NBA 2015-16 15-week Power Ratings

Our 9-week ratings included this observation:

“The round of rankings suggests two more things: (a) Don’t sleep on the Pistons, and (b) don’t bet on the Rockets.”

The Abacus magic formula still concurs with this assessment. Detroit projects to a No. 5 seed, while even Coach B.J. wonders how his “broken team” still clings to any playoff hopes (not to mention the No. 7 seed they are holding).

These ratings would currently produce this set of first-round playoff match-ups. (Seeding by team record is noted.)

EAST       WEST

1. Cleveland (1) vs. 8. Charlotte (9)     1. San Antonio (2) vs. 8. Dallas (6)

2. Toronto (2) vs. 7. Atlanta (5)     2. Golden State (1) vs. 7. Portland (9)

3. Boston (3) vs. 6. Indiana (6)     3. Oklahoma City (3) vs. 6. Utah (8)

4. Miami (1) vs. 5. Detroit (8)     4. LA Clippers (4) vs. 5. Memphis (5)

[All Data reflects play through Monday, Feb.8. The criteria is explained below.]

3-week, 6-week, 9-week and 12-week ratings are also available.

No. 1 San Antonio Spurs (6)

[ESPN 15-week Rating: 2

Abacus 12-week Rating: 1

Abacus 9-week Rating: 1

Abacus 6-week Rating: 1

3-week Abacus rating: 1]

43-8, .843; 1^st in Southwest Division / 2^nd seed / 2^nd overall

KK:  +15; (15 Road Wins – 0 Home Losses) / No. 2 overall

CQ:  +59; (.520 [3^rd] - .461 [1^st]) / No. 1 overall

SPOR-t:  +102; (584 [3^rd] – 482 [1^st]) / No. 1 overall

Abacus Revelation: This season’s Spurs are attempting four fewer (18.7) treys per game compared to 2014-15

No. 2 Golden State Warriors (7)

[ESPN 15-week Rating: 1

Abacus 12-week Rating: 2

Abacus 9-week Rating: 2

Abacus 6-week Rating: 2

3-week Abacus rating: 2]

46-4, .920; 1^st in Pacific Division / 1^st seed / 1^st overall

KK:  +23; (23 Road Wins – 0 Home Losses) / No. 1 overall

CQ:  +38; (.521 [2^nd] – .483 [8^th]) / No. 2 overall

SPOR-t:  +57; (588 [2^nd] – 531 [11^th]) / No. 3 overall  

Abacus Revelation: The Dubs have increased their frequency of three-point shots from last season’s 31% to 35%.

No. 3 Oklahoma City Thunder (13.5)

[ESPN 15-week Rating: 4

Abacus 12-week Rating: 3

Abacus 9-week Rating: 3

Abacus 6-week Rating: 4

3-week Abacus rating: 6]

39-14, .736; 1^st in Northwest Division / 3^rd seed / 3^rd overall

KK:  +10; (15 Road Wins – 5 Home Losses) / No. 5 overall (tied)

CQ:  +37; (.526 [1^st] - .489 [14^th]) / No. 3 overall

SPOR-t:  +82; (629 [1^st] – 547 [19^th]) / No. 2 overall

Abacus Revelation: Last season’s tenth-best Defensive Rebounding team has slipped to No. 19.

No. 4 Cleveland Cavaliers (19)

[ESPN 15-week Rating: 5

Abacus 12-week Rating: 4

Abacus 9-week Rating: 4

Abacus 6-week Rating: 5

3-week Abacus rating: 3]

37-14, .725; 1^st in Central Division / 1^st seed / 4^th overall

KK:  +12; (16 Road Wins – 4 Home Losses) / No. 3 overall

CQ:  +17; (.502 [7^th] - .485 [10^th]) / No. 7 overall

SPOR-t:  +50; (569 [5^th] – 519 [4^th]) / No. 5 overall  

Abacus Revelation: The Cavs lost two home games during the past three weeks, thr first time that’s happened in over a year.

No. 5 Toronto Raptors (19.5)

[ESPN 15-week Rating: 3

Abacus 12-week Rating: 5

[Abacus 9-week Rating: 5

Abacus 6-week Rating: 3

3-week Abacus rating: 4]

35-16, .686; 1^st in Atlantic Division / 2^nd seed / 5^th overall

KK:  +11; (17 Road Wins – 6 Home Losses) / No. 4 overall

CQ:  +26; (.502 [8^th] - .476 [3^rd]) / No. 4 overall (tied)

SPOR-t:  +36; (549 [11^th] – 513 [3^rd]) / No. 6 overall

Abacus Revelation: The Raptors own a .629 road winning percentage this season, up from .537 last year.

No. 6 Los Angeles Clippers (31)

[ESPN 15-week Rating: 7

Abacus 12-week Rating: 6

Abacus 9-week Rating: 8

Abacus 6-week Rating: 15

3-week Abacus rating: 12]

35-17, .673; 2^nd in Pacific Division /4^th seed / 6^th overall

KK:  +10; (18 Road Wins – 8 Home Losses) / No. 5 overall (tied)

CQ:  +26; (.513 [4^th] - .487 [11^th]) / No. 4 overall (tied)

SPOR-t:  0; (538 [16^th] – 538 [14^th]) / No.  15 overall

Abacus Revelation: The Clips’ shot .378 on three-pointers over the last six weeks, up from .347.

No. 7 Boston Celtics (33)

[ESPN 15-week Rating: 6

Abacus 12-week Rating: 11

Abacus 9-week Rating: 11

Abacus 6-week Rating: 10

3-week Abacus rating: 9]

31-22, .585; 2^nd in Atlantic Division / 3^rd seed / 7^th overall

KK:  +5; (15 Road Wins – 10 Home Losses) / No. 7 overall

CQ:  +6; (.484 [21^st] - .478 [6^th]) / No. 12 overall

SPOR-t:  +28; (549 [15^th] – 521 [8^th]) / No. 7 overall

Abacus Revelation: Over their last 82 regular-season games, Boston is 51-31 (.622).

