball by the wrist (shooting properly and accurately), ball handling (to eliminate turnovers, steals, traveling and those timed areas of the court) and others. However, there is this one more aspect of being a basketball player that covers almost all of these mentioned requirements—that is, the minutes a player plays on the pitch. Stamina is in fact important. I have played once (double court) and it sure is tiring to go to and fro your side and the other. I lost my concentration when my body started to react to exhaustion. The coach too has the option to substitute you if you are not doing very well in the pitch, or if you are ruining the team’s chances of winning. So basically, having played a lot of minutes per game should be treated as something extraordinary, as not all people can last the game that long. Paul Pierce has the most minutes played for the 2007-2008 season, having garnered 989 minutes. Ray Allen followed him with 987 minutes.

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The 2007-2008 post season statistics was unveiled by NBA’s official website. In this season’s statistics, it shows that veteran Kobe Bryant of LA Lakers still tops the table with 30.1 points per game. He was followed by LeBron James, with a little margin though, having scored 28.2 points per game. The third person to have entered the top 5 is Tracy McGrady with 27.0 points per game, followed by Dirk Nowitzki with 26.8 points. Allen Iverson completed the top 5 with his 24.5 points per game record. The result is actually what people expected since these players are legendary in terms of NBA statistics history.

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The annual NBA All-Star Game was held last February 17, 2008. Although three months have already passed, every All-Star Game becomes the talk of the town since it is a big event in basketball history. Who will get picked, what side will win, who will get the most points, assists and of course, who will be hailed as the MVP of the game. Although most of the year’s rosters are predictable, there are some new faces who rose to the ranks due to hard work and determination such as LeBron James. His professional career started in 2003 when he was 1st in the overall draft of the same year. His skills in basketball made him a legend, having sponsors here and there, making a solid mark in NBA history. It is not really a surprise when he bagged the MVP award for the 2006 and 2008 All-Star Games.

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Eastern:

Boston Celtics Vs. Atlanta Hawks – tied 2-2

Cleveland Cavaliers Vs. Washington Wizards – CLE leads 3-1

Detroit Pistons Vs. Philadelphia 76ers – DET leads 3-2

Orlando Magic Vs. Toronto Raptors – ORL leads 4-1

Western:

Los Angeles Lakers Vs. Denver Nuggets – LAL leads 4-0

New Orleans Hornets Vs. Dallas Mavericks – NOH leads 4-1

San Antonio Spurs Vs. Phoenix Suns – SAS leads 4-1

Utah Jazz Vs. Houston Rockets – UTA leads 3-2

Here’s the List:

1. 2007-08 – Kevin Garnett

2. 2006-07 – Marcus Camby

3. 2005-06 – Ben Wallace

4. 2004-05 – Ben Wallace

5. 2003-04 – Ron Artest

6. 2002-03 – Ben Wallace

7. 2001-02 – Ben Wallace

8. 2000-01 – Dikembe Mutombo

9. 1999-00 – Alonzo Mourning

10. 1998-99 – Alonzo Mourning