The 1946 Buffalo Bisons, who would eventually become the Atlanta Hawks. Part one of the play-in is in the books. How did I do? Pretty good! The only game I missed was the San Antonio/New Orleans match-up. The other three went as I thought they might, and what we have left now is the final phase of this opening round. Contest number one pits…
Power rankings system devised and compiled weekly by Stemshul. “Expert” analysis by paradroid. The NBA regular season has just ended and tonight we begin the play-in round. Let's briefly look back at the regular season, remind ourselves how the play-in rounds actually works, and then make some predictions! First up, the regular season. Not too many surprises at the end here; the Suns kept…
Baseball is back, so let's see what the Tigers got done this past off-season. This winter was a weird one for baseball. The collective bargaining agreement between the players' union had expired at the end of the 2021 season, December 2nd to be precise. The owners decided to execute a preemptive lockout on that day to force a swift agreement. This was slightly undercut…
Power rankings system devised and compiled weekly by Stemshul. “Expert” analysis by paradroid. Back in week 13 we talked about how Boston was stuck spinning its wheels in mediocrity, unable to leverage the Tatum/Brown duo and their array of solid veterans into a dangerous title contender. The Celtics were 21-21 and had just bumped up three spots to #16. Since that time, they've gone…
Power rankings system devised and compiled weekly by Stemshul. “Expert” analysis by paradroid. How about a team we haven't covered yet this year? The Minnesota Timberwolves have been stuck in mediocrity since Kevin Garnett was traded to Boston in 2007. The eventual prize from that deal became Kevin Love, and although he put up some great numbers, the team continued to struggle. Relatively poor…
Power rankings system devised and compiled weekly by Stemshul. “Expert” analysis by paradroid. Katohater or doppleganger? You decide! Let's look at another team who made a big trade at the deadline: the 76ers. Since adding James Harden, Philadelphia is 7-3, with one of those losses not including Harden in the lineup. The Beard's stats are very similar in most respects to his before the…
Power rankings system devised and compiled weekly by Stemshul. “Expert” analysis by paradroid. We're back and looking at the New York Knickerbockers this week. The Knicks have moved up three spots, which is good, but are still only #20, which is not. The move was aided by three wins in a row to close out the week, but was preceded by seven straight losses.…
Power rankings system devised and compiled weekly by Stemshul. “Expert” analysis by paradroid. Here come the Mavericks! Dallas, who just traded their second most productive player in Kristaps Porzingis, have gone 5-1 since they banished the Unicorn. Initially, the trade which got them Davis Bertans, a stretch 4 who hasn't been shooting well all year, and Spencer Dinwiddie, a point guard who hasn't been…
Power rankings system devised and compiled weekly by Stemshul. “Expert” analysis by paradroid. Well, I guess the season is over (I waited a couple of weeks to make sure). Unlike in MLB (thanks, Atlanta!), the team who won the title also ended up at the top of our power rankings. This is easier to pull off with about one tenth the games (17+ vs.…
Power rankings system devised and compiled weekly by Stemshul. “Expert” analysis by paradroid. As we reach the All-star break, the Suns are pulling away from the from the rest of the lead pack, with the Warriors now far closer to the Grizzlies than Phoenix. Golden State has been struggling with Defensive Player of the Year candidate Draymond Green out for the last 6 weeks.…
