How do the Mavericks stack up so far?
We are 25 games into the regular season, so I thought that it would be a good time to gauge where the Mavericks stand in comparison to the rest of the league. As many of you know, my preferred method of tracking offensive, defensive and rebounding play is to look at the offensive and defensive efficiency stats (points per 100 possessions) and rebounding differential.
This is a look at the top 10 teams in the league (as per Sagarin) and how they rank:
1. San Antonio
Offense - 3rd (111.3 pp100)
Defense - 2nd (100.4 pp100)
Rebounding - 9th (+2.0)
2. Dallas
Offense - 7th (110.7 pp100)
Defense - 6th (104.8 pp100)
Rebounding - 6th (+3.12)
3. Phoenix
Offense - 1st (114.1 pp100)
Defense - 11th (106.5 pp100)
Rebounding - 23rd (-2.17)
4. Utah
Offense - 6th (110.9 pp100)
Defense - 16th (107.0 pp100)
Rebounding - 1st (+8.29)
5. Houston
Offense - 20th (105.1 pp100)
Defense - 1st (99.8 pp100)
Rebounding - 3rd (+4.62)
6. LA Lakers
Offense - 9th (109.6 pp100)
Defense - 12th (106.6 pp100)
Rebounding - 12th (+0.62)
7. Chicago
Offense - 10th (108.6 pp100)
Defense - 3rd (102.8 pp100)
Rebounding - 7th (+2.95)
8. Detroit
Offense - 2nd (111.7 pp100)
Defense - 21st (108.0 pp100)
Rebounding - 14th (+0.43)
9. Denver
Offense - 5th (111.0 pp100)
Defense - 17th (107.1 pp100)
Rebounding - 11th (+1.54)
10. Minnesota
Offense - 28th (102.9 pp100)
Defense - 4th (103.4 pp100)
Rebounding - 22nd (-1.95)
As you can see, San Antonio, Dallas, and Chicago are the only 3 teams which rank in the top 10 in all 3 major statistical categories. One other method which TMavFan at LMF inspired me to use is to add all 3 rankings and come up with a composite score, with the lowest number being the best, like golf. Here's how the teams rank using that method:
1. San Antonio - 14
2. Dallas - 19
3. Chicago - 20
4. Utah - 23
5. Houston - 24
6. Denver - 33
7. LA Lakers - 33
8. Phoenix - 35
9. Detroit - 37
10. Minnesota - 54
From a Dallas fan's perspective, I find these numbers encouraging. The Mavs are probably as well-rounded as they've ever been, and they are dangerously close to being in the top 5 in all 3 categories. Of course, the numbers also suggest that the Spurs may have an even better team than last year, so if you are a pessimist you have to be worried about that. Still, I'd say the Mavs are right about where they need to be at this point in the season. If they end up in the top 5 in all 3 categories by season's end, I'll be feeling VERY good about a title run.
posted by kg_veteran @ 9:57 AM
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