WNBA 2018 11-week Progress Report

In a WNBA summer in which the unexpected has become almost commonplace – the dreadful Fever own road victories over both 2017 Finalists (Go figger!!) – the Las Vegas Aces produced genuine shock waves with their “boycott” of an August 3 game in DC on the heels of a travel-day-from-hell. Spectators had begun to arrive when word of the “postponement” (which became a forfeit) was released.

Despite the TKO-loss, Bill Laimbeer’s young transplants to Sin City continue to breathe down the necks of the Dallas Wings for the final spot in the playoffs. And the awarded victory keeps the Mystics in the midst of a multi-team scrum – the Dream, Sparks and Sun involved as well, maybe even the reigning-and-defendings – for the last three “Byes” behind Storming Seattle.

Oh, and make sure you check out my “Revelation for the Road” below – maybe the most confounding component of this topsy-turvy season has been the virtual absence of a Home Court advantage. (Maybe the Aces should have rolled the dice that Friday night!!)

The Season by the Numbers (per-game per team) thru 177 games

Possessions: 79.2

Points: 82.4  [PPP: 1.040]

FG: 30.4 – 68.4, .445

3FG: 6.6 – 19.3, .343

3PAr/Usage rate: .282

FT: 15.0 – 18.8, .795

(Off – Tot) Reb: 8.8 – 34.3  [OR% .257]

TO: 13.7  [TO% .151]

Stats and data represent play through Wednesday, Aug. 9.

An explanation of the criteria for ranking is available here.

An index of bi-weekly ratings available here.

No. 1 Seattle Storm, 23-8 (8)

[2-week Abacus Rank: No. 1

4-week Abacus Rank: No. 1

6-week Abacus Rank: No. 1

8-week Abacus Rank: No. 1

10-week Abacus Rank: No. 1]

KK:  +8; (12 Road Wins – 4 Home Losses) / No. 1 overall

Flow:  +2.65; (43.8 stops OF opp [No. 3] – 41.1 stops BY opp [No. 2] / No. 1 overall

Striping:  +1.32; (+2.74) conversions [No. 2] - (+1.42) opp conversions [No. 8] / No. 2 overall

SPOR-t:  +33; (571 [No. 3] – 538 [No. 4]) / No. 4 overall

Abacus Revelation: The Storm have yielded .488 FG shooting since the All-Star Break, despite winning four of five games.

No. 2 Connecticut Sun, 17-12 (13)

[2-week Abacus Rank: No. 3

4-week Abacus Rank: No. 1

6-week Abacus Rank: No. 1

8-week Abacus Rank: No. 3

10-week Abacus Rank: No. 2]

KK:  +4; (8 Road Wins – 4 Home Losses) / No. 2 overall (tied-3)

Flow:  +2.17; (43.6 stops OF opp [No. 4] – 41.4 stops BY opp [No. 4] / No. 2 overall

Striping:  +0.24; (+1.67) conversions [No. 5] – (+1.43) conversions [No. 9] / No. 7 overall

SPOR-t:  +116; (635 [No. 1] – 519 [No. 2]) / No. 1 overall

Abacus Revelation: The best rebounding squad in the “W” ranks No. 1 in OR% (.316) and No. 2 in DR% (.767).

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 six elements of play: FG shooting, three-point shooting, Points per Game, Offensive Rebounding, the matter of turnovers and the SPOR-t score of our ratings. These teams hold a Top Four rank offensively and defensively:

FG%: Phoenix

3FG%: NONE

PPG: Seattle

OR%: Connecticut, Minnesota

TO%: Connecticut, Washington

SPOR-t: Connecticut, Seattle

No. 3 Washington Mystics, 18*-11 (18)

[2-week Abacus Rank: No. 2

4-week Abacus Rank: No. 5

6-week Abacus Rank: No. 5

8-week Abacus Rank: No. 6

10-week Abacus Rank: No. 7]

KK:  +4; (9 Road Wins – 5 Home Losses) / No. 2 overall (tied-3)

Flow:  +0.21; (41.6 stops OF opp [No. 10] – 41.3 stops BY opp [No. 3] / No. 8 overall

Striping:  +1.36; (+2.86) conversions [No. 1] – (+1.50) opp conversions [No. 10] / No. 1 overall

SPOR-t:  -1; (566 [No. 4] – 567 [No. 9]) / No. 6 overall

Abacus Revelation: The Mystics miss just 2.66 FT attempts per game, lowest in the WNBA.

