NBA 2015-16 21-week Power Ratings

I suppose it was inevitable the unfortunate passing of Minnesota Timberwolves’ guiding light Flip Saunders just prior to the season would spark some extremes in the performance of a young team trying to find its way.

Early on Coach Sam Mitchell’s crew hit the road running … literally, winning six of their first nine games away from home. (Alas, they’ve won but five of the next 27.)

Minny’s shooting from the field has been a mixed bag all season. Their rate of 46% has them firmly in the NBA’s Top Ten, but from behind the arc they sink to the bottom (No. 28). And while Miami is riding such offensive distribution to the post-season, they possess a Top Ten defense.

The Wolves’ D is the antithesis of their offense. Their FG defense is the league’s third-worst, though in defense of the three-ball they rank a more respectable No. 15.

One final Minnesota numerical curiosity – through 21 weeks and 71 games, the T’wolves and their opposition have combined for 802 errant free throws, exactly 401 apiece, a smidgeon over five-and-a-half a game.

For fun, we’ll reveal each team’s level of “foul” shooting.

[All Data reflects play through Thursday, March 23. The criteria is explained below.]

3-week, 6-week, 9-week, 12-week, 15-week, and 18-week ratings are also available.

No. 1 San Antonio Spurs (6)

[ESPN 21-week Rating: 2

Abacus 18-week Rating: 1

Abacus 15-week Rating: 1

Abacus 12-week Rating: 1

Abacus 9-week Rating: 1

Abacus 6-week Rating: 1

3-week Abacus rating: 1]

60-11, .845; 1^st in Southwest Division / 2^nd seed / 2^nd overall

KK:  +24; (24 Road Wins – 0 Home Losses) / No. 2 overall

CQ:  +57; (.518 [2^nd] - .461 [1^st]) / No. 1 overall

SPOR-t:  +99; (582 [2^nd] – 483 [1^st]) / No. 1 overall

Abacus Revelation: Per-game missed FT’s: 3.87 (No. 1), Opponents: 4.92 (No. 26)

                                                                                                                   

No. 2 Golden State Warriors (8.5)

[ESPN 21-week Rating: 1

Abacus 18-week Rating: 2

Abacus 15-week Rating: 2

Abacus 12-week Rating: 2

Abacus 9-week Rating: 2

Abacus 6-week Rating: 2

3-week Abacus rating: 2]

64-7, .901; 1^st in Pacific Division / 1^st seed / 1^st overall

KK:  +31; (31 Road Wins – 0 Home Losses) / No. 1 overall

CQ:  +32; (.516 [3^rd] – .484 [6^th]) / No. 2 overall (tied)

SPOR-t:  +48; (581 [3^rd] – 533 [12^th]) / No. 4 overall  

Abacus Revelation: Per-game missed FT’s: 5.45 (No. 13), Opponents: 5.85 (No. 12)

No. 3 Oklahoma City Thunder (13)

[ESPN 21-week Rating: 6

Abacus 18-week Rating: 3

Abacus 15-week Rating: 3

Abacus 12-week Rating: 3

Abacus 9-week Rating: 3

Abacus 6-week Rating: 4

3-week Abacus rating: 6]

49-22, .690; 1^st in Northwest Division / 3^rd seed / 4^th overall

KK:  +12; (21 Road Wins – 9 Home Losses) / No. 4 overall (tied)

CQ:  +32; (.526 [1^st] - .494 [15^th]) / No. 2 overall (tied)

SPOR-t:  +79; (628 [1^st] – 549 [18^th]) / No. 2 overall

Abacus Revelation: Per-game missed FT’s: 5.32 (No. 11), Opponents: 5.83 (No. 13)

No. 4 Cleveland Cavaliers (16)

[ESPN 21-week Rating: 4

Abacus 18-week Rating: 4

Abacus 15-week Rating: 4

Abacus 12-week Rating: 4

Abacus 9-week Rating: 4

Abacus 6-week Rating: 5

3-week Abacus rating: 3]

51-20, .718; 1^st in Central Division / 1^st seed / 3^rd overall

KK:  +15; (21 Road Wins – 6 Home Losses) / No. 3 overall

CQ:  +16; (.506 [8^th] - .490 [11^th]) / No. 7 overall

SPOR-t:  +53; (576 [4^th] – 523 [3^th]) / No. 3 overall  

Abacus Revelation: Per-game missed FT’s: 5.61 (No. 16), Opponents: 5.66 (No. 19)