No. 8 Miami Heat (35.5)

[ESPN 15-week Rating: 9

Abacus 12-week Rating: 8

Abacus 9-week Rating: 10

Abacus 6-week Rating: 8

3-week Abacus rating: 5]

29-23, .558; 1^st in Southeast Division / 4^th seed / 9^th overall

KK:  +3; (13 Road Wins – 10 Home Losses) / No. 10 overall (tied)

CQ:  +18; (.495 [12^th] - .477 [4^th]) / No. 6 overall

SPOR-t:  +13; (532 [21^st] – 519 [4^th]) / No. 10 overall  

Abacus Revelation: The stingy Heat hold a Top Ten ranking in FG defense, 3FG defense and defensive rebounding.

No. 9 Detroit Pistons (39.5)

[ESPN 15-week Rating: 13

Abacus 12-week Rating: 7

Abacus 9-week Rating: 9

Abacus 6-week Rating: 7

3-week Abacus rating: 8]

27-26, .509; 4^th in Central Division / 8^th seed / 14^th overall (tied)

KK:  +2; (11 Road Wins – 9 Home Losses) / No. 12 overall (tied)*

CQ:  +12; (.502 [6^th] - .490 [15^th]) / No. 8 overall

SPOR-t:  +52; (580 [4^th] – 528 [10^th]) / No. 4 overall

Abacus Revelation: Detroit is fourth-best in the league in defensive rebounding after being middle-of-the-road (No. 15) last year.

No. 10 Indiana Pacers (42)

[ESPN 15-week Rating: 11

Abacus 12-week Rating: 10

Abacus 9-week Rating: 6

Abacus 6-week Rating: 5

3-week Abacus rating: 16]

28-24, .538; 2^nd in Central Division / 6^th seed / 11^th overall

KK:  +3; (11 Road Wins – 8 Home Losses / No. 10 overall (tied)

CQ:  +11; (.488 [17^th] - .477 [5^th]) / No. 9 overall

SPOR-t:  +12; (535 [19^th] – 523 [8^th]) / No. 11 overall (tied)

Abacus Revelation: After a slow start (96 ppg), the Pacers have been putting up 104 over the last 12 weeks.

ABACUS INFOMERCIAL

Masters of the Craft (Part 1)

Which teams are performing the rudimentary skills of the game most proficiently at both ends of the floor? Let’s consider four elements of play: FG shooting, three-point shooting, Offensive Rebounding and the matter of turnovers. These teams hold a Top Ten rank offensively and defensively:

FG%: Atlanta, Golden State, LA Clippers, Miami, OKC, San Antonio

3FG%: Chicago, Golden State, San Antonio

PPG: Boston, Cleveland, Indiana, LA Clippers, San Antonio

OR%: Cleveland, Denver, Detroit, Portland, Utah

TO%: Boston, LA Clippers, Memphis

No. 11 Memphis Grizzlies (42.5)

[ESPN 15-week Rating: 8

Abacus 12-week Rating: 9

Abacus 9-week Rating: 15

Abacus 6-week Rating: 15

3-week Abacus rating: 20]

30-22, .577; 2^nd in Southwest Division / 5^th seed / 8^th overall

KK:  +2; (11 Road Wins – 9 Home Losses) / No. 12 overall (tied)*

CQ:  +10; (.495 [13^th] - .485 [9^th]) / No. 10 overall

SPOR-t:  +12; (534 [20^th] – 522 [7^th]) / No. 11 overall (tied)

Abacus Revelation: Memphis opponents lose one of every six possessions to a turnover.

No. 12 Atlanta Hawks (51.5)

[ESPN 15-week Rating: 10

Abacus 12-week Rating: 12

Abacus 9-week Rating: 12

Abacus 6-week Rating: 14

3-week Abacus rating: 10]

30-24, .556; 2^nd in Southeast Division / 5^th seed / 10^th overall

KK:  +4; (13 Road Wins – 9 Home Losses) / No. 8 overall (tied)

CQ:  +7; (.481 [25^th] - .474 [2^nd]) / No. 11 overall

SPOR-t:  -26; (505 [27^th] – 531 [11^th]) / No. 22 overall

Abacus Revelation: The Hawks held opponents to 31% three-point shooting during Weeks 13-15, down from 36%

No. 13 Utah Jazz (56.5)

[ESPN 15-week Rating: 12

Abacus 12-week Rating: 16

Abacus 9-week Rating: 16

Abacus 6-week Rating: 11

3-week Abacus rating: 7]

25-25, .500; 2^nd in Northwest Division / 8^th seed / 16^th overall (tied)

KK:  -2; (8 Road Wins – 10 Home Losses) / No. 17 overall (tied)*

CQ:  +2; (.490 [14^th] - .488 [12^th]) / No. 14 overall

SPOR-t:  +24; (551 [9^th] – 527 [9^th]) / No. 8 overall

Abacus Revelation: The surging Jazz held opponents to 90 ppg during Weeks 13-15 – down from 97 during the first 12 weeks.

No. 14 Portland Trail Blazers (65)

[ESPN 15-week Rating: 16

Abacus 12-week Rating: 17

Abacus 9-week Rating: 18

Abacus 6-week Rating: 19

3-week Abacus rating: 26]

26-27, .491; 3^rd in Northwest Division / 9^th seed / 18^th overall

KK:  0; (11 Road Wins – 11 Home Losses) / No. 15 overall

CQ:  -13; (.490 [15^th] - .503 [24^th]) / No. 23 overall

SPOR-t:  +20; (562 [6^th] – 542 [16^th]) / No. 9 overall

Abacus Revelation: Through 30 games, opponents made 34% of their treys; over the next 23 games, they made two of every five.