No. 4 Minnesota Lynx, 17-13 (22.5)

[2-week Abacus Rank: No. 8

4-week Abacus Rank: No. 9

6-week Abacus Rank: No. 6

8-week Abacus Rank: No. 5

10-week Abacus Rank: No. 3]

KK:  +3; (9 Road Wins – 6 Home Losses) / No. 5 overall (tied)

Flow:  +1.23; (43.5 stops OF opp [No. 5] – 42.3 stops BY opp [No. 6] / No. 5 overall

Striping:  -1.10; (+0.70) conversions [No. 9] – (+1.80) opp conversions [No. 11] / No. 10 overall

SPOR-t:  +66; (558 [No. 5] – 492 [No. 1]) / No. 2 overall

Abacus Revelation: The one steady component to the Lynx’ uncharacteristically inconsistent performance has been their top-notch (.796) defensive rebounding.

ABACUS INFOMERCIAL

Scoring Pace 24 games [177 overall]

100+ points: 8 games [29 overall]

90-99 points: 9 games [65 overall]

80-89 points: 11 games [106 overall]

70-79 points: 15 games [117 overall]

60-69 points: 3 games [31 overall]

<60 points: 2 games [6 overall]

No. 5 Atlanta Dream, 20-10 (23)

[2-week Abacus Rank: No. 9

4-week Abacus Rank: No. 6

6-week Abacus Rank: No. 8

8-week Abacus Rank: No. 8

10-week Abacus Rank: No. 6]

KK:  +4; (8 Road Wins – 4 Home Losses) / No. 2 overall (tied-3)

Flow:  +1.40; (45.8 stops OF opp [No. 1] – 44.4 stops BY opp [No. 9] / No. 4 overall

Striping:  -1.12; [+0.07) conversions [No. 11] – (+1.18) conversions [No. 4] / No. 11 overall

SPOR-t:  +26; (548 [No. 6] – 522 [No. 3]) / No. 5 overall 

Abacus Revelation: The stout Dream defense ranks No. 1 in FG% (.419) and No. 2 in 3FG% (.326).

No. 6 Dallas Wings, 14-15 (23.5)

[2-week Abacus Rank: No. 6

4-week Abacus Rank: No. 7

6-week Abacus Rank: No. 7

8-week Abacus Rank: No. 4

10-week Abacus Rank: No. 3]

KK:  -2; (5 Road Wins – 7 Home Losses) / No. 8 overall (tied)

Flow:  +1.48; (43.4 stops OF opp [No. 6] – 41.9 stops BY opp [No. 5] / No. 3 overall

Striping:  -0.53; (+0.62) conversions [No. 10] – (+1.16) conversions [No. 3] / No. 9 overall

SPOR-t:  +55; (600 [No. 2] – 545 [No. 6]) / No. 3 overall

Abacus Revelation: The Wings attempt 4.17 more FT’s r per game than do their opponents, No. 2 in the league.

No. 7 Los Angeles Sparks, 18-12 (25)

[2-week Abacus Rank: No. 4

4-week Abacus Rank: No. 4

6-week Abacus Rank: No. 4

8-week Abacus Rank: No. 7

10-week Abacus Rank: No. 7]

KK:  +2; (8 Road Wins – 6 Home Losses) / No. 7 overall

Flow:  +0.97; (41.9 stops OF opp [No. 9] – 41.0 stops BY opp [No. 1] / No. 6 overall

Striping:  +0.75; (+1.48) conversions [No. 7] – (+0.73) opp conversions [No. 1]) / No. 4 overall

SPOR-t:  -18; (524 [No. 8] – 542 [No.5]) / No. 8 overall

Abacus Revelation: The Sparks have posted the league’s worst OR% (.208).

ABACUS INFOMERCIAL

Scoring Differential 24 games [177 overall]

1-5 points: 5 games [42 overall]

6-10 points: 5 games [46 overall]

11-15 points: 7 games [37 overall]

16-20 points:  3 games [25 overall]

>20 points:  4 games [27 overall]

 No. 8 Phoenix Mercury, 16-14 (25.5)

[2-week Abacus Rank: No. 10

4-week Abacus Rank: No. 3

6-week Abacus Rank: No. 3

8-week Abacus Rank: No. 2

10-week Abacus Rank: No. 5]

KK:  +3; (11 Road Wins – 8 Home Losses) / No. 5 overall (tied)

Flow:  +0.40; (42.7 stops OF opp [No. 7] – 42.3 stops BY opp [No. 6] / No. 7 overall

Striping:  +1.18; (+2.48) conversions [No. 3] – (+1.30) opp conversions [No. 5] / No. 3 overall

SPOR-t:  -63; (519 [No. 10] – 582 [No. 11]) / No. 10 overall

Abacus Revelation: The Phoenix opposition posts the lowest usage rate for 3-pointers (.256), but the second-best connect rate (.355). 

