1-5 Rockets > 5-1 Spurs

[namlook]

1-5 Rockets > 5-1 Spurs according to Hollinger's power rankings. If Hollinger's power rankings were a newspaper I would be lining my bird cage with it.

"My system that tells us more about a team's quality than the standings do" :lol

When is this guy going to realize that wins >>>>>>>> stats?

http://espn.go.com/nba/hollinger/powerrankings

9t-r2HASo5M

[VBM]

It's BCS style...our strength of schedule is god-awful (28th out of 30). That combined with a not-so-impressive margin of victory is what screws us over. Granted, wins are wins, but it'd be foolish to ignore the easy schedule SA has had so far...

[ChumpDumper]

Obviously beating the eighth and ninth ranked teams means you are 13th.

[Shank]

And this is after the Rockets slipped from 8th.

[Venti Quattro]

Victories are getting hard to come by for the Rockets, so at least give them this one :cry

[crc21209]

:lol What a joke...

[GuerillaBlack]

His reasoning for the Rockets:


Speaking of which, let's look at the rest of the top teams. After Miami and L.A., we have a predictable list of teams that have started the season strong: Orlando at No. 3, the still-unbeaten Hornets at No. 4, Denver at No. 5, Boston at No. 6, Atlanta at No. 7, Phoenix at No. 8 and Houston at No. 9.

(Wait … did he just say Houston?)

The Rockets are 1-5, which seemingly makes them an odd choice to rank ninth in a 30-team league. But if we look at their schedule and scoring margins, the ranking is completely justified.

Houston's losses were to No. 2-ranked L.A. (by two points on the road), No. 3 New Orleans, No. 4 Denver and No. 13 San Antonio (in double overtime on the road after losing both starting guards in the first half). The only loss to a team outside the top 10 was a four-point defeat in Golden State -- no slouch itself at No. 17 -- on the second night of a back-to-back. Meanwhile, the Rockets' lone win was by 26 points.

Even if you eliminate that game, given that it came against a glorified D-League franchise, and just focus on the 0-5 start, Houston rates well. The Rockets lost all five games by a combined 30 points to teams with a record of 22-6 when they weren't playing the Timberwolves. Basically, every shred of evidence supports the notion that they're a quality team despite their 0-5 start, and as the schedule turns friendlier later this month, their record should even out accordingly.

[Shank]

If they keep up this pace, they'll be the first lottery team to rank in Hollinger's top-10.

[John HollinPER]

By using a Pythagorean Schone Distribution Multilinear Quant Analysis I can postiviely conclude that the Miami Heat are indeed the Greatest Team of All Time with a positive Filipino/Fan Efficiency Score of 98.9 out of 100. In fact the greatest score of all time could be achieved with this Miami Heat team the greatest in the Shot Clock Era.


P.S. The Jazz are projected to be once again the favorites in the West due to Mormon/Fan Efficiency Score of 99.9 out of 100.

[Ditty]

who cares who you play... records mean everthing at the end of the day

[DAF86]

lol namlook butthurt about Hollinger having the Heat over the Lakers and using the Rockets over Spurs thing to get people to criticize him.

[Iceman101]

lol namlook butthurt about Hollinger having the Heat over the Lakers and using the Rockets over Spurs thing to get people to criticize him.

:lol

[noob cake]

lol namlook butthurt about Hollinger having the Heat over the Lakers and using the Rockets over Spurs thing to get people to criticize him.

:flag:

I would be more interested in seeing the ranking with our 0-5 record, without the stat padding against the Wolves

[BlackSwordsMan]

1-7 cowboys > 1-5 rockets

[anonoftheinternets]

lol namlook butthurt about Hollinger having the Heat over the Lakers and using the Rockets over Spurs thing to get people to criticize him.

\thread :lol

[Mike-in-brazil]

Nash goes to the rockets next year j.k he's not phuckin with texas anymore
I see nash being a perfect fit in orlando ..oh my dayum love that thought !!!

[Iceman101]

1-7 cowboys > 1-5 rockets

:sleep

[AussieFanKurt]

Hollinger's not a smart man

[xellos88330]

Speaking of which, let's look at the rest of the top teams. After Miami and L.A., we have a predictable list of teams that have started the season strong: Orlando at No. 3, the still-unbeaten Hornets at No. 4, Denver at No. 5, Boston at No. 6, Atlanta at No. 7, Phoenix at No. 8 and Houston at No. 9.