No. 15 Charlotte Hornets (66.5)

[ESPN 15-week Rating: 18

Abacus 12-week Rating: 18

Abacus 9-week Rating: 13

Abacus 6-week Rating: 9

3-week Abacus rating: 14]

26-26, .500; 3^rd in Southeast Division / 9^th seed / 16^th overall (tied)

KK:  -2; (7 Road Wins – 9 Home Losses) / No. 17 overall (tied)*

CQ:  0: (.478 [24^th] - .478 [7^th]) / No. 15 overall

SPOR-t:  -7; (501 [28^th] – 508 [2^nd]) / No. 17 overall

Abacus Revelation: For the third consecutive season, Charlotte is the league’s top defensive rebounding team.

No. 16 Dallas Mavericks (67)

[ESPN 15-week Rating: 15

Abacus 12-week Rating: 14

Abacus 9-week Rating: 14

Abacus 6-week Rating: 13

3-week Abacus rating: 10]

29-25, .537; 3^rd in Southwest Division / 6^th seed / 12^th overall

KK:  +4; (14 Road Wins – 10 Home Losses) / No. 8 overall (tied)

CQ:  -8; (.482 [22^nd] - .490 [16^th]) / No. 20 overall (tied)

SPOR-t:  -31; (508 [26^th] – 539 [15^th]) / No. 26 overall

Abacus Revelation: The Mavs are best in the league at limiting turnovers (.130).

No. 17 Chicago Bulls (68)

[ESPN 15-week Rating: 17

Abacus 12-week Rating: 13

Abacus 9-week Rating: 17

Abacus 6-week Rating: 17

3-week Abacus rating: 13]

27-24, .529; 3^rd in Central Division / 7^th seed / 13^th overall

KK: +2; (11 Road Wins - 9 Home Losses) / No. 12 overall (tied)*

CQ:  -9; (.482 [23^rd] - .491 [17^th]) / No. 22 overall

SPOR-t:  -19; (546 [13^th] – 565 [26^th]) / No. 19 overall (tied)*

Abacus Revelation: Over the last nine weeks, Chicago has risen from No.22 to No.7 in Offensive Rebounding.

No. 18 Orlando Magic (72.5)

[ESPN 15-week Rating: 24

Abacus 12-week Rating: 14

Abacus 9-week Rating: 7

Abacus 6-week Rating: 12

3-week Abacus rating: 19]

23-28, .451; 4^th in Southeast Division / 10^th seed / 19^th overall

KK:  -3; (9 Road Wins – 12 Home Losses) / No. 20 overall

CQ:  -8; (.480 [26^th] - .488 [13^th]) / No. 20 overall (tied)

SPOR-t:  +4; (537 [17^th] – 533 [13^th]) / No. 13 overall

Abacus Revelation: The Magic have yielded 104 ppg in their last 20 games, up from 99 over the first nine weeks.

No. 19 Sacramento Kings (73.5)

[ESPN 15-week Rating: 19

Abacus 12-week Rating: 20

Abacus 9-week Rating: 23

Abacus 6-week Rating: 25

3-week Abacus rating: 23]

21-31, .404; 3^rd in Pacific Division / 10^th seed / 22^nd overall

KK:  -5; (8 Road Wins – 13 Home Losses) / No. 21 overall (tied)**

CQ:  +3; (.499 [9^th] - .496 [19^th]) / No. 13 overall

SPOR-t:  -2; (544 [14^th] – 546 [18^th]) / No. 16 overall

Abacus Revelation: The Kings have been out-scored by 112 points this season; they’ve missed 92 more free throws than their opponents.

No. 20 Houston Rockets (77.5)

[ESPN 15-week Rating: 14

Abacus 12-week Rating: 19

Abacus 9-week Rating: 20

Abacus 6-week Rating: 27

3-week Abacus rating: 27]

27-26, .509; 4^th in Southwest Division / 7^th seed / 14^th overall (tied)

KK:  -2; (11 Road Wins – 13 Home Losses) / No. 17 overall (tied)*

CQ:  -5; (.498 [10^th] - .503 [25^th]) / No. 17 overall

SPOR-t:  -41; (532 [21^st] – 573 [28^th]) / No. 28 overall

Abacus Revelation: For the second consecutive season, Houston averages more than 30 three-point attempts a game.

ABACUS INFOMERCIAL

Masters of the Craft (Part 2)

Are not the exceptionally inept worthy of some recognition? Here are the teams that hold a Bottom Ten offensive and defensive ranking in our key elements of play: FG shooting, three-point shooting, Offensive Rebounding and the matter of turnovers.

FG%: Denver, LA Lakers, Philadelphia, Phoenix

3FG%: Denver

PPG: Brooklyn, LA Lakers, Milwaukee, Minnesota, Philadelphia

OR%: Atlanta, LA Clippers, LA Lakers, Philadelphia

TO%: Oklahoma City

No. 21 Milwaukee Bucks (78)

[ESPN 15-week Rating: 26

Abacus 12-week Rating: 22

Abacus 9-week Rating: 27

Abacus 6-week Rating: 26

3-week Abacus rating: 24]

20-32, .385; 5^th in Central Division / 13^th seed / 24^th overall

KK:  -1; (7 Road Wins – 8 Home Losses) / No. 16 overall

CQ:  -6; (.497 [11^th] - .503 [23^rd]) / No. 18 overall

SPOR-t:  -19; (554 [7^th] – 573 [28^th]) / No. 19 overall (tied)*

Abacus Revelation: The Bucks’ defense is surrendering 5.5 more ppg than it did during last season’s run to the playoffs.