No. 5 Toronto Raptors (20.5)

[ESPN 21-week Rating: 3

Abacus 18-week Rating: 5

Abacus 15-week Rating: 5

Abacus 12-week Rating: 5

[Abacus 9-week Rating: 5

Abacus 6-week Rating: 3

3-week Abacus rating: 4]

48-22, .686; 1^st in Atlantic Division / 2^nd seed / 5^th overall

KK:  +12; (20 Road Wins – 8 Home Losses) / No. 4 overall (tied)

CQ:  +23; (.509 [6^th] - .486 [7^th]) / No. 5 overall

SPOR-t:  +36; (561 [7^th] – 525 [4^th]) / No. 6 overall

Abacus Revelation: Per-game missed FT’s: 5.99 (No. 25), Opponents: 5.43 (No. 22)

No. 6 Miami Heat (29.5)

[ESPN 21-week Rating: 7

Abacus 18-week Rating: 7

Abacus 15-week Rating: 8

Abacus 12-week Rating: 8

Abacus 9-week Rating: 10

Abacus 6-week Rating: 8

3-week Abacus rating: 5]

41-30, .577; 2^nd in Southeast Division / 5^th seed / 9^th overall (tied)

KK:  +5; (18 Road Wins – 13 Home Losses) / No. 8 overall (tied)*

CQ:  +24; (.507 [7^th] - .483 [5^th]) / No. 4 overall

SPOR-t:  +29; (554 [11^th] – 525 [4^th]) / No. 7 overall  

Abacus Revelation: Per-game missed FT’s: 5.93 (No. 24), Opponents: 4.82 (No. 27)

No. 7 Los Angeles Clippers (36)

[ESPN 21-week Rating: 8

Abacus 18-week Rating: 6

Abacus 15-week Rating: 6

Abacus 12-week Rating: 6

Abacus 9-week Rating: 8

Abacus 6-week Rating: 15

3-week Abacus rating: 12]

43-27, .614; 2^nd in Pacific Division /4^th seed / 6^th overall

KK:  +9; (21 Road Wins – 12 Home Losses) / No. 6 overall

CQ:  +21; (.511 [4^th] - .490 [9^th]) / No. 6 overall

SPOR-t:  -11; (531 [22^nd] – 542 [15^th]) / No.  18 overall

Abacus Revelation: Per-game missed FT’s: 8.21 (No. 28), Opponents: 6.30 (No. 4)

No. 8 Boston Celtics (39.5)

[ESPN 21-week Rating: 10

Abacus 18-week Rating: 8

Abacus 15-week Rating: 7

Abacus 12-week Rating: 11

Abacus 9-week Rating: 11

Abacus 6-week Rating: 10

3-week Abacus rating: 9]

42-30, .583; 2^nd in Atlantic Division / 3^rd seed / 7^th overall (tied)

KK:  +5; (17 Road Wins – 12 Home Losses) / No. 8 overall (tied)*

CQ:  +3; (.498 [17^th] - .487 [8^th]) / No. 14 overall

SPOR-t:  +22; (557 [9^th] – 535 [14^th]) / No. 9 overall

Abacus Revelation: Per-game missed FT’s: 4.82 (No. 8), Opponents: 6.64 (No. 3)

No. 9 Memphis Grizzlies (40.5)

[ESPN 21-week Rating: 18

Abacus 18-week Rating: 9

Abacus 15-week Rating: 11

Abacus 12-week Rating: 9

Abacus 9-week Rating: 15

Abacus 6-week Rating: 15

3-week Abacus rating: 20]

41-31, .569; 2^nd in Southwest Division / 5^th seed / 11^th overall

KK:  +5; (16 Road Wins – 11 Home Losses) / No. 8 overall (tied)*

CQ:  +8; (.500 [12^th] - .492 [13^th]) / No. 10 overall (tied)

SPOR-t:  +19; (550 [14^th] – 531 [10^th]) / No. 10 overall

Abacus Revelation: Per-game missed FT’s: 5.35 (No. 12), Opponents: 6.14 (No. 6)

No. 10 Detroit Pistons (41)

