Despite more than half of NBA teams making the playoffs each year, the Sacramento Kings have not made the playoffs since 2006, tying the LA Clippers' Extremely Racist Owner Era for the longest playoff drought in league history. As of early March, the Kings look likely to take sole ownership of the NBA's playoff drought… Continue reading Making the playoffs is easier in the East. Would that have helped the Kings avoid a record playoff drought?
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The Warriors are in Their Own Universe at Scoring Off of Assists
As of December 9, the Warriors lead the NBA in assists with 28.7 per game, a mere .8 ahead of the second place Spurs. But the raw assists per game numbers do not come close to conveying how much the Warriors are lapping the rest of the NBA at scoring off of passes. The Warriors'… Continue reading The Warriors are in Their Own Universe at Scoring Off of Assists
Were the Tallest Presidents the Best?
Prompted by this musing on Twitter that Presidential height and quality are correlated, I decided to figure out whether this is true. Some of our most admired Presidents (Lincoln, Washington, Jefferson) were known for being tall, so this feels like it might be true. But is it? To measure which Presidents were the best, I… Continue reading Were the Tallest Presidents the Best?
Borda Count Doesn’t Have to Care whether You Complete Your Ballot
Can we make Borda Count resilient against strategic voting? Yes. Let's see how it works.
NBA Player Salary Converter
How does Kobe Bryant's $30.5 million salary in 2014, Michael Jordan's $33.1 million salary in 1998, or Allan Houston's $19.1 million salary in 2006 compare to NBA salaries today? This little tool lets you convert a past NBA player's salary to a current equivalent or a current NBA player's salary to a roughly equivalent salary… Continue reading NBA Player Salary Converter
Have NBA Teams Gotten Better at Drafting?
With the rise of analytics and the global popularity of the NBA and basketball overall, NBA General Managers seem to have more resources at their disposal than ever before. Presumably this fact, paired with decades of history to learn from, would lead to teams being better at picking the best available player when it's their… Continue reading Have NBA Teams Gotten Better at Drafting?
Does Playoff Dominance Portend Super Bowl Success?
Seeing a team crush its playoff opponents can inspire confidence in its fans going into the Super Bowl. A team patched up its weaknesses against strong opponents, and is playing with confidence and chemistry. And if nothing else, being able to blow out playoff teams seems to suggest that your team is really, really good.… Continue reading Does Playoff Dominance Portend Super Bowl Success?
Using Math and Logic to Predict Future Super Bowl Halftime Performers
I felt a small tinge of excitement when I found out that Shakira is performing at the halftime of Super Bowl LIV, indicating that I'm the kind of slightly-nostalgic viewer with a cursory acquaintance with popular culture that the NFL was targeting with the pick. Finding myself at all interested in the Super Bowl Halftime… Continue reading Using Math and Logic to Predict Future Super Bowl Halftime Performers
Is Momentum Really a Thing in Presidential Primaries (Before the Voting Starts)?
The long months of speculation before the Iowa Caucuses abound with headlines about the "momentum" that a candidate has, including nearly half a million Google results for "Buttigieg Momentum" and one atrocious portmanteau in "Buttimentum". Certainly winning Iowa or New Hampshire can boost a Presidential hopeful's campaign, whereas losing early states can destroy a candidate's… Continue reading Is Momentum Really a Thing in Presidential Primaries (Before the Voting Starts)?