No. 22 Denver Nuggets (84)

[ESPN 15-week Rating: 20

Abacus 12-week Rating: 24

Abacus 9-week Rating: 21

Abacus 6-week Rating: 23

3-week Abacus rating: 18]

21-32, .396; 4^th in Northwest Division / 11^th seed / 23^rd overall

KK:  -5; (10 Road Wins – 15 Home Losses) / No. 21 overall (tied)**

CQ:  -15; (.489 [16^th] - .504 [26^th]) / No. 24 overall (tied)

SPOR-t:  +1: (551 [9^th] – 550 [21^st]) / No. 14 overall

Abacus Revelation: The Nuggets hold a 101 rebound advantage over their opponents – 97 of them are OR’s.

No. 23 Washington Wizards (85)

[ESPN 15-week Rating: 21

Abacus 12-week Rating: 23

Abacus 9-week Rating: 19

Abacus 6-week Rating: 20

3-week Abacus rating: 22]

22-27, .449; 5^th in Southeast Division / 11^th seed / 20^th overall

KK:  -5; (11 Road Wins – 16 Home Losses) / No. 21 overall (tied)**

CQ:  -7; (.488 [18^th] - .495 [18^th]) / No. 19 overall

SPOR-t:  -27; (515 [24^th] – 542 [16^th]) / No. 23 overall (tied)

Abacus Revelation: The Wizards boasted the league’s second-best FG defense (.433) last season – now they are second-worst at .470.

No. 24 Minnesota Timberwolves (86)

[ESPN 15-week Rating: 25

Abacus 12-week Rating: 25

Abacus 9-week Rating: 22

Abacus 6-week Rating: 18

3-week Abacus rating: 17]

16-37, .302; 5^th in Northwest Division / 13^th seed / 26^th overall

KK:  -11; (8 Road Wins – 19 Home Losses) / No. 26 overall

CQ:  -1; (.505 [5^th] - .506 [27^th]) / No. 16 overall

SPOR-t:  -10; (552 [8^th] – 562 [24^th]) / No. 18 overall

Abacus Revelation: Minnesota’s -3.8 per game point differential happens at the three-point stripe, where they are -200 in makes.

No. 25 New Orleans Pelicans (94.5)

[ESPN 15-week Rating: 22

Abacus 12-week Rating: 27

Abacus 9-week Rating: 28

Abacus 6-week Rating: 28

3-week Abacus rating: 29]

19-32, .373; 5^th in Southwest Division / 12^th seed / 25^th overall

KK:  -6; (6 Road Wins – 12 Home Losses) / No. 25 overall

CQ:  -15; (.487 [19^th] - .502 [21^st]) / No. 24 overall (tied)

SPOR-t:  -19; (529 [23^rd] – 548 [20^th]) / No. 19 overall (tied)*

Abacus Revelation: During Weeks 11-15, the Pelicans improved their Offensive Rebounds from 8.5 to 11 per game.

No. 26 New York Knicks (95.5)

[ESPN 15-week Rating: 23

Abacus 12-week Rating: 21

Abacus 9-week Rating: 25

Abacus 6-week Rating: 24

3-week Abacus rating: 20]

23-31, .426; 3^rd in Atlantic Division / 12^th seed / 21^st overall

KK:  -5; (9 Road Wins – 14 Home Losses) / No. 21 overall (tied)**

CQ:  -20; (.486 [20^th] - .506 [28^th]) / No. 27 overall

SPOR-t:  -29; (542 [15^th] – 571 [27^th]) / No. 25 overall

Abacus Revelation: After yielding 38% on three-point shots last season (worst in the NBA), they’re currently No. 6 at .334.

No. 27 Brooklyn Nets (106)

[ESPN 15-week Rating: 28

Abacus 12-week Rating: 26

Abacus 9-week Rating: 24

Abacus 6-week Rating: 22

3-week Abacus rating: 25]

14-39, .264; 4^th in Atlantic Division / 14^th seed / 27^th overall (tied)

KK:  -16; (4 Road Wins – 20 Home Losses) / No. 29 overall

CQ:  -19; (.482 [24^th] - .501 [20^th]) / No. 26 overall

SPOR-t:  -27; (537 [17^th] – 564 [25^th]) / No. 23 overall (tied)

Abacus Revelation: After shooting just .321 from the three-point stripe for 12 weeks, the Nets decided to shoot .408 from distance for Weeks 13-15.

No. 28 Phoenix Suns (110)

[ESPN 15-week Rating: 30

Abacus 12-week Rating: 28

Abacus 9-week Rating: 26

Abacus 6-week Rating: 21

3-week Abacus rating: 15]

14-39, .264; 4^th in Pacific Division / 14^th seed / 27^th overall (tied)

KK:  -13; (4 Road Wins – 17 Home Losses) / No. 27 overall (tied)

CQ:  -38; (.472 [28^th] - .510 [29^th]) / No. 28 overall

SPOR-t:  -40; (515 [24^th] – 555 [22^nd]) / No. 27 overall

Abacus Revelation: The Suns have been out-shot .512 to .471 on two-point FG’s this season.

No. 29 Los Angeles Lakers (116.5)

[ESPN 15-week Rating: 29

Abacus 12-week Rating: 29

Abacus 9-week Rating: 29

Abacus 6-week Rating: 29

3-week Abacus rating: 28]

11-43, .204; 5^th in Pacific Division / 15^th seed / 29^th overall

KK:  -13; (5 Road Wins – 18 Home Losses) / No. 27 overall (tied)

CQ:  -54; (.465 [29^th] - .519 [30^th]) / No. 30 overall

SPOR-t:  -96; (498 [29^th] – 594 [30^th]) / No. 30 overall

Abacus Revelation: The Lakers have limited opponents to 30% three-point shooting over the last six weeks, down from 35% through 32 games.