(Wait … did he just say Houston?)

The Rockets are 1-5, which seemingly makes them an odd choice to rank ninth in a 30-team league. But if we look at their schedule and scoring margins, the ranking is completely justified.

Houston's losses were to No. 2-ranked L.A. (by two points on the road), No. 3 New Orleans, No. 4 Denver and No. 13 San Antonio (in double overtime on the road after losing both starting guards in the first half). The only loss to a team outside the top 10 was a four-point defeat in Golden State -- no slouch itself at No. 17 -- on the second night of a back-to-back. Meanwhile, the Rockets' lone win was by 26 points.

Even if you eliminate that game, given that it came against a glorified D-League franchise, and just focus on the 0-5 start, Houston rates well. The Rockets lost all five games by a combined 30 points to teams with a record of 22-6 when they weren't playing the Timberwolves. Basically, every shred of evidence supports the notion that they're a quality team despite their 0-5 start, and as the schedule turns friendlier later this month, their record should even out accordingly.

IIRC, it was only one overtime.

[jag]

IIRC, it was only one overtime.

Shut your mouth. Don't question the stats.

[Killakobe81]

LOL using Hollinger's analysis. If you recall after the Heat two lop-sided wins I predicted he would have the heat in first because he uses average margiin of victory in his analysis. SO even though the Hornets (ill take Lakers out to avoid bias) have a much better record, more quality wins and beat Miami head to head, his system STILL favors the HEAT. Sorry but Chimpy is a nerd that would rather crunch numbers than watch the game. right now Hornets should be #1, and Lakers#2. Lakers opponents have been soft except Blazers and Suns ...though Grizz are looking stronger with Zbo back he was out whe we played them ...

Hornets have been most impressive team so far ...

[HarlemHeat37]

:lol Daf's post is hilarious and accurate, nice catch..

As for Hollinger, I still find it funny that there are people that get so namhurt over him..he gives a unique and different look to his articles, he offers a different type of perspective..do you guys want him to write articles like every other shitty sports writer?..completely basing his analysis on Kobe's killer instinct and ability to do everything that doesn't show up in the numbers, unlike any other player in NBA history?..do you want him to be JA Adande?..

Why would anybody want every sportswriter to write the same types of articles?..

[GuerillaBlack]

who cares who you play... records mean everthing at the end of the day

This is true, but the Rockets still have 76 games left. The Rockets, as it stands currently, are only two games out of the playoffs....with 76 games left. Other teams will catch cold spells, too, and injuries will come up for all teams. Hollinger's rankings are based on future successes of the team. With an easier schedule coming up, the Rockets should start improving record wise. Look at this example:

Team A plays the Lakers, Celtics, Heat, and Nets. Team A loses to the first three teams by 3 points each, but blows out the Nets by 40. Then, you have Team B, who plays the Nets, Wizards, Clippers, and Lakers. Team B beats the first three teams by 10 points each, but gets blown out by the Lakers by 40. Who is the better team?

[Fpoonsie]

This is true, but the Rockets still have 76 games left. The Rockets, as it stands currently, are only two games out of the playoffs....with 76 games left. Other teams will catch cold spells, too, and injuries will come up for all teams. Hollinger's rankings are based on future successes of the team. With an easier schedule coming up, the Rockets should start improving record wise. Look at this example:

Team A plays the Lakers, Celtics, Heat, and Nets. Team A loses to the first three teams by 3 points each, but blows out the Nets by 40. Then, you have Team B, who plays the Nets, Wizards, Clippers, and Lakers. Team B beats the first three teams by 10 points each, but gets blown out by the Lakers by 40. Who is the better team?


The Lakers

[namlook]

lol namlook butthurt about Hollinger having the Heat over the Lakers and using the Rockets over Spurs thing to get people to criticize him.