[ESPN 21-week Rating: 13

Abacus 18-week Rating: 10

Abacus 15-week Rating: 9

Abacus 12-week Rating: 7

Abacus 9-week Rating: 9

Abacus 6-week Rating: 7

3-week Abacus rating: 8]

38-34, .528; 3^rd in Central Division / 8^th seed / 13^th overall

KK:  +3; (15 Road Wins – 12 Home Losses) / No. 11 overall (tied)**

CQ:  +8; (.504 [10^th] - .496 [16^th]) / No. 10 overall (tied)

SPOR-t:  +43; (576 [4^th] – 533 [12^th]) / No. 5 overall

Abacus Revelation Per-game missed FT’s: 8.61 (No. 29), Opponents: 4.61 (No. 30)

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, Points per Game, 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: Cleveland, LA Clippers, San Antonio

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

TO%: Boston, LA Clippers, Memphis, San Antonio

No. 11 Atlanta Hawks (44.5)

[ESPN 21-week Rating: 5

Abacus 18-week Rating: 13

Abacus 15-week Rating: 12

Abacus 12-week Rating: 12

Abacus 9-week Rating: 12

Abacus 6-week Rating: 14

3-week Abacus rating: 10]

42-30, .583; 1^st in Southeast Division / 3^rd seed / 7^th overall (tied)

KK:  +6; (19 Road Wins – 13 Home Losses) / No. 7 overall

CQ:  +11; (.481 [27^th] - .470 [2^nd]) / No. 8 overall

SPOR-t:  -25; (503 [29^th] – 528 [9^th]) / No. 22 overall

Abacus Revelation: Per-game missed FT’s: 4.39 (No. 3), Opponents: 5.07 (No. 25)

No. 12 Indiana Pacers (47)

[ESPN 21-week Rating: 11

Abacus 18-week Rating: 11

Abacus 15-week Rating: 10

Abacus 12-week Rating: 10

Abacus 9-week Rating: 6

Abacus 6-week Rating: 5

3-week Abacus rating: 16]

37-33, .529; 2^nd in Central Division / 7^th seed / 12^th overall

KK:  +3; (16 Road Wins – 13 Home Losses / No. 11 overall (tied)**

CQ:  +9; (.487 [22^nd] - .478 [3^rd]) / No. 9 overall

SPOR-t:  +6; (532 [21^st] – 526 [6^th]) / No. 13 overall (tied)

Abacus Revelation: Per-game missed FT’s: 5.59 (No. 14), Opponents: 5.89 (No. 10)

No. 13 Charlotte Hornets (50)

[ESPN 21-week Rating: 9

Abacus 18-week Rating: 12

Abacus 15-week Rating: 15

Abacus 12-week Rating: 18

Abacus 9-week Rating: 13

Abacus 6-week Rating: 9

3-week Abacus rating: 14]

41-30, .577; 2^nd in Southeast Division / 5^th seed / 9^th overall (tied)

KK:  +3; (14 Road Wins – 11 Home Losses) / No. 11 overall (tied)**

CQ:  +4: (.484 [24^th] - .480 [4^th]) / No. 13 overall

SPOR-t:  +1; (510 [28^th] – 509 [2^nd]) / No. 15 overall

Abacus Revelation: Per-game missed FT’s: 5.11 (No. 10), Opponents: 4.77 (No. 28)

No. 14 Utah Jazz (56)

[ESPN 21-week Rating: 15

Abacus 18-week Rating: 15

Abacus 15-week Rating: 13

Abacus 12-week Rating: 16

Abacus 9-week Rating: 16

Abacus 6-week Rating: 11

3-week Abacus rating: 7]

35-36, .493; 3^rd in Northwest Division / 7^th seed / 16^th overall (tied)*

KK:  0; (13 Road Wins – 13 Home Losses) / No. 15 overall (tied)

CQ:  +1; (.491 [16^th] - .490 [10^th]) / No. 15 overall (tied)

SPOR-t:  +25; (552 [13^th] – 527 [7^th]) / No. 8 overall

Abacus Revelation: Per-game missed FT’s: 5.83 (No. 22), Opponents: 5.89 (No. 11)

No. 15 Portland Trail Blazers (62.5)

[ESPN 21-week Rating: 14

Abacus 18-week Rating: 14

Abacus 15-week Rating: 14

Abacus 12-week Rating: 17

Abacus 9-week Rating: 18

Abacus 6-week Rating: 19

3-week Abacus rating: 26]