No. 30 Philadelphia 76ers (118)

[ESPN 15-week Rating: 27

Abacus 12-week Rating: 30

Abacus 9-week Rating: 30

Abacus 6-week Rating: 30

3-week Abacus rating: 30]

8-44, .154; 5^th in Atlantic Division / 15^th seed / 30^th overall

KK:  -17; (3 Road Wins – 20 Home Losses) / No. 30 overall

CQ:  -47; (.456 [30^th] - .503 [23^rd]) / No. 29 overall

SPOR-t:  -86; (471 [30^th] – 557 [24^th]) / No. 29 overall

Abacus Revelation: Over their last 19 games, the Sixers have averaged 99.8 points, up from 92.

Power Ratings --The Measurement Instrument

Our team-ranking tool utilizes four elements. Two scales are based solely on team wins and losses; the others are measures of the efficiency of team performance in comparison with the competition. 

First, we’ll simply use win-loss record irrespective of conference.

The second criterion will be the difference between a team’s road wins and its home losses. Since this cute little metric is said to be a personal favorite of veteran NBA coach George Karl, let’s call this the Karl Kount (KK).

Criterion No. 3, Conversion Quotient (CQ), involves the rate at which a team converts its possessions into a successful field goals or free throw attempts. Like the KK, the computation is simple subtraction—a team’s rate of offensive efficiency minus that of the opponent.

Lastly, please allow Abacus to introduce the “SPOR-t” score. SPOR-t stands for “Shooting Plus Offensive Rebounds minus turnovers.” Add a team’s FG percentage and its offensive rebounding percentage (o. boards divided by the sum of those o. boards and the opposition's d. boards). Then subtract the percentage of a team’s possessions lost to turnovers. For example, a team shoots field goals at a .488 clip, offensive rebounds at a rate of .199, and commits a turnover on .143 of its possessions. So its SPOR-t is (488+199-143) or 544. Once again, our measurement will be the difference between the SPOR-t scores of a team and its opposition.

We’ll rank the teams from 1 to 30 in all criteria and simply add up the rankings. Low score wins, naturally.

NBA 2015-16: Second Quarter Ratings

The marathon that is an NBA season has its share of ups and downs. Nearly half the league (14 teams) rose or fell in the Quarterly rankings by at least eight positions.

The most significant surge was registered by the Houston Rockets, launching themselves 20 positions in the hierarchy. Sacramento (+16) and Milwaukee (+12) showed similar improvement.

The Charlotte Hornets suffered the biggest fall, dropping 16 spots. They were joined on the Humpty-Dumpty list by the Pacers (-13), Jazz (-13) and Magic (-11).

Curiously, despite all this upheaval, the statistical production of the average NBA team showed minimal change from Quarter 1 to Quarter 2.

Q1                     <>                     Q2

36.9 – 83.5 (.442)    [FG’s]    37.7 – 83.3 (.453)

8.18 – 23.6 (.348)    [3FG’s]    8.33 – 23.4 (.356)

17.8 – 23.5 (.757)    [FT’s]    16.9 – 22.4 (.755)

10.4 – 43.8 (.238)    [OR’s/TR’s (OR%)]    10.3 – 42.9 (.240)

15.0 (.151)    [TO’s (TO’s/Poss.)]    14.2 (.145)

99.8    [PPG]    100.7

.282    [3FG usage (3FGA/FGA)]    .281

These rankings reflect play during Weeks 7-12, (Dec. 8 – Jan. 18).

An explanation of the Grading Criteria is found below.

This data reflect play during Weeks 7-12, (Dec. 8 – Jan. 18).

First Quarter ratings are available here.

No. 1 San Antonio Spurs (7.5)

[First Quarter Abacus rating: 1]

18-2, .900; 1^st in Southwest Division / 1^st seed / 1^st overall

KK:  +5; (5 Road Wins – 0 Home Losses) / No. 4 overall (tied)

CQ:  +73; (.538 [2^nd] - .465 [1^st]) / No. 1 overall

SPOR-t:  +142; (615 [2^nd] – 473 [1^st]) / No. 1 overall

Abacus Revelation: The Spurs were the only team to shoot FG’s over 50% (.506) during Quarter 2.

No. 2 Oklahoma City Thunder (10.5)

[First Quarter Abacus rating: 4]

18-4, .818; 1^st in Northwest Division / 2^nd seed / 2^nd overall

KK:  +5; (7 Road Wins – 2 Home Losses) / No. 4 overall (tied)

CQ:  +63; (.539 [1^st] - .476 [4^th]) / No. 2 overall

SPOR-t:  +88; (636 [1^st] – 548 [17^th]) / No. 2 overall

Abacus Revelation: OKC improved their team defense by 4.5 points per game from Quarter 1 to Quarter 2.

No. 3 Cleveland Cavaliers (14)

[First Quarter Abacus rating: 6]

15-4, .789; 1^st in Central Division / 1^st seed / 4^th overall

KK:  +8; (9 Road Wins – 1 Home Loss) / No. 1 overall

CQ:  +25; (.500 [10^th] - .475 [3^rd]) / No. 5 overall

SPOR-t:  +65; (569 [7^th] – 504 [2^nd]) / No. 4 overall  

Abacus Revelation: After outscoring opponents by 3.9 ppg in Quarter 1, the Cavs upped the ante to 6.8 ppg during Weeks 7-12.

No. 4 Golden State Warriors (16)

[First Quarter Abacus rating: 2]

16-4, .800; 1^st in Pacific Division / 3^rd seed / 3^rd overall

KK:  +7; (7 Road Wins – 0 Home Losses) / No. 2 overall (tied)

CQ:  +30; (.512 [4^th] - .482 [8^th]) / No. 3 overall

SPOR-t:  +25; (565 [9^th] – 540 [10^th]) / No. 7 overall (tied)

Abacus Revelation: Though the raw numbers are comparable, the Warriors’ Offensive Rebounding percentage (.262 to .231) and rank (No. 4 to 19) dipped in Quarter 2.