Actually just the opposite. Hollinger has a long history of getting it wrong with his formulas so this is a good sign. His power rankings have had the Cavs #1 the past two years and we all know how that worked out. If I remember right he's also picked the Utah Jazz to beat the Lakers in the playoffs the past three years. :lmao

Way to go chimpy! :toast

[mystargtr34]

While it is a bit of a stretch to say Rockets > Spurs .. Alotnof what he says does have merit. W-L record is a really over rated stat in determining how good a team really is .. Obviously it means everything interns of seeding for playoffs and home court but you have to look alot deeper to really fond out how good a team is or how they compare with other teams .. Would you rather be 3-0 with three <5 point victories over the Wolves Pacers and Bobcats ... Or would you rather be 2-1 with >10 point wins over the Pacers an Wolves and a <5 point loss to the Lakers ?

Obviously Hollinger leans on his stats like they are thr be all end all which makes him look stupid .. But I think alot of what he comes up with is good stuff.

[HarlemHeat37]

I wouldn't say it makes him look stupid though, he just gives people an alternative to the usual, boring, cliche "analysis" you get from the biased, Al-Quobe media..Al-Quobe hates Hollinger for a reason, because he uses facts and numbers..

Hollinger admits the flaws in his system and stats, he just gives people the statistical reason that a certain team will win..I don't think he actually believes some of his predictions, he just sticks to his formula..

Mystar's point is correct, as usual..if I'm making a Power Rankings, I wouldn't put the Rockets ahead of the Spurs, due to the large differential in their current records, but the stats show that the Rockets are definitely better than their current record..

I actually don't follow Hollinger's Power Rankings at all, I don't really agree with his system, but I have some respect for it..

If you're looking at SRS, Houston is 8th..does this mean that the Rockets should currently be considered better than a lot of these other teams?..no, absolutely not, they're still losing games..however, it's a pretty good indication that Houston will be better than they currently are, once their schedule starts evening out..

[Iceman101]

At least we aren't Denver

[La Mont]

we lost all these 5 games by only single digits, and the games were only lost in the last several seconds, so it could have been 6-0 for us, or at least 3-3 if we had won half of these close games.

yao is continuously regaining fitness and he will start to play more and better as the season proceeds. a playoff berth shouldn't be too much for us to expect, i think.

[Iceman101]

we lost all these 5 games by only single digits, and the games were only lost in the last several seconds, so it could have been 6-0 for us, or at least 3-3 if we had won half of these close games.

yao is continuously regaining fitness and he will start to play more and better as the season proceeds. a playoff berth shouldn't be too much for us to expect, i think.

Ish Smith seems to be very legit, now only if he can get a shot, mix it with his passing ability :wow

[Killakobe81]

LOL lumping all Laker fans together. I dislike advanced stats for the same reason i hate NFL or NBA GM's that look at wingspan, 40 times and vertical over production and heart in the NBA and NFL draft. I do think some of the stuff he does is good in particualr his anlysis of how college players will project to the pros, i just think PER and team rating are mostly bullshit. When a ranking of anything other win loss is ALWAYS subjective. Using his data is subjective because to create it HE determined what criteria was most important to playoff success. Not saying it is wrong in priniciple just saying even his I just crunch the numbers IS SUBJECTIVE, because who has programmed the computer? Either chimpy did, or he had some ESPN nerds do it, but there is no completely objective data for ranking teams ...

Nothing wrong with using advanced stats or any data as a tool but as the final evaluation for analysis ... i dont trust it, and Kobe has nothing to do with it.

[namlook]

If Chimpy was smart he would do advanced analysis on what characteristics the teams that won the championship have had vs all the other teams that didn't win if he wants to come up with a better formula because clearly what he is doing doesn't work. He predicted the Utah Jazz over the Lakers three years running with his formulas and the playoff series' showed the Jazz were clearly the inferior team all three years.

[TD 21]

I wouldn't say it makes him look stupid though, he just gives people an alternative to the usual, boring, cliche "analysis" you get from the biased, Al-Quobe media..Al-Quobe hates Hollinger for a reason, because he uses facts and numbers..

Hollinger admits the flaws in his system and stats, he just gives people the statistical reason that a certain team will win..I don't think he actually believes some of his predictions, he just sticks to his formula..

Mystar's point is correct, as usual..if I'm making a Power Rankings, I wouldn't put the Rockets ahead of the Spurs, due to the large differential in their current records, but the stats show that the Rockets are definitely better than their current record..

