Tues, Feb 11th, 2020

Milwaukee’s 70-win pace — Toronto’s streak — A Larry Bird throwback

February 11, 2020

Tues, Feb 11th, 2020

    

  • History says Milwaukee will make the Finals

  • Bojan’s wonderful 2020 continues

  • The Raptors’ winning streak, by the numbers

  • A 1981 gem from Larry Bird

 1. The Lead: The Bucks are the safest bet in the NBA right now  

There is an old bro’s tale, whispered every Sunday from September through the Super Bowl at STATS Bar & Grille in South Boston, usually by a dude wearing a Gronk jersey.It goes like this: 

  • Good teams win. Great teams cover.  

(In fact, if you turn all the lights off in your bathroom and look in the mirror while saying that three times fast, a white guy in a ‘90s NBA jersey will show up and let you throw in one $10 bet, free of charge.)We digress: Good teams win. Great teams cover. Good teams win. Great teams cover.That’s what the Bucks did last night. (For the season, they’re 32 of 53 covering spreads, most of which have been double-digits.)In a game without Giannis, whose lady gave birth to a small Giannis yesterday, Milwaukee beat Sacramento, 123-111, to cover a 10.5-point spread and improve to 5-0 without their MVP.(In those five games, the Bucks are winning by an average of 16.8 points.)

Basketball Reference's game results bar graph. Height of bar is margin of victory.

This team, now 46-7, is turning into a historic juggernaut.

  • Their net rating, 11.8, would go down as the highest in NBA history. 

  • If they keep their current pace, they’ll win 71 games. (46 ÷ 53 = .867. .867 x 82 = 71.16)

  • Giannis is playing only 30.9 minutes per game, lowest since his rookie year, while also scoring 30 points per game. 

(There’s an argument that Milwaukee won’t reach 70 because it’ll have the East locked up by early-April, but every lineup they flick out there seems to win anyways.)Of the 13 teams who have won at least 67 games: 

  • Nine won the NBA Finals

  • 10 made the Finals 

  • Three -- the ‘15-16 Spurs, the ‘72-73 Celtics, the ‘06-07 Mavericks -- lost before the Finals

  • One lost in the first round to a pretty average Warriors team. Sorry, Dallas.

The point:

Barring an injury to Giannis, this is Milwaukee’s year to make the Finals for the first time since 1972

Now, imagine how scary Giannis will be in 2021, when he leaves Milwaukee and actually gets to play with a second star?

READ:

2. Bojan Bogdanović’s Sunday night game-winner  

Utah’s Bojan Bogdanović has had quite the start to 2020.A timeline: 

  • Jan. 6: He becomes the second player ever to gain entry into the 350,000 club.  

  • Feb. 9: He hits the miracle buzzer-beater GIF’d above to sink the Rockets in one of the best games of the year. 

  • Feb. 10:He trolls Kristaps Porzingis by looping the ball between his legs without it ever leaving his hands.

3. The Raptors’ 15-game win streak, by the numbers 

Last night, the Raptors beat Timberwolves for their 15th win in a row. That is not only a franchise record, but also a record for any professional Canadien sports team. A few numbers from the streak:

  .409 win percentage

Not to be buzzkills, but the Raptors’ opponents during the streak have a combined winning percentage of .409. Toronto has had the easiest schedule of any team over the last 15 games.

  38-16 record

Last year, the Raptors were 38-16 through 54 games. This year, without Kawhi Leonard, they’re 40-14.

  10.7 net rating

Toronto isn’t just winning these games, it’s blowing teams off the floor. The Raps have a 10.7 net rating during the streak, second only to the Bucks’ 12.7, of course.

  118.7 offensive rating

During the streak, the Raptors have a 118.7 offensive rating, tops in the league. Over an entire season, that mark would be the highest ever. 

4. 2/11/1981: A masterpiece from sophomore Larry 

On this day 39 years ago, 24-year-old Larry Bird put up this statline in a 105-91 road win over the Lakers: 

  • 47 minutes played, 36 points, 16 of 25 shooting, 21 rebounds, six assists, five steals, three blocks

Two things:

  • He didn’t take a single 3-pointer

  • Why did he play 47 minutes? 

Bird would win his first title that season, averaging a cool 22-14-6 in 17 playoff games.H/T to Bob Ryan.

5. Quick Hits 

  • How are things in Philadelphia, you ask? Jimmy Butler is recruiting Joel Embiid to Miami. 

  • Michael Kidd-Gilchrist, second pick in the 2012 NBA Draft, is headed to Dallas after getting bought out by Charlotte. 

  • In case you missed the blown goaltending call between the Jazz and Trail Blazers, here’s a summary.

6. Off the press

  • Bob Knight makes peace with Indiana in return from self-imposed exile [Sports Illustrated]

  • ‘Helicopter went down, flames seen’: Kobe Bryant’s last flight [The New York Times]