March 2015 Basketball Wiretap

D'Angelo Russell Believes He Can Thrive In Triangle

Jun 21, 2015 3:27 PM

D'Angelo Russell wasn't familiar with the triangle a few weeks ago, but he studied it during a film session with Phil Jackson this month.

"Now that I look at it, Kobe had great success in it. The shots that he took, the shots that he made were in the same areas, all from the offense. So I think I can definitely thrive there," Russell said in a phone interview on Friday.

 

Russell is expected to be a top-3 selection in Thursday's draft.

"It was great, just to be in the Mecca," Russell said of the Knicks workout. "It was my second workout. Just being in New York was a great feeling and getting the opportunity to work out for one of most well-known teams in the NBA was just a blessing."

Russell said he met with Jackson and Knicks coach Derek Fisher during the workout.

"They did a great job of opening the doors for me and letting me ask anything I needed," Russell said. "I asked them what’s one thing I can do to separate myself and they gave me some great knowledge on that. They’ve seen the greatest of the greats come through this league. So they know what it takes."

Ian Begley/ESPN

Tags: D'Angelo Russell, New York Knicks, NBA, NBA NBA Draft, NBA Draft General, NBA B-Ball IQ

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Curry, Green Become First Members Of +1,000 Club

Jun 18, 2015 1:46 PM

Stephen Curry and Draymond Green became the first players to have a plus/minus over 1,000 for a single season since the NBA began counting the stat in 1997.

Curry finished at +1,083 for the regular season and playoffs, while Green's total was +1,031.

LeBron James was the previous record holder at +992 during the 08-09 season ahead of Michael Jordan's +954 in 97-98.

Tom Haberstroh/ESPN

Tags: Draymond Green, Stephen Curry, Golden State Warriors, NBA, NBA B-Ball IQ

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Don Nelson: Draymond Green Made Playing Small Possible For Warriors

Jun 18, 2015 1:40 PM

Don Nelson is skeptical that the Golden State Warriors' smallball strategy will create a league-wide shift since it takes a certain collection of players.

"It started with San Antonio (last year) with the ball movement, and Golden State played that way," Nelson said.

"But you've got to have the personnel. Not everybody has Draymond Green" -- a highly skilled power forward -- "and he's the one who made it possible."

Nelson was one of the pioneers of playing small throughout his coaching career.

Jon Wilner/San Jose Mercury News

Tags: Draymond Green, Golden State Warriors, NBA, NBA B-Ball IQ

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Warriors Had +8.2 Eff. Differential In Playoffs, Best Defense Since 2004 Pistons

Jun 17, 2015 5:13 AM

The Golden State Warriors finished the 2015 NBA Playoffs with an efficiency differential of +8.2, scoring 108.7 points per 100 possessions while allowing 100.5.

2015: Warriors (+8.2, 108.7, 100.5) 

2014: Spurs (+10.0, 114.2, 104.2)

2013: Heat (+7.3, 110.2, 102.9)

2012: Heat (+8.0, 109.6, 101.6)

2011: Mavericks (+6.6, 112.9, 106.3)

2010: Lakers (+4.3, 112.8, 108.6)

2009: Lakers (+7.9, 111.4, 103.5)

2008: Celtics (+6.1, 109.4, 103.3)

2007: Spurs (+4.4, 107.6, 103.1)

2006: Heat (+4.2, 106.5, 102.4)

2005: Spurs (+4.9, 110.1, 105.1)

2004: Pistons (+7.2, 98.5, 91.2)

2003: Spurs (+6.0, 103.8, 97.7)

2002: Lakers (+4.1, 106.4, 102.3)

2001: Lakers (+13.6, 110.0, 96.5)

2000: Lakers (+2.6, 110.4, 107.8)

1999: Spurs (+8.5, 103.7, 95.2)

1998: Bulls (+8.3, 110.7, 102.4)

1997: Bulls (+6.5, 109.0, 102.5)

1996: Bulls (+12.2, 112.5, 100.3)

RealGM Staff Report

Tags: Golden State Warriors, NBA, NBA B-Ball IQ, NBA Playoffs

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David Griffin Has Learned More About Building Around LeBron During Playoffs

Jun 16, 2015 11:07 AM

The Cleveland Cavaliers have perhaps learned a lot about how to build a team around LeBron James during these playoffs without Kyrie Irving and Kevin Love.

“The special nature of his game is what has revealed itself more than anything,” David Griffin tells Grantland.

“We have very clear role delineation with this team, and I’ve learned a lot about that,” Griffin says. “LeBron needs to have the ball so much for you to be as good as you can be, and you need to be very selective about the guys who get to have it when he doesn’t.”

It is perhaps better not to pair LeBron with stars since role players who can defend and hit three-pointers may be better in aggregate.

 

“I think that’s the right makeup for LeBron,” Mike Miller says. “He just needs guys who make shots and can be physical on defense, because on offense, he’s gonna do what he does.”

“It’s about role delineation,” Griffin says again. “You can’t have too many guys who dominate the ball around LeBron.”

Kevin Love and Tristan Thompson are among the Cavaliers' free agents this offseason.

Zach Lowe/Grantland

Tags: LeBron James, Cleveland Cavaliers, NBA, NBA Signing Rumor, NBA Misc Rumor, NBA B-Ball IQ

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Advanced Stats Of The NBA Finals After Games 1-5

Jun 15, 2015 2:55 AM

The Golden State Warriors took a 3-2 series lead with their 104-91 win over the Cleveland Cavaliers in Game 5.