I actually don't follow Hollinger's Power Rankings at all, I don't really agree with his system, but I have some respect for it..

If you're looking at SRS, Houston is 8th..does this mean that the Rockets should currently be considered better than a lot of these other teams?..no, absolutely not, they're still losing games..however, it's a pretty good indication that Houston will be better than they currently are, once their schedule starts evening out..

Exactly.

The thing that annoys me about Hollinger is his over the top arrogance. That and how stubborn he is. When he was on the Jazz bandwagon a few years back and they inevitably crashed and burned in the second round, as always, he just wouldn't admit he was wrong. He was too concerned with trying to sound clever. He did it again the following season until finally last season cooling on them. I believe he actually picked them over the Lakers the first year he was on their bandwagon, ignoring the fact that they matched up terribly with them.

That being said, I'd rather read his takes than some run of the mill, cliche writer. At least with Hollinger, it's clear he really follows the league, not just a specific team or the hype machines. And for the most part, he doesn't fawn over the hype machines, either.

I will say this, though: He clearly isn't a fan of the Lakers. Which is fine. Virtually all national writers are biased and they all kiss the Lakers ass, so it's nice to see someone who doesn't do that.

L.A. Adande is a joke. When he's just writing about general topics, he's usually bang on. But his overt bias towards all things Bryant and Lakers (no matter the topic, he can't go an article without mentioning both) is sickening. When did it become okay for so called "national" writers to be blatant fan boys?

[Killakobe81]

Exactly.

The thing that annoys me about Hollinger is his over the top arrogance. That and how stubborn he is. When he was on the Jazz bandwagon a few years back and they inevitably crashed and burned in the second round, as always, he just wouldn't admit he was wrong. He was too concerned with trying to sound clever. He did it again the following season until finally last season cooling on them. I believe he actually picked them over the Lakers the first year he was on their bandwagon, ignoring the fact that they matched up terribly with them.

That being said, I'd rather read his takes than some run of the mill, cliche writer. At least with Hollinger, it's clear he really follows the league, not just a specific team or the hype machines. And for the most part, he doesn't fawn over the hype machines, either.

I will say this, though: He clearly isn't a fan of the big market teams, mainly the Lakers. Which is fine. Virtually all national writers are biased and they all kiss the Lakers ass, so it's nice to see someone who doesn't do that.

L.A. Adande is a joke. When he's just writing about general topics, he's usually bang on. But his overt bias towards all things Bryant and Lakers (no matter the topic, he can't go an article without mentioning both) is sickening. When did it become okay for so called "national" writers to be blatant fan boys?

I don't blame yall for bashing Adande (I think he is weak too) but he is a Shaq fanboi ...not Kobe. Adanade took Shaq's side in the who stays who is the man debate. But who am i to bring facts to and whine and bitch fest aout national media? I dont blame spur fans for getting mad about being ignored at times by national media especially when they were the best team ...but the media is a business ...so they cover what sells. Who is the best matters little so we get:

Yankees, sox, Cowboys, Jets, Farve, Manning, Tiger, lakers Pac-man and the Heat Index ... you just have to deal with it ...

[jesterbobman]

Hollinger uses statistical methods to evaluate teams performance, using the variables that are usually correlated with future success, He's evaluating a mixture of current performance and predicted future success(in terms of wins), of which scoring margin is historically a better predictor of than current wins and losses.

After 7 or so games, there are going to be errors in evaluating each team, and the evaluation of each team will tend to move towards a closer picture of the quality of each team.

As for arrogance, I think he's really just going with what the stats say. He's going to be wrong sometimes, as the most likely outcome given the data available doesn't always happen. People just want to bash him more than others because his reasoning tends to be different than those of others.

[Kai]

Smart man

[Roger Freemason Jr.]

Too bad all of it doesn't matter. Every game has it's own personality, and the one thing that stands out about The Spurs, that The Rockets have yet to acquire, is that persistent ambition. Because without a doubt, our defense is very weak, but that will change dramatically as the season continues on, just as our offense completely transformed. Can't believe yall think it's about the numbers, Mavericks were so above us last season, and we spanked em hard.

[Iceman101]

Who gives a fuck about Hollinger....Sean Elliott needs to choke on dynamite