Deserves it's own thread... https://fivethirtyeight.com/features/why-cant-the-rockets-be-the-warriors/ They have the top-rated offense not just this season, but for as long as Basketball-Reference.com has been keeping track. They sneak into the top 10 on defense this season as well, an improvement on 18th the previous season. They’re flat good. But you know that by now. What’s important here is that when a team is this good, regardless of what its doubters say, the question isn’t whether it has arrived but whether it will win the title or merely its conference. [...] But there is also now sufficient evidence to declare that Houston is squarely in Golden State’s weight class, just as there was for Golden State when it arrived on the scene.
Thanks for posting this article. I read it this morning but I didn't know know if it was already posted here.
What I don't like is hows Hardens usage higher then last year.. I think he leads the league in usage.. the team is more reliant on him this year then even last year, we need another play maker that can create shots..
This is due to you not understanding what usage actually is. This is one of the situations where Usage % is deceptive. Usage percentage is an estimate of the percentage of team plays used by a player while he was on the floor. Usage Rate Formula=100*[(Team Minutes)/(5*(Player Minutes))]*[(Field Goal Attempts)+0.44*(Free Throw Attempts)+(Turnovers)/[(Team Field Goal Attempts)+0.44*(Team Free Throw Attempts)+Team Turnovers)] So what that means is that all those times when Harden is parked 3ft beyond the 3pt line while CP3 or Gordon dribbles the ball for 15-20s and then pass off for him to ISO step back the last few seconds, that affects his usage even if the majority of the possession, he is still resting.