No. 9 Las Vegas Aces, 12-17* (36.5)

[2-week Abacus Rank: No. 12

4-week Abacus Rank: No. 11

6-week Abacus Rank: No. 10

8-week Abacus Rank: No. 9

10-week Abacus Rank: No. 9]

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

Flow:  +0.14; (43.8 stops OF opp [No. 2] – 43.7 stops BY opp [No. 8] / No. 9 overall

Striping:  -3.07; (-0.83) conversions [No. 12] – (+2.24) opp conversions [No. 12] / No. 12 overall

SPOR-t:  -5; (540 [No. 7] – 545 [No. 6]) / No. 7 overall

Abacus Revelation: The Aces miss 5.41 FT’s per game, most in the league.

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 Four offensive and defensive ranking in our key elements of play: FG shooting, three-point shooting, PPG, Offensive Rebounding, Turnovers and SPOR-t.

FG%: Indiana, Las Vegas

3FG%: New York

PPG: Indiana, New York

OR%: Phoenix

TO%: Chicago, Phoenix

SPOR-t: Indiana, Phoenix

 No. 10 Chicago Sky, 10-19 (38)

[2-week Abacus Rank: No. 6

4-week Abacus Rank: No. 12

6-week Abacus Rank: No. 12

8-week Abacus Rank: No. 11

10-week Abacus Rank: No. 11]

KK:  -5; (4 Road Wins – 9 Home Losses) / No. 10 overall

Flow:  -4.03; (41.0 stops OF opp [No. 11] – 45.0 stops BY opp [No. 11] / No. 11 overall

Striping:  0.38; (+1.72) conversions [No. 4] – (+1.34) opp conversions [No. 6] / No. 5 overall

SPOR-t:  -109; (524 [No. 8] – 633 [No. 12]) / No. 12 overall

Abacus Revelation: The Sky rank dead last in the “W” when it comes to defending the 3-ball (.357).

No. 10 New York Liberty, 7-22 (38)

[2-week Abacus Rank: No. 5

4-week Abacus Rank: No. 8

6-week Abacus Rank: No. 9

8-week Abacus Rank: No. 9

10-week Abacus Rank: No. 10]

KK: -9; (3 Road Wins – 12 Home Losses) / No. 11 overall

Flow:  -2.14; (42.7 stops OF opp [No. 8] – 44.8 stops BY opp [No. 10] / No. 10 overall

Striping:  +0.19; (+1.55) conversions [No. 6] – (+1.34) opp conversions [No. 6] / No. 8 overall

SPOR-t:  -33; (516 [No. 11] – 549 [No. 8]) / No. 9 overall

Abacus Revelation: The Liberty rank No. 10 in FG% (.432) and No. 11 in TO% (.164).

No. 12 Indiana Fever, 5-24 (41)

[2-week Abacus Rank: No. 11

4-week Abacus Rank: No. 10

6-week Abacus Rank: No. 11

8-week Abacus Rank: No. 12

10-week Abacus Rank: No. 12]

KK:  -10; (3 Road Wins – 13 Home Losses) / No. 12 overall

Flow:  -4.76; (40.5 stops OF opp [No. 12] – 45.3 stops BY opp [No. 12] / No. 12 overall

Striping:  +0.29; (+1.31) conversions [No. 8] – (+1.02) conversions [No. 2] / No. 6 overall

SPOR-t:  -77; (497 [No. 12] – 574 [No. 10]) / No. 11 overall

Abacus Revelation: The Fever rank No. 2 in TO% (.143).

Abacus Revelation for the Road / Random Ranking – Home-Court Advantage (?)

In its first 177 games, WNBA 2018 has seen “visiting” teams win 86 times – that’s damn near half the games (.486). Here’s the break-down by team:

Phoenix 30 games – 19 “road” wins (.633)

Indiana 29 games – 16 “road” wins (.552)

New York 29 games – 15 “road” wins (.517)

Seattle 31 games – 16 “road” wins (.516) 

Minnesota 30 games – 15 “road” wins (.500)

Las Vegas 29 games – 14 “road” wins (.483)  

Washington 29 games – 14 “road” wins (.483)

Los Angeles 30 games – 14 “road” wins (.467)

Chicago 29 games – 13 “road” wins (.448)

Connecticut 29 games – 12 “road” wins (.414)

Dallas 29 games – 12 “road” wins (.414)

Atlanta 30 games – 12 “road” wins (.400)

WNBA 2018 8-week Progress Report

Through its first eight weeks and 122 tip-offs, WNBA 2018 has been nothing if not “streaky.” Looking at the season in two-week segments, only three teams can be said to have played consistently – only the Seattle Storm posting a “winning” record in all four Fortnights. (Indiana and New York have been steady losers.)