37-35, .514; 2^nd in Northwest Division / 6^th seed / 15^th overall

KK:  +3; (15 Road Wins – 12 Home Losses) / No. 11 overall (tied)**

CQ:  -14; (.495 [14^th] - .509 [26^th]) / No. 23 overall

SPOR-t:  +8; (562 [6^th] – 554 [21^st]) / No. 12 overall

Abacus Revelation: Per-game missed FT’s: 5.75 (No. 20), Opponents: 6.85 (No. 1)

No. 16 Milwaukee Bucks (68.5)

[ESPN 21-week Rating: 20

Abacus 18-week Rating: 18

Abacus 15-week Rating: 21

Abacus 12-week Rating: 22

Abacus 9-week Rating: 27

Abacus 6-week Rating: 26

3-week Abacus rating: 24]

30-42, .417; 5^th in Central Division / 11^th seed / 20^th overall (tied)

KK:  -5; (9 Road Wins – 14 Home Losses) / No. 20 overall

CQ:  +6; (.504 [9^th] - .498 [18^th]) / No. 12 overall

SPOR-t:  -7; (561 [7^th] – 568 [23^rd]) / No. 16 overall

Abacus Revelation: Per-game missed FT’s: 5.72 (No. 19), Opponents: 5.67 (No. 18)

No. 17 Washington Wizards (71.5)

[ESPN 21-week Rating: 19

Abacus 18-week Rating: 18

Abacus 15-week Rating: 23

Abacus 12-week Rating: 23

Abacus 9-week Rating: 19

Abacus 6-week Rating: 20

3-week Abacus rating: 22]

35-36, .493; 4^th in Southeast Division / 10^th seed / 16^th overall (tied)*

KK:  -2; (16 Road Wins – 18 Home Losses) / No. 18 overall (tied)

CQ:  -3; (.489 [18^th] - .492 [12^th]) / No. 19 overall

SPOR-t:  -8; (519 [24^th] – 527 [8^th]) / No. 17 overall

Abacus Revelation: Per-game missed FT’s: 5.86 (No. 23), Opponents: 5.39 (No. 23)

No. 18 Houston Rockets (73.5)

[ESPN 21-week Rating: 12

Abacus 18-week Rating: 22

Abacus 15-week Rating: 20

Abacus 12-week Rating: 19

Abacus 9-week Rating: 20

Abacus 6-week Rating: 27

3-week Abacus rating: 27]

35-37, .486; 4^th in Southwest Division / 9^th seed / 19^th overall

KK:  0; (16 Road Wins – 16 Home Losses) / No. 15 overall (tied)

CQ:  +1; (.503 [11^th] - .502 [21^st]) / No. 15 overall (tied)

SPOR-t:  -26; (543 [17^th] – 569 [24^th]) / No. 23 overall (tied)

Abacus Revelation: Per-game missed FT’s: 8.94 (No. 30), Opponents: 6.10 (No. 7)

No. 19 Denver Nuggets (74.5)

[ESPN 21-week Rating: 21

Abacus 18-week Rating: 23

Abacus 15-week Rating: 22

Abacus 12-week Rating: 24

Abacus 9-week Rating: 21

Abacus 6-week Rating: 23

3-week Abacus rating: 18]

30-42, .417; 4^th in Northwest Division / 10^th seed / 20^th overall (tied)

KK:  -6; (13 Road Wins – 19 Home Losses) / No. 21 overall (tied)*

CQ:  -10; (.493 [15^th] - .503 [22^th]) / No. 21 overall

SPOR-t:  +9: (553 [12^th] – 544 [16^th]) / No. 11 overall

Abacus Revelation: Per-game missed FT’s: 5.68 (No. 18), Opponents: 5.78 (No. 14)

No. 20 Chicago Bulls (78.5)

[ESPN 21-week Rating: 16

Abacus 18-week Rating: 21

Abacus 15-week Rating: 17

Abacus 12-week Rating: 13

Abacus 9-week Rating: 17

Abacus 6-week Rating: 17

3-week Abacus rating: 13]

36-34, .514; 4^th in Central Division /9^th seed / 14^th overall

KK:  -1; (12 Road Wins – 13 Home Losses) / No. 17 overall

CQ:  -15; (.483 [25^th] - .498 [19^th]) / No. 24 overall

SPOR-t:  -26; (546 [15^th] – 572 [25^th]) / No. 23 overall (tied)

Abacus Revelation: Per-game missed FT’s: 4.54 (No. 4), Opponents: 6.03 (No. 8)

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, PPG, Offensive Rebounding and the matter of turnovers.