Points Per 100 Possessions (Game 1 / Game 2 / Game 3 / Game 4)

Warriors112.1 / 92.9 / 100.1 / 116.0 / 115.9

Cavaliers: 103.8 / 94.9 / 105.6 / 92.4 / 104.4

Series Points Per 100 Possessions

Warriors: 105.7

Cavaliers: 98.3

Differential: 7.4 (GSW)

Possessions

Game 1: 96

Game 2: 100

Game 3: 91

Game 4: 89

Game 5: 90

RealGM Staff Report

Tags: Cleveland Cavaliers, Golden State Warriors, NBA, NBA B-Ball IQ, NBA Playoffs

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Warriors Have Been 33 Points Per 100 Possessions Better In Finals With 3+ Passes

Jun 12, 2015 12:49 PM

The Golden State Warriors built their offense through spacing and ball movement during the regular season.

Their offense has stalled at times in The Finals, but it hasn't been when they've been able to move the ball.

In their 198 possessions when passing the ball three or more times, the Warriors have an offensive rating of 118.2. During their 189 possessions involving 0-2 passes, the Warriors have an offensive rating of just 85.2, representing a 33.0 difference between the two scenarios.

For the series, the Warriors have an offensive rating of 102.1 in 387 total possessions.

John Schuhmann/NBA.com

Tags: Golden State Warriors, NBA, NBA B-Ball IQ, NBA Playoffs

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Cavs Have Dominated Time Of Possession In Finals

Jun 11, 2015 1:02 PM

Time of possession in a statistic usually associated with football and soccer, but the Cleveland Cavaliers have made it an issue in these Finals.

The Cavaliers have slowed down the pace to prevent the Golden State Warriors' offense to get going.

Based on play-by-play data, Cleveland has possessed the ball for 87 minutes -- compared to 67 minutes for Golden State -- and held the ball more than 55.9 percent of the time in all three games. 

Extrapolating from SportVU player tracking of player time of possession available on NBA.com/Stats, the Cavaliers have the highest time of possession of any team in the postseason, while Golden State ranks 13th of the 16 playoff teams.

Offensive rebounding is one factor beyond milking the shot clock.

According to Seth Partnow of Nylon Calculus, SportVU data shows James has possessed the ball for approximately 12.7 minutes per game in this series, including an incredible 14.7 minutes in Game 2 -- 29 percent of the time he was on the court.

Kevin Pelton/ESPN

Tags: Cleveland Cavaliers, Golden State Warriors, NBA, NBA B-Ball IQ, NBA Playoffs

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Study Finds D'Angelo Russell As Having Highest Chance Of Both Superstar, Bust

Jun 10, 2015 2:16 PM

According to a new analytical study from ESPN, D'Angelo Russell has the highest probability of the 2015 NBA Draft of becoming a superstar while also having the highest probability of the top-25 guys of being a bust.

Russell has a 15.2 percent chance of becoming a superstar, while his bust potential is 40.9 percent, according to a formula that assigns percentages to players.

Russell had a strong freshman season at Ohio State and is capable of running an NBA offense while defending opposing wing players.

Chad Ford/ESPN

Tags: D'Angelo Russell, NBA, NBA NBA Draft, NBA Draft General, NBA B-Ball IQ

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Cavs Still Have Two Of Their Three Best Post-ASG Lineups

Jun 9, 2015 8:03 PM

The Cleveland Cavaliers are without Kevin Love and Kyrie Irving for the remainder of The Finals, limiting the lineup options available to David Blatt.

The Cavaliers have been playing without their very successful primary lineup of LeBron James, Irving, Love, Timofey Mozgov and J.R. Smith since Game 4 of the first round. That lineup had a +16.6 efficiency differential per 100 possessions in a large sample size of 286 minutes.

But Cleveland still has two of its best three post-All-Star Game lineups that played 25 or more minutes together.

The lineup of Matthew Dellavedova, LeBron, Shumpert, Smith and Thompson had a +70.0 net rating in 31 minutes, ranking first in the category for the Cavaliers. The third-ranked lineup that features Dellavedova, LeBron, Shumpert, Mozgov and Thompson had a +37.5 net rating.

The final lineup that remains available to Blatt features James Jones along with Dellavedova, LeBron, Shumpert and Thompson, but it had a -9.8 net rating in 68 minutes.

RealGM Staff Report

Tags: Cleveland Cavaliers, NBA, NBA B-Ball IQ, NBA Playoffs

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Dwane Casey: Raptors Going In The Right Direction

Steven Loung/Sportsnet

Cavs Want To Have The 'Big 3 Juggernaut Again'

Zach Lowe/Grantland

Stephen Curry Has Shot 10-For-38 On Three's Since Fall In Houston

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Advanced Stats Of The NBA Finals After Games 1-2

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Ron Adams: You Have To Be Eclectic In Defending LeBron

Ken Berger/CBS Sports

Warriors Scored More Efficiently In Halfcourt Than Their Defense Allowed In Transition

Seth Partnow/Nylon Calculus

Cavs Enter Finals As 2nd Biggest Efficiency Diff. Underdog Of Past 25 Years

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Fred Hoiberg Expects To Run Fast Paced Offense With Bulls

Nick Friedell/ESPN

Warriors, Cavs Have Two Of The Finals' Youngest Cores Over Past Two Decades

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LeBron: This Is Probably The Best I've Been

Dave McMenamin/ESPN

Gentry Showed Pelicans How Anthony Davis Was Being Underutilized

Monte Poole/Comcast