The Connecticut Sun paired and explosive 7-2 opening month with a rather odious 3-8 second. As they were securing coach Mike Thibault’s 300^th career win, his Mystics were flip-flopping stretches of crisp (5-1, 4-1) play with sloppy (1-3, 2-3) performance. Recent champions Minnesota and Phoenix broke slowly from the starting box (especially the Lynx) but appear to have righted their ships.

And Brian Agler’s “Showtime” Sparks had their strut in style until a crowded schedule slowed their roll to 2-5 over Fortnight IV.

Maybe the New Kids on the Block we should be watching most closely are just now flipping the switch in North Texas.

A sport seems to get unpredictable when it puts a franchise in Las Vegas, huh?

The Season by the Numbers (per-game per team) thru 122 games

Possessions: 79.3

Points: 81.8  [PPP: 1.032]

FG: 29.9 – 67.9, .440

3FG: 6.5 – 19.0, .341

3PAr/Usage rate: .280

FT: 15.4 – 19.3, .798

(Off – Tot) Reb: 8.7 – 34.1  [OR% .255]

TO: 14.0  [TO% .156]

Stats and data represent play through Thursday, July 12.

An explanation of the criteria for ranking is available here.

An index of bi-weekly ratings available here.

No. 1 Seattle Storm, 15-6 (10)

[2-week Abacus Rank: No. 1

4-week Abacus Rank: No. 1

6-week Abacus Rank: No. 1]

KK:  +3; (6 Road Wins – 3 Home Losses) / No. 2 overall (tied-3)

Flow:  +3.52; (44.3 stops OF opp [No. 4] – 40.8 stops BY opp [No. 1] / No. 1 overall

Striping:  +1.14; (+2.52) conversions [No. 3] - (+1.38) opp conversions [No. 9] / No. 2 overall

SPOR-t:  +50; (579 [No. 2] – 529 [No. 4]) / No. 4 overall

Abacus Revelation: The Storm throttled its opponents into sub-40% FG shooting during Weeks 7 & 8.

 No. 2 Phoenix Mercury, 14-7 (16)

[2-week Abacus Rank: No. 10

4-week Abacus Rank: No. 3

6-week Abacus Rank: No. 3]

KK:  +6; (9 Road Wins – 3 Home Losses) / No. 1 overall

Flow:  +1.10; (44.1 stops OF opp [No. 5] – 43.0 stops BY opp [No. 7] / No. 3 overall

Striping:  +1.26; (+2.57) conversions [No. 2] – (+1.31) opp conversions [No. 7] / No. 1 overall

SPOR-t:  -63; (500 [No. 11] – 563 [No. 10]) / No. 11 overall

Abacus Revelation: The Mercury’s Griner-led D holds the opposition to a league worst (best?) .418 FG shooting.

No. 3 Connecticut Sun, 10-10 (18.5)

[2-week Abacus Rank: No. 3

4-week Abacus Rank: No. 1

6-week Abacus Rank: No. 1]

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

Flow:  +0.55; (43.2 stops OF opp [No. 7] – 42.6 stops BY opp [No. 4] / No. 6 overall (tied)

Striping:  +0.10; (+1.30) conversions [No. 6] – (+1.20) conversions [No. 6] / No. 8 overall

SPOR-t:  +91; (620 [No. 1] – 529 [No. 4]) / No. 1 overall

Abacus Revelation: Connecticut’s FG shooting dipped from .459 to .414 during Weeks 7 & 8.