FG%: Denver, Detroit, LA Lakers, Philadelphia, Phoenix

3FG%: Denver

PPG: Brooklyn, LA Lakers, Philadelphia, Phoenix

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

TO%: Oklahoma City

No. 21 Orlando Magic (79.5)

[ESPN 21-week Rating: 24

Abacus 18-week Rating: 17

Abacus 15-week Rating: 18

Abacus 12-week Rating: 14

Abacus 9-week Rating: 7

Abacus 6-week Rating: 12

3-week Abacus rating: 19]

29-42, .408; 5^th in Southeast Division / 12^th seed / 22^nd overall

KK:  -6; (11 Road Wins – 17 Home Losses) / No. 21 overall (tied)*

CQ:  -11; (.483 [26^th] - .494 [14^th]) / No. 22 overall

SPOR-t:  +6; (538 [20^th] – 532 [11^th]) / No. 13 overall (tied)

Abacus Revelation: Per-game missed FT’s: 4.72 (No. 6), Opponents: 5.75 (No. 15)

No. 22 Dallas Mavericks (82.5)

[ESPN 21-week Rating: 17

Abacus 18-week Rating: 16

Abacus 15-week Rating: 16

Abacus 12-week Rating: 14

Abacus 9-week Rating: 14

Abacus 6-week Rating: 13

3-week Abacus rating: 10]

35-36, .493; 3^rd in Southwest Division / 7^th seed / 16^th overall (tied)*

KK:  -2; (15 Road Wins – 17 Home Losses) / No. 18 overall (tied)

CQ:  -8; (.488 [21^st] - .496 [17^th]) / No. 20 overall

SPOR-t:  -36; (517 [25^th] – 553 [19^th]) / No. 27 overall

Abacus Revelation: Per-game missed FT’s: 4.58 (No. 5), Opponents: 5.92 (No. 9)

No. 23 Sacramento Kings (85)

[ESPN 21-week Rating: 23

Abacus 18-week Rating: 20

Abacus 15-week Rating: 19

Abacus 12-week Rating: 20

Abacus 9-week Rating: 23

Abacus 6-week Rating: 25

3-week Abacus rating: 23]

27-44, .380; 3^rd in Pacific Division / 11^th seed / 24^th overall

KK:  -7; (13 Road Wins – 20 Home Losses) / No. 24 overall

CQ:  -1; (.499 [13^th] - .500 [20^th]) / No. 18 overall

SPOR-t:  -12; (545 [16^th] – 557 [22^nd]) / No. 19 overall

Abacus Revelation: Per-game missed FT’s: 6.97 (No. 26), Opponents: 5.55 (No. 21)

No. 24 Minnesota Timberwolves (90)

[ESPN 21-week Rating: 26

Abacus 18-week Rating: 24

Abacus 15-week Rating: 24

Abacus 12-week Rating: 25

Abacus 9-week Rating: 22

Abacus 6-week Rating: 18

3-week Abacus rating: 17]

23-48, .324; 5^th in Northwest Division / 13^th seed / 26^th overall

KK:  -12; (11 Road Wins – 23 Home Losses) / No. 26 overall

CQ:  0; (.510 [5^th] - .510 [27^th]) / No. 17 overall

SPOR-t:  -22; (555 [10^th] – 577 [29^th]) / No. 21 overall

Abacus Revelation: Per-game missed FT’s: 5.65 (No. 17), Opponents: 5.65 (No. 20)

No. 25 New Orleans Pelicans (95.5)

[ESPN 21-week Rating: 22

Abacus 18-week Rating: 25

Abacus 15-week Rating: 25

Abacus 12-week Rating: 27

Abacus 9-week Rating: 28

Abacus 6-week Rating: 28

3-week Abacus rating: 29]

26-44, .371; 5^th in Southwest Division / 12^th seed / 25^th overall

KK:  -9; (8 Road Wins – 17 Home Losses) / No. 25 overall

CQ:  -17; (.489 [20^th] - .506 [25^th]) / No. 25 overall (tied)