No. 5 Toronto Raptors (21)

[First Quarter Abacus rating: 3]

13-6, .684; 1^st in Atlantic Division / 2^nd seed / 6^th overall

KK:  +4; (6 Road Wins – 2 Home Losses) / No. 6 overall

CQ:  +26; (.498 [12^th] - .472 [2^nd]) / No. 4 overall

SPOR-t:  +35; (543 [15^th] – 508 [3^rd]) / No. 5 overall

Abacus Revelation: The Raptors ranked Top Three in multiple defensive measures, including points per game, for Quarter 2.

No. 6 Los Angeles Clippers (29.5)

[First Quarter Abacus rating: 15]

15-5, .750; 2^nd in Pacific Division /4^th seed / 5^th overall

KK:  +7; (9 Road Wins – 2 Home Losses) / No. 2 overall (tied)

CQ:  +16; (.508 [8^th] - .492 [17^th]) / No. 10 overall

SPOR-t:  +6; (548 [12^th] – 542 [14^th]) / No.  12 overall

Abacus Revelation: The Clippers’ three- point shooting improved from No 24 (.326) to No. 2 (.397) during the season’s second session.

No. 7 Detroit Pistons (41)

[First Quarter Abacus rating: 7]

10-9, .526; 3^rd in Central Division / 5^th seed / 12^th overall

KK:  -1; (4 Road Wins – 5 Home Losses) / No. 18 overall (tied)*

CQ:  +19; (.509 [6^th] - .490 [13^th]) / No. 7 overall

SPOR-t:  +69; (609 [3^rd] – 540 [10^th]) / No. 3 overall

Abacus Revelation: The Pistons increased their per-game scoring by 6.8 points during Quarter 2.

No. 7 Houston Rockets (41)

[First Quarter Abacus rating: 27]

12-10, .545; 2^nd in Southwest Division / 6^th seed / 10^th overall (tied)

KK:  +2; (5 Road Wins – 3 Home Losses) / No. 8 overall (tied)*

CQ:  +17; (.508 [7^th] - .491 [14^th]) / No. 8 overall (tied)

SPOR-t:  -2; (547 [13^th] – 549 [18^th]) / No. 13 overall

Abacus Revelation: The Rockets held the other guys to four fewer points per game in Quarter 2.

No.9 Sacramento Kings (41.5)

[First Quarter Abacus rating: 25]

10-8, .556; 3^rd in Pacific Division / 5^th seed / 9^th overall

KK:  +1; (5 Road Wins – 4 Home Losses) / No. 11 overall (tied)**

CQ:  +22; (.510 [5^th] - .488 [12^th]) / No. 6 overall

SPOR-t:  -3; (538 [18^th] – 541 [13^th]) / No. 14 overall

Abacus Revelation: The puzzling Kings scored 108 points per game in Quarter 2 despite squandering over 24 every game between turnovers and missed FT’s.

No. 10 Memphis Grizzlies (44)

[First Quarter Abacus rating: 15]

12-10, .545; 2^nd in Southwest Division / 6^th seed / 10^th overall (tied)

KK:  0; (3 Road Wins – 3 Home Losses) / No. 15 overall (tied)*

CQ:  +17; (.498 [11^th] - .481 [6^th]) / No. 8 overall (tied)

SPOR-t:  +24; (552 [11^th] – 528 [5^th]) / No. 9 overall

Abacus Revelation: During the season’s second quarter, Memphis increased its rate of converting possessions from 48 to 50 percent.

ABACUS INFOMERCIAL

Masters of the Craft (Part 1)

Which teams are performing the rudimentary skills of the game most proficiently at both ends of the floor? Let’s consider four elements of play: FG shooting, three-point shooting, Offensive Rebounding and the matter of turnovers. These teams hold a Top Ten rank offensively and defensively (Bold indicates First Quarter Mastery):

FG%: Golden State, LA Clippers, OKC, San Antonio

3FG%: Chicago, Golden State, LA Clippers, San Antonio

OR%: Cleveland, Denver, Detroit, Portland

TO%: San Antonio, Washington

No. 11 Atlanta Hawks (54)

[First Quarter Abacus rating: 14]

12-8, .600; 1^st in Southeast Division / 3^rd seed / 7^th overall

KK:  +2; (5 Road Wins – 3 Home Losses) / No. 8 overall (tied)*

CQ:  +2; (.489 [17^th] - .487 [10^th]) / No. 13 overall (tied)*

SPOR-t:  -32; (512 [26^th] – 544 [15^th]) / No. 24 overall

Abacus Revelation: The Hawks’ already poor rebounding ranks slipped in Quarter 2:  No. 25-30 for offense, No. 23-28 for defense.

No. 12 Chicago Bulls (55)

[First Quarter Abacus rating: 17]

13-9, .591; 2^nd in Central Division / 4^th seed / 8^th overall

KK:  0; (4 Road Wins – 4 Home Losses) / No. 15 overall (tied)*

CQ:  -4; (.488 [18^th] - .492 [18^th]) / No. 16 overall

SPOR-t:  -4; (573 [6^th] – 577 [25^th]) / No. 15 overall

Abacus Revelation: The Bulls grabbed three more offensive rebounds per game during Quarter 2 – while improving their FG%.

No. 12 Miami Heat (55)

[First Quarter Abacus rating: 7]

11-11, .500; 2^nd in Southeast Division / 7^th seed / 15^th overall

KK:  +2; (6 Road Wins – 4 Home Losses) / No. 8 overall (tied)*

CQ:  +2; (.489 [16^th] - .487 [11^th]) / No. 13 overall (tied)*

SPOR-t:  -11; (529 [21^st] – 540 [10^th]) / No. 17 overall  

Abacus Revelation: After holding opponents to .412 shooting for the first six weeks, their defense yielded a .450 rate for Quarter 2.