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 six elements of play: FG shooting, three-point shooting, Points per Game, Offensive Rebounding, the matter of turnovers and the SPOR-t score of our ratings. These teams hold a Top Four rank offensively and defensively:

FG%: Dallas, Phoenix, Seattle

3FG%: NONE

PPG: Seattle

OR%: Dallas, Minnesota

TO%: Atlanta, Indiana, Washington

SPOR-t: Connecticut, Dallas, Seattle

No. 4 Dallas Wings, 12-8 (19)

[2-week Abacus Rank: No. 6

4-week Abacus Rank: No. 7

6-week Abacus Rank: No. 7]

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

Flow:  +2.40; (45.1 stops OF opp [No. 2] – 42.7 stops BY opp [No. 5] / No. 2 overall

Striping:  -0.20; (+0.70) conversions [No. 10] – (+0.90) conversions [No. 2] / No. 9 overall

SPOR-t:  +69; (578 [No. 3] – 509 [No. 2]) / No. 2 overall (tied)

Abacus Revelation: The highest-scoring squad in the circuit (87.3 ppg), the Dallas offense has generated 93.3 points per in their last six games.

No. 5 Minnesota Lynx, 12-8 (19.5)

[2-week Abacus Rank: No. 8

4-week Abacus Rank: No. 9

6-week Abacus Rank: No. 6]

KK:  +3; (6 Road Wins – 3 Home Losses) / No. 2 overall (tied-3)

Flow:  +0.85; (43.7 stops OF opp [No. 6] – 42.9 stops BY opp [No. 6] / No. 4 overall

Striping:  -0.50; (+0.90) conversions [No. 9] – (+1.40) opp conversions [No. 10] / No. 10 overall

SPOR-t:  +69; (549 [No. 5] – 480 [No. 1]) / No. 2 overall (tied)

Abacus Revelation: Currently third from the bottom, the Lynx struggle holding on to the ball (TO%, .166).

ABACUS INFOMERCIAL

Scoring Pace 33 games [122 overall]

100+ points: 4 games [15 overall]

90-99 points: 14 games [45 overall]

80-89 points: 17 games [71 overall]

70-79 points: 25 games [86 overall]

60-69 points: 5 games [23 overall]

<60 points: 1 game [4 overall]

No. 6 Washington Mystics, 12-8 (23.5)

[2-week Abacus Rank: No. 2

4-week Abacus Rank: No. 5

6-week Abacus Rank: No. 5]

KK:  0; (5 Road Wins – 5 Home Losses) / No. 8 overall

Flow:  +0.55; (41.9 stops OF opp [No. 10] – 41.3 stops BY opp [No. 2] / No. 6 overall (tied)

Striping:  +1.10; (+2.63) conversions [No. 1] – (+1.53) opp conversions [No. 11] / No. 3 overall

SPOR-t:  +3; (567 [No. 4] – 564 [No. 11]) / No. 6 overall

Abacus Revelation: The Mystics forced 25% fewer TO’s during a rather lackluster Fortnight IV.

No. 7 Los Angeles Sparks, 13-9 (26)

[2-week Abacus Rank: No. 4

4-week Abacus Rank: No. 4]

6-week Abacus Rank: No. 4

KK:  +1; (5 Road Wins – 4 Home Losses) / No. 7 overall

Flow:  +0.73; (42.3 stops OF opp [No. 9] – 41.5 stops BY opp [No. 3] / No. 5 overall

Striping:  +0.48; (+1.23) conversions [No. 8] – (+0.75) opp conversions [No. 1]) / No. 5 overall

SPOR-t:  -25; (509 [No. 9] – 534 [No. 6]) / No. 9 overall

Abacus Revelation: Over the last 28 calendar days, the Sparks had back-to-back open dates just twice – logging 14 games in the process.

ABACUS INFOMERCIAL

Scoring Differential 33 games [122 overall]

1-5 points: 9 games [30 overall]

6-10 points: 6 games [37 overall]

11-15 points: 8 games [25 overall]

16-20 points:  5 games [14 overall]

>20 points:  5 games [16 overall]

No. 8 Atlanta Dream, 10-9 (31.5)

[2-week Abacus Rank: No. 9

4-week Abacus Rank: No. 6

6-week Abacus Rank: No. 8]

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

Flow:  +0.53; (46.1 stops OF opp [No. 1] – 45.6 stops BY opp [No. 11] / No. 8 overall

Striping:  -1.18; [-0.08) conversions [No. 11] – (+1.11) conversions [No. 4] / No. 11 overall

SPOR-t:  -18; (508 [No. 10] – 526 [No. 3]) / No. 7 overall  

Abacus Revelation: The Dream’s strong 3FG defense went to sleep in Fortnight IV, allowing .408 opponent shooting from deep.

