David West: 'Stop letting nerds tell you how to play basketball....'

David West played on two 67 win teams and one 58 win team. Those are the best teams he played on. Those were his last three years of his career. Those also happen to be the most efficient years of his career. Before that, he was a fairly inefficient player. His last year in Indiana, he had a 50.8% true shooting percentage. That's insanely bad.

It shouldn't be a surprise that he was his most efficient, on his winning-est teams, and won a ring, on teams that employed analytics more than the league average.

 

Western Conference champions over the last 5 years:

2019: Golden State Warriors (probable champs)
2018: Golden State Warriors (champs)
2017: Golden State Warriors (champs)
2016: Golden State Warriors
2015: Golden State Warriors (champs)

It's not analytics that's keeping the Rockets out of the finals, it's an historically talented team, maybe the best ever assembled.

Doesn't matter what offense we were running, getting past the Warriors was a tall order. And we came closer than any other team except one Cavs team.

 

I don’t listen to most clutchfan members talk basketball, so I’m good

 

^A one tweet summary of how the 2019 Lakers were assembled

 

"You telling me that this structural engineer dude that's 55 and never swung a hammer in his life gonna tell me how to build a skyscraper?"

 

Just like people on here that can’t even dribble a basketball are going to teach us how to euro step

 

The most idiotic part of hearing morons like West and Pippen spew that nonsense is that NOBODY is telling them how to play the game. Just like the structural engineer doesn't care which hand you use to swing the hammer as long as you follow his specifications on building, the analytics guy is not telling you HOW to get the desired shot.....he's just telling you to get it. What's wrong with someone telling you, "Hey David, you're really good at that 16' elbow jumpshot. We feel like you should always be looking for that shot. Here are the numbers to back it up."?? It's a stupid notion to think that analytics is stifling the game.....it's very clearly enhancing it, and the ones who are ignoring it are CLEARLY being left in the dust.

 

The Rockets have only run ONE offense against the Warriors with no adjustments.. Yes the warriors are very good, but they are not playing the same defense in the post season as they are the reg season.

The 3 and layup only rule will not work in the playoffs... Get everyone involved, play team ball... push the ball up and stop letting them setup their defense...

T_Man

 

Avoiding the mid range is Moreyball. I’ll ride that system until something better comes out. What I don’t like, is harden dribbling out the shot clock, no off ball movement, no off ball screens, etc. that falls on MDA. This offseason, I want there to be an emphasis on harden moving off ball instead of standing off to the side when the ball isn’t in his hands. I can understand taking a possession or two a game off to preserve energy, but I want him working to get open. I didn’t see that enough this year

 

I agree with you. When you play this way the defense is having to work. Now you are in a position to play iso ball in key situations but not all the time. The reason is you have to make great teams work

 

You mean the same thing that has gotten us farther than any other team against GSW since the stacked team of LBJ, Love, and Irving? Keep in mind that since then, they have also added KD who is arguably the best scorer in the NBA. You really need to self-reflect on what "not work" means, because by your definition what works is "4+ All-Stars and arguably 3 of the leagues best shooters" in which case... no ****?

 

we were told to watch portland vs GS. apparently they did something that works. oh wait

 

It wouldn't?

Real talk. If the Warriors didn't exist, would this core in this offense have a championship right now?

 

The warriors take the 2nd most mid range shots which are the worst shots in basketball. They just just happen to have the greatest shooters of all time.

 

People seemed to forget that Morey stated he was absolutely fine with people who are good at taking midrange shots taking them. It's all about taking the best shots and a midrange for most players is almost never the best shot. For example, a last second pass to Harden from Capela for a 35-40ft heave would be better than a long two from Capela.

 

Or people that have never acted are gonna criticize movies or people who are not chefs who criticize the restaurant they just ate at or non politicians who criticize the government

 

I don't think "mid-range = bad" is analytics. A mid-range shot is no worse than a dunk shot... IF it goes in. In any case, extending this to GSW... they are using their system to create open shots, and while they might take more mid-range than many teams, an open mid-range shot is still better, analytically, than a defended shot of any kind...

... well, I don't know that for sure, as I don't have all that math, but its my assumption. If I think about 3 areas: (1) layups/dunks/close-in paint, (2) mid-range, and (3) threes... and can think of each one in a binary (a) open or (b) guarded [recognizing that you actually have more than 3 areas, can actually get more precise than on level of guarding, and it certainly varies by player and position], I'd have to assume that open is better than guarded regardless of area. An NBA guy (obviously it is position and player dependent) should be able to get you at least 50% but probably closer to 60% to 70% on an open mid-range. Whereas what, maybe 50% on a closely guarded layup might be about right??

 

Ehh 60...70%?

Curry and Klay shot in the low to mid 50s on ALL of their “wide open” and “open” 2 point field goals. You would think open layups are helping boost that number. So even expecting 50% on an open mid range 2 feels unreasonable, unless it’s the absolute best shooters.

 

Rockets have played the Warriors better than every other team, except for when the Cavs beat them, but that was a different Warriors team. Players that keep coming with these "hot takes" just come off looking dumb. Who the f cares what D West thinks?

 

Actually the math doesn't agree with what you said. As a team the rockets efg% was 54%. CP3 mid range fg% was 47.6. Therefore if you based everything on analytics cp3 taking a midrange shot really isn't a good shot.

https://stats.nba.com/players/shoot...ne&TeamID=1610612745&sort=Mid-Range FGA&dir=1

However if your 3s aren't falling and you aren't getting calls at the hoop you better have a plan.