Hoops

37.5% of the season gone

That's not a game pace number. A game pace number is usually 1. Yes there is a complicated formula for it. It's already been invented about 50 seasons ago.

The flaw in your formula is that it doesn't account for free-throws.

The rest of it is because a possession ends when the other team gets the ball, so a field goal attempt resulting in an offensive rebound doesn't end the possession.

Adelaide 36ers' defence has been poor for years, full stop. It hasn't changed under the last 3 coaches. It's pretty amazing, really.

Wright's achievement has been to get them to the playoffs twice in 3 seasons, in spite of the poor defence.

koberulz - I thought there'd be some complicated formula somewhere. But I'm not keen enough to go through all the game box scores and apply that formula. The formula I used can be applied simply to the player stats from the NBL's stats page. I worked on the principle that, if a team has the ball in its possession, either one of its players shoots it or turns it over. I reckon the simple formula is good enough for the use I've made of it.

97 in a 40 minute format is disgusting.

"Sydney have a margin at the top of the ladder. Then there's a bit of a gradient down from there. If the Kings can hold that gap for a bit, it could prove difficult for other sides to reel in within a close league."

It's actually only a one-game lead using GB, and they trail both other teams on four losses (Perth and Brisbane) in their season series at this point. Eight wins is good early, but they have to keep winning or they'll lose top spot pretty quickly.

I've calculated possessions as turnovers plus field goal attempts

Possessions (available since the 1973-74 season in the NBA); the formula for teams is 0.5 * ((Tm FGA + 0.4 * Tm FTA - 1.07 * (Tm ORB / (Tm ORB + Opp DRB)) * (Tm FGA - Tm FG) + Tm TOV) + (Opp FGA + 0.4 * Opp FTA - 1.07 * (Opp ORB / (Opp ORB + Tm DRB)) * (Opp FGA - Opp FG) + Opp TOV)). This formula estimates possessions based on both the team's statistics and their opponent's statistics, then averages them to provide a more stable estimate.

Here's my calculatino of average game pace, calculated as possessions per 40 minutes of play. I've calculated possessions as turnovers plus field goal attempts, taking the stats from the NBL's Stats page.

Adelaide 83.2
Illawarra 81.4
NZ 80.8
Melbourne 80.3
Perth 79.2
Brisbane 79.1
Sydney 76.7
Cairns 74.5

Interestign theory about Adelaide, Freethrows.

Here are the teams and the percentages of their points scored by their respective top two scorers. Each team's current position on the NBL table is shown as well.

1-Sydney 43.9%
8-Adelaide 43.0%
3-Perth 41.9%
4-NZ 34.9%
2-Brisbane 34.6%
7-Melbourne 34.5%
5-Illawarra 33.2%
6-Cairns 29.9%

So the top 4 teams rank in the top 5 for scoring contribution from their highest scoring 2 players. The interloper is Adelaide.

So I think Anon is right. "It's because their D sucks"

A pace statistic has been used in the past. The +/- stat doesn't reflect game pace.

Defensive pressure wins in any league worth watching. The 36ers have none. No rim protection no up and in guards no paint prescence of any kind. 97 in a 40 minute format is disgusting.

I'd like to see a pace statistic in the NBL

Is "Best Offensive Team" meaningful in a real way? They're the highest scoring, but I don't know if they'd really be considered the best offensive.

Their points percentage is a clear worst at this point.

Sydney have a margin at the top of the ladder. Then there's a bit of a gradient down from there. If the Kings can hold that gap for a bit, it could prove difficult for other sides to reel in within a close league.

So you're suggesting that having two people average 38ppg combined is the reason their D sucks? Nope, it's because their D sucks! Scoring isn't an issue.

http://www.sportingo.com/basketball/a16187_nba-euroleague-feeling-benefits-australian-basketball-talent