No. 14 Milwaukee Bucks (55.5)

[First Quarter Abacus rating: 26]

9-12, .429; 5^th in Central Division / 12^th seed / 21^st overall

KK:  +1; (4 Road Wins – 3 Home Losses) / No. 11 overall (tied)**

CQ:  +8; (.516 [3^rd] - .508 [22^nd]) / No. 11 overall

SPOR-t:  +12; (592 [4^th] – 580 [26^th]) / No. 11 overall  

Abacus Revelation: During Weeks 7-12, the Bucks shot better (.475-.455) and improved their OR% (.266-.231) while improving per-game scoring by nearly five points.

No. 15 Boston Celtics (59.5)

[First Quarter Abacus rating: 10]

10-11, .476; 3^rd in Atlantic Division / 8^th seed / 16^th overall (tied)

KK:  -1; (5 Road Wins – 6 Home Losses) / No. 18 overall (tied)*

CQ:  +2; (.484 [22^nd] - .482 [7^th]) / No. 13 overall (tied)*

SPOR-t:  +14; (544 [14^th] – 530 [6^th]) / No. 10 overall

Abacus Revelation: The Celtics FG held opponents to .422 FG shooting in Quarter 2, league-best.

No. 16 New York Knicks (60.5)

[First Quarter Abacus rating: 24]

11-10, .524; 2^nd in Atlantic Division / 6^th seed / 13^th overall (tied)

KK:  +3; (4 Road Wins – 1 Home Loss) / No. 7 overall

CQ:  -6; (.504 [9^th] - .510 [23^rd]) / No. 17 overall

SPOR-t:  -30; (563 [10^th] – 593 [29^th]) / No. 23 overall

Abacus Revelation: The Knicks placed dead last in forcing turnovers during Quarter 2, barely one for every nine opponent possessions.

No. 17 Portland Trail Blazers (65)

[First Quarter Abacus rating: 19]

10-12, .455; 2^nd in Northwest Division / 9^th seed / 18^th overall (tied)

KK:  +1; (5 Road Wins – 4 Home Losses) / No. 11 overall (tied)**

CQ:  -28; (.487 [19^th] - .515 [28^th]) / No. 26 overall (tied)

SPOR-t:  +25; (569 [7^th] – 544 [15^th]) / No. 7 overall (tied)

Abacus Revelation: The Blazers ranked Top Five in both offensive and defensive rebounding in Quarter 2.

No. 18 Indiana Pacers (65.5)

[First Quarter Abacus rating: 5]

10-12, .455; 4^th in Central Division / 10^th seed / 18^th overall (tied)

KK:  -1; (3 Road Wins – 4 Home Losses) / No. 18 overall (tied)*

CQ:  +7; (.486 [20^th] - .479 [5^th]) / No. 12 overall

SPOR-t:  -9; (527 [22^nd] – 536 [8^th]) / No. 16 overall

Abacus Revelation: The league’s second-best three-point shooters (.401) at the six-week mark were second-worst (.315) in Quarter 2.

No. 19 New Orleans Pelicans (75)

[First Quarter Abacus rating: 28]

8-11, .421; 5^th in Southwest Division / 10^th seed / 22^nd overall

KK:  +1; (4 Road Wins – 3 Home Losses) / No. 11 overall (tied)**

CQ:  -11; (.481 [24^th] - .492 [16^th]) / No. 19 overall

SPOR-t:  -23; (510 [27^th] – 533 [10^th]) / No. 21 overall (tied)

Abacus Revelation: After surrendering a league-worst 108 ppg in Quarter 1, the Pelicans yielded but 101.8 (No. 12) during the second six weeks.

No. 20 Denver Nuggets (76)

[First Quarter Abacus rating: 23]

8-12, .400; 3^rd in Northwest Division / 11^th seed / 23^rd overall

KK:  -3; (3 Road Wins – 6 Home Losses) / No. 23 overall

CQ:  -17; (.495 [14^th] - .512 [25^th]) / No. 24 overall

SPOR-t:  +27; (585 [5^th] – 558 [22^nd]) / No. 6 overall

Abacus Revelation: The Nuggets averaged four more offensive rebounds per game than their opponents during Quarter 2.

No. 20 Washington Wizards (76)

[First Quarter Abacus rating: 20]

10-11, .476; 3^rd in Southeast Division / 8^th seed / 16^th overall (tied)

KK:  -2; (5 Road Wins – 7 Home Losses) / No. 21 overall (tied)

CQ:  -9; (.491 [15^th] - .500 [21^st]) / No. 18 overall

SPOR-t:  -20; (532 [20^th] – 552 [19^th]) / No. 20 overall

Abacus Revelation: Oddly, after attempting four more FG’s per game in Quarter  1, the Wizards took four fewer shots a game during Weeks 7-12.

ABACUS INFOMERCIAL

Masters of the Craft (Part 2)

Are not the exceptionally inept worthy of some recognition? Here are the teams that hold a Bottom Ten offensive and defensive ranking in our key elements of play: FG shooting, three-point shooting, Offensive Rebounding and the matter of turnovers.

FG%: Denver, LA Lakers, Phoenix, Portland

3FG%: Denver

OR%: Atlanta

TO%: Brooklyn, Miami

No. 22 Dallas Mavericks (80)

[First Quarter Abacus rating: 13]

11-10, .524; 4^th in Southwest Division / 8^th seed / 13^th overall (tied)

KK:  0; (4 Road Wins – 4 Home Losses) / No. 15 overall (tied)*

CQ:  -20; (.474 [26^th] - .494 [19^th]) / No. 25 overall

SPOR-t:  -39; (514 [25^th] – 553 [20^th]) / No. 25 overall (tied)

Abacus Revelation: The Mavs wasted (through missed FT’s and TO’s) the league’s fewest points per game (17.19) during Quarter 2.