No. 9 Las Vegas Aces, 9-12 (35)

[2-week Abacus Rank: No. 12

4-week Abacus Rank: No. 11

6-week Abacus Rank: No. 10]

KK:  -1; (4 Road Wins – 5 Home Losses) / No. 9 overall

Flow:  +0.48; (44.5 stops OF opp [No. 3] – 44.0 stops BY opp [No. 8] / No. 9 overall

Striping:  -3.26; (-1.05) conversions [No. 12] – (+2.21) opp conversions [No. 12] / No. 12 overall

SPOR-t:  +5; (542 [No. 6] – 537 [No. 8]) / No. 5 overall

Abacus Revelation: Now No. 3 (.757), the Aces have placed among the upper half of the league’s defensive rebounding teams all season.

No. 9 New York Liberty, 6-14 (35)

[2-week Abacus Rank: No. 5

4-week Abacus Rank: No. 8

6-week Abacus Rank: No. 9]

KK: -5; (3 Road Wins – 8 Home Losses) / No. 11 overall

Flow:  -2.00; (42.8 stops OF opp [No. 8] – 44.8 stops BY opp [No. 9] / No. 10 overall

Striping:  +0.23; (+1.55) conversions [No. 5] – (+1.33) opp conversions [No. 8] / No. 6 overall

SPOR-t:  -21; (514 [No. 7] – 535 [No. 7]) / No. 8 overall

Abacus Revelation: The Liberty improved their offensive rebounding by three per game – while shooting more accurately, too – during Weeks 7 & 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 Four offensive and defensive ranking in our key elements of play: FG shooting, three-point shooting, PPG, Offensive Rebounding, Turnovers and SPOR-t.

FG%: Chicago, Indiana

3FG%: NONE

PPG: Indiana, New York

OR%: Phoenix

TO%: Chicago, Minnesota

SPOR-t: Indiana, Phoenix

 No. 11 Chicago Sky, 7-13 (37)

[2-week Abacus Rank: No. 6

4-week Abacus Rank: No. 12

6-week Abacus Rank: No. 12]

KK:  -4; (2 Road Wins – 6 Home Losses) / No. 10 overall

Flow:  -4.25; (41.3 stops OF opp [No. 12] – 45.5 stops BY opp [No. 10] / No. 11 overall

Striping:  0.58; (+1.73) conversions [No. 4] – (+1.15) opp conversions [No. 5] / No. 4 overall

SPOR-t:  -109; (512 [No. 8] – 621 [No. 12]) / No. 12 overall

Abacus Revelation: The Sky top the “W” in 3FG accuracy at .369.

No. 12 Indiana Fever, 2-18 (41)

[2-week Abacus Rank: No. 11

4-week Abacus Rank: No. 10

6-week Abacus Rank: No. 11]

KK:  -9; (1 Road Win – 10 Home Losses) / No. 12 overall

Flow:  -4.40; (41.5 stops OF opp [No. 11] – 45.9 stops BY opp [No. 12] / No. 12 overall

Striping:  +0.20; (+1.30) conversions [No. 6] – (+1.10) conversions [No. 3] / No. 7 overall

SPOR-t:  -53; (495 [No. 12] – 548 [No. 9]) / No. 10 overall

Abacus Revelation: Pokey Chapman’s pesky Fever induced 15 opponent TO’s per game during Weeks 7 & 8, No. 2 in the league.

Abacus Revelation for the Road / Random Ranking – Points per Shot (FGA) Differential

In its first 122 games, WNBA 2018 produced 19,921 points while attempting 16,567 field goals – a rate of 120.2 points per 100 shots.

Seattle +14.4 points per 100 shots [129.1 (No. 2) – 114.7 (No. 1)]

Phoenix +13.9 points per 100 shots [129.1 (No. 3) – 115.5 (No. 4)]

Dallas +11.5 points per 100 shots [129.1 (No. 1) – 117.6 (No. 5)]

Minnesota +4.6 points per 100 shots [119.5 (No. 6) – 114.9 (No.2)]

Washington +0.3 points per 100 shots [125.8 (No. 4) – 125.5 (No. 10)]

Las Vegas -0.1 points per 100 shots [119.3 (No. 8) – 119.4 (No. 6)]

Los Angeles -1.6 points per 100 shots [120.7 (No. 5) – 122.3 (No. 8)]

Chicago -2.7 points per 100 shots [119.3 (No. 7) – 122.0 (No. 7)]

Atlanta -3.5 points per 100 shots [111.7 (No. 11) – 115.2 (No. 3)]

Connecticut -5.4 points per 100 shots [118.1 (No. 9) – 123.5 (No. 9)]

New York -13.7 points per 100 shots [112.6 (No. 10) – 126.3 (No. 11)]

Indiana -18.6 points per 100 shots [108.8 (No. 12) – 127.4 (No. 12)]

WNBA 2018 2-week Progress Report

Veteran WNBA head coach Dan Hughes took his share of lumps with a talent-depleted roster during his final seasons in Texas before passing those dubious duties to long-time assistant Vickie Johnson – who could fare no better with a team subsequently moved to the Nevada desert (where “lovable” Bill Laimbeer has inherited the lumps … er, I mean, duty).