SPOR-t:  -20; (525 [23^rd] – 545 [17^th]) / No. 20 overall

Abacus Revelation: Per-game missed FT’s: 4.91 (No. 9), Opponents: 5.37 (No. 24)

No. 26 New York Knicks (97)

[ESPN 21-week Rating: 25

Abacus 18-week Rating: 26

Abacus 15-week Rating: 26

Abacus 12-week Rating: 21

Abacus 9-week Rating: 25

Abacus 6-week Rating: 24

3-week Abacus rating: 20]

29-43, .403; 3^rd in Atlantic Division / 13^th seed / 23^rd overall

KK:  -6; (13 Road Wins – 19 Home Losses) / No. 21 overall (tied)*

CQ:  -20; (.486 [23^rd] - .506 [24^th]) / No. 27 overall

SPOR-t:  -31; (541 [19^th] – 572 [25^th]) / No. 25 overall

Abacus Revelation: Per-game missed FT’s: 4.21 (No. 2), Opponents: 5.69 (No. 17)

No. 27 Brooklyn Nets (107.5)

[ESPN 21-week Rating: 28

Abacus 18-week Rating: 27

Abacus 15-week Rating: 27

Abacus 12-week Rating: 26

Abacus 9-week Rating: 24

Abacus 6-week Rating: 22

3-week Abacus rating: 25]

19-51, .271; 4^th in Atlantic Division / 14^th seed / 28^th overall

KK:  -17; (7 Road Wins – 24 Home Losses) / No. 28 overall

CQ:  -17; (.489 [19^th] - .506 [23^rd]) / No. 25 overall (tied)

SPOR-t:  -32; (542 [18^th] – 574 [27^th]) / No. 26 overall

Abacus Revelation: Per-game missed FT’s: 4.76 (No. 7), Opponents: 4.69 (No. 29)

No. 28 Phoenix Suns (110)

[ESPN 21-week Rating: 27

Abacus 18-week Rating: 28

Abacus 15-week Rating: 28

Abacus 12-week Rating: 28

Abacus 9-week Rating: 26

Abacus 6-week Rating: 21

3-week Abacus rating: 15]

20-51, .282; 4^th in Pacific Division / 14^th seed / 27^th overall

KK:  -16; (7 Road Wins – 23 Home Losses) / No. 27 overall

CQ:  -40; (.472 [29^th] - .512 [28^th]) / No. 28 overall

SPOR-t:  -37; (516 [26^th] – 553 [19^th]) / No. 28 overall

Abacus Revelation: Per-game missed FT’s: 5.79 (No. 21), Opponents: 6.66 (No. 2)

No. 29 Los Angeles Lakers (117)

[ESPN 21-week Rating: 29

Abacus 18-week Rating: 29

Abacus 15-week Rating: 29

Abacus 12-week Rating: 29

Abacus 9-week Rating: 29

Abacus 6-week Rating: 29

3-week Abacus rating: 28]

15-56, .211; 5^th in Pacific Division / 15^th seed / 29^th overall

KK:  -20; (5 Road Wins – 25 Home Losses) / No. 29 overall

CQ:  -50; (.475 [28^th] - .525 [30^th]) / No. 30 overall

SPOR-t:  -85; (513 [27^th] – 598 [30^th]) / No. 29 overall

Abacus Revelation: Per-game missed FT’s: 5.59 (No. 15), Opponents: 6.18 (No. 5)

No. 30 Philadelphia 76ers (119)

[ESPN 21-week Rating: 30

Abacus 18-week Rating: 30

Abacus 15-week Rating: 30

Abacus 12-week Rating: 30

Abacus 9-week Rating: 30

Abacus 6-week Rating: 30

3-week Abacus rating: 30]

9-63, .125; 5^th in Atlantic Division / 15^th seed / 30^th overall

KK:  -27; (3 Road Wins – 30 Home Losses) / No. 30 overall

CQ:  -49; (.463 [30^th] - .512 [29^th]) / No. 29 overall

SPOR-t:  -98; (478 [30^th] – 576 [28^th]) / No. 30 overall

Abacus Revelation: Per-game missed FT’s: 7.00 (No. 27), Opponents: 5.71 (No. 16)

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.