No. 23 Orlando Magic (81.5)

[First Quarter Abacus rating: 12]

9-11, .450; 4^th in Southeast Division / 11^th seed / 20^th overall

KK:  -2; (4 Road Wins – 6 Home Losses) / No. 21 overall (tied)

CQ:  -14; (.477 [25^th] - .491 [15^th]) / No. 21 overall

SPOR-t:  -18; (518 [23^rd] – 536 [8^th]) / No. 19

Abacus Revelation: The Magic were the league’s lowest scoring team (95.6 ppg) during Quarter 2, down by six from their first quarter output.

No. 24 Utah Jazz (86.5)

[First Quarter Abacus rating: 11]

9-14, .391; 4^th in Northwest Division / 12^th seed / 24^th overall

KK:  -4; (1 Road Win – 5 Home Losses) / No. 24 overall (tied)

CQ:  -13; (.486 [21^st] - .499 [20^th]) / No. 20 overall

SPOR-t:  -17; (539 [17^th] – 556 [21^st]) / No. 18 overall

Abacus Revelation: The Jazz notched four road wins in their first ten games of the season – but only two since.

No. 25 Charlotte Hornets (93.5)

[First Quarter Abacus rating: 9]

7-14, .333; 5^th in Southeast Division / 13^th seed / 25^th overall

KK:  -4; (1 Road Win – 5 Home Losses) / No. 24 overall (tied)

CQ:  -16; (.470 [28^th] - .486 [9^th]) / No. 22 overall (tied)

SPOR-t:  -23; (494 [30^th] – 517 [4^th]) / No. 21 overall  (tied)

Abacus Revelation: Hornets allowed the opposition 10 successful three-pointers per game in Quarter 2, only 8.5 per in Quarter 1.

No. 26 Minnesota Timberwolves (105)

[First Quarter Abacus rating: 18]

5-17, .227; 5^th in Northwest Division / 14^th seed / 28^th overall

KK:  -7; (1 Road Win – 8 Home Losses) / No. 29 overall

CQ:  -16; (.496 [13^th] - .512 [26^th]) / No. 22 overall (tied)

SPOR-t:  -39; (541 [16^th] – 580 [26^th]) / No. 25 overall (tied)

Abacus Revelation: Minnesota dropped from No. 7 to 25 in Defensive Rebounding in Quarter 2.

No. 27 Brooklyn Nets (110)

[First Quarter Abacus rating: 22]

6-16, .273; 4^th in Atlantic Division / 14^th seed / 26^th overall (tied)

KK:  -8; (3 Road Wins – 11 Home Losses) / No. 30 overall

CQ:  -28; (.482 [23^rd] - .510 [24^th]) / No. 26 overall (tied)

SPOR-t:  -47; (538 [18^th] – 585 [28^th]) / No. 27 overall

Abacus Revelation: The Nets lost 11 of 14 home games during Quarter 2.

No. 28 Philadelphia 76ers (112.5)

[First Quarter Abacus rating: 30]

4-17, .190; 5^th in Atlantic Division / 15^th seed / 30^th overall

KK:  -5; (2 Road Wins – 7 Home Losses) / No. 26 overall (tied)

CQ:  -41; (.474 [27^th] - .515 [27^th]) / No. 28 overall

SPOR-t:  -55; (509 [28^th] – 564 [24^th]) / No. 28 overall

Abacus Revelation: The 76ers increased their per-game scoring by seven points during Quarter 2.

No. 29 Los Angeles Lakers (113)

[First Quarter Abacus rating: 29]

6-16, .273; 4^th in Pacific Division / 13^th seed / 26^th overall (tied)

KK:  -5; (2 Road Wins – 7 Home Losses) / No. 26 overall (tied)

CQ:  -53; (.470 [29^th] - .523 [30^th]) / No. 30 overall

SPOR-t:  -94; (517 [14^th] – 611 [30^th]) / No. 30 overall

Abacus Revelation: Very last in Defensive Rebounding and second-to-last in shooting defense is indeed a deadly duo.

No. 30 Phoenix Suns (115)

[First Quarter Abacus rating: 21]

4-16, .200; 5^th in Pacific Division / 15^th seed / 29^th overall

KK:  -6; (0 Road Wins – 6 Home Losses) / No. 28 overall

CQ:  -52; (.469 [30^th] - .521 [29^th]) / No. 29 overall

SPOR-t:  -59; (504 [29^th] – 563 [23^rd]) / No. 29 overall

Abacus Revelation: The Suns fell to No 22 in per-game scoring (98.4) after standing No. 3 (105.5) for Quarter 1.

Power Ratings --The Measurement Instrument

Our team-ranking tool utilizes four elements. Two scales are based solely on team wins and losses; the others are measures of the efficiency of team performance in comparison with the competition.

First, we’ll simply use win-loss record irrespective of conference.

The second criterion will be the difference between a team’s road wins and its home losses. Since this cute little metric is said to be a personal favorite of veteran NBA coach George Karl, let’s call this the Karl Kount (KK).

Criterion No. 3, Conversion Quotient (CQ), involves the rate at which a team converts its possessions into a successful field goals or free throw attempts. Like the KK, the computation is simple subtraction—a team’s rate of offensive efficiency minus that of the opponent.

Lastly, please allow Abacus to introduce the “SPOR-t” score. SPOR-t stands for “Shooting Plus Offensive Rebounds minus turnovers.” Add a team’s FG percentage and its offensive rebounding percentage (o. boards divided by the sum of those o. boards and the opposition's d. boards). Then subtract the percentage of a team’s possessions lost to turnovers. For example, a team shoots field goals at a .488 clip, offensive rebounds at a rate of .199, and commits a turnover on .143 of its possessions. So its SPOR-t is (488+199-143) or 544. Once again, our measurement will be the difference between the SPOR-t scores of a team and its opposition.

We’ll rank the teams from 1 to 30 in all criteria and simply add up the rankings. Low score wins, naturally.