But when the opportunity was presented to coach the talents of Sue Bird, Breanna Stewart, Jewel Loyd (not to mention a 6’6” rookie named Mercedes Russell) and the rest of the Seattle Storm, Ol’ Warhorse Hughes couldn’t say “No.”

Both Hughes and the franchise know a little bit about championship pedigree.

The Season  by the Numbers [thru 27 games]

(average performance per-game per team)

Possessions: 79.9

Points: 82.3  [PPP: 1.030]

FG: 29.8 – 67.4, .442

3FG: 6.7 – 18.9, .355

3PAr/Usage rate: .281

FT: 16.1 – 20.3, .791

(Off – Tot) Reb: 8.2 – 33.7  [OR% .244]

TO: 14.2  [TO% .159]

Stats and data represent play through Thursday May, 31.

An explanation of the criteria for ranking is available here.

No. 1 Seattle Storm, 5-1 (9.5)

[2017 Abacus Rank: No. 8]

KK:  +1; (2 Road Wins – 1 Home Loss) / No. 3 overall (tied)

Flow:  +3.00; (43.8 stops OF opp [No. 6] – 40.8 stops BY opp [No. 3] / No. 3 overall

Striping:  +2.92; (+3.58) conversions [No. 1] - (+0.67) opp conversions [No. 4] / No. 1 overall

SPOR-t:  +92; (600 [No. 2] – 508 [No. 3]) / No. 2 overall

Abacus Revelation: The Storm rank third in FG shooting and first in Offensive Rebounding.

No. 2 Washington Mystics, 5-1 (10.5)

[2017 Abacus Rank: No. 4]

KK:  +2; (2 Road Wins – 0 Home Losses) / No. 1 overall (tied)

Flow:  +2.00; (43.8 stops OF opp [No. 4] – 41.8 stops BY opp [No. 4] / No. 4 overall

Striping:  +2.50; (+3.25) conversions [No. 2] – (+0.75) opp conversions [No. 5] / No. 2 overall

SPOR-t:  +55; (566 [No. 3] – 511 [No. 5]) / No. 3 overall

Abacus Revelation: The Mystics lead the league in usage of the three-point shot (.360) and rank second (.421) in accuracy.

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 six elements of play: FG shooting, three-point shooting, Points per Game, Offensive Rebounding, the matter of turnovers and the SPOR-t score of our ratings. These teams hold a Top Four rank offensively and defensively:

FG%: Connecticut

3FG%: Washington

PPG: Connecticut

OR%: Minnesota, Seattle

TO%: Atlanta, Los Angeles, New York

SPOR-t: Connecticut, Seattle

No. 3 Connecticut Sun, 3-0 (12)

[2017 Abacus Rank: No. 5]

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

Flow:  +8.67; (48.0 stops OF opp [No. 1] – 39.3 stops BY opp [No. 2] / No. 1 overall

Striping:  +0.83; (+1.17) conversions [No. 4] – (+0.33) conversions [No. 2] / No. 3 (tied) overall

SPOR-t:  +151; (646 [No. 1] – 495 [No. 1]) / No. 1 overall

Abacus Revelation: The Sun have outscored their first three opponents by over 17 ppg..

No. 4 Los Angeles Sparks, 3-1 (17.5)

[2017 Abacus Rank: No. 2]

KK:  +2; (2 Road Wins – 0 Home Losses) / No. 1 overall (tied)

Flow:  +3.50; (42.5 stops OF opp [No. 9] – 39.0 stops BY opp [No. 1] / No. 2 overall

Striping:  -0.37; (+1.00) conversions [No. 7] – (+1.38) opp conversions [No. 9]) / No. 9 overall

SPOR-t:  +18; (549 [No. 6] – 531 [No. 3]) / No. 5 overall

Abacus Revelation: The Sparks’ opposition has made nearly half (.496) of their FG attempts.

ABACUS INFOMERCIAL

Scoring Pace 27 games

100+ points: 6 games

90-99 points: 8 games

80-89 points: 14 games

70-79 points: 22 games

60-69 points: 4 games

<60 points: 0 games

No. 5 New York Liberty, 1-2 (25.5)

[2017 Abacus Rank: No. 3]

KK: -1; (0 Road Wins – 1 Home Loss) / No. 9 overall (tied-3)

Flow:  +1.00; (43.0 stops OF opp [No. 8] – 42.0 stops BY opp [No. 5] / No. 5 overall

Striping:  +0.83; (+1.83) conversions [No. 6] – (+1.00) opp conversions [No. 7] / No. 3 overall (tied)

SPOR-t:  -1; (529 [No. 6] – 530 [No. 7]) / No. 7 overall

Abacus Revelation: The Liberty commit the fewest turnovers (9.3 per game) in the league. 

No. 5 Chicago Sky, 2-2 (25.5)

[2017 Abacus Rank: No. 9]

KK:  0; (1 Road Win – 1 Home Loss) / No. 5 overall (tied-4)

Flow:  +0.75; (44.0 stops OF opp [No. 4] – 43.3 stops BY opp [No. 7] / No. 6 overall

Striping:  +0.25; (+1.13) conversions [No. 5] – (+0.88) opp conversions [No. 6] / No. 5 overall

SPOR-t:  -11; (546 [No. 5] – 557 [No. 10]) / No. 8 overall

Abacus Revelation: The Sky rank No. 3 in scoring defense despite being worst in the “W” at forcing turnovers..

ABACUS INFOMERCIAL

Scoring Differential 27 games

1-5 points: 8 games

6-10 points: 11 games

11-15 points: 1 game

16-20 points:  4 games

>20:  3 games

No. 7 Dallas Wings, 2-3 (28.5)

[2017 Abacus Rank: No. 7]

KK:  +1; (1 Road Win – 0 Home Losses) / No. 3 overall (tied)

Flow:  -1.60; (46.8 stops OF opp [No. 2] – 46.4 stops BY opp [No. 10] / No. 10 overall

Striping:  +0.20; (+0.70) conversions [No. 9] – (+0.50) conversions [No. 3] / No. 6 overall

SPOR-t:  -29; (487 [No. 9] – 516 [No. 6]) / No. 9 overall

Abacus Revelation: The stout Dallas defense is holding opponents to 38% FG shooting overall[i].

No. 7 Minnesota Lynx, 2-3 (28.5)

[2017 Abacus Rank: No. 1]

KK:  0; (1 Road Win – 1 Home Loss) / No. 5 overall (tied-4)

Flow:  -0.20; (44.0 stops OF opp [No. 4] – 44.2 stops BY opp [No. 8] / No. 7 overall

Striping:  -1.40; (+0.10) conversions [No. 10] – (+1.50) opp conversions [No. 10] / No. 11 overall

SPOR-t:  +23; (526 [No. 7] – 503 [No. 2]) / No. 4 overall

Abacus Revelation: The reigning champions, while struggling, still rank No. 2 in defending the three-point shot.

No. 9 Atlanta Dream, 2-2 (29.5)

[2017 Abacus Rank: No. 10]

KK:  0; (1 Road Win – 1 Home Loss) / No. 5 overall (tied-4)

Flow:  -1.50; (45.8 stops OF opp [No. 3] – 47.3 stops BY opp [No. 11] / No. 9 overall

Striping:  -0.12; [0.00) conversions [No. 11] – (+0.13) conversions [No. 1] / No. 8 overall

SPOR-t:  +5; (515 [No. 8] – 510 [No. 4]) / No. 6 overall

Abacus Revelation: The Dream have been the WNBA’s worst FG shooters (.384) in the early-going.

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 Four offensive and defensive ranking in our key elements of play: FG shooting, three-point shooting, PPG, Offensive Rebounding, Turnovers and SPOR-t.

FG%: Indiana, Las Vegas

3FG%: Las Vegas

PPG: Indiana, Las Vegas

OR%: Phoenix

TO%: Chicago, Dallas, Minnesota

SPOR-t: Indiana, Las Vegas, Phoenix

No. 10 Phoenix Mercury, 2-3 (37)

[2017 Abacus Rank: No. 6]

KK:  -1; (1 Road Win – 2 Home Losses) / No. 9 overall (tied-3)

Flow:  -1.20; (41.6 stops OF opp [No. 11] – 42.8 stops BY opp [No. 6] / No. 8 overall

Striping:  +0.10; (+2.10) conversions [No. 3] – (+2.00) opp conversions [No. 11] / No. 7 overall

SPOR-t:  -117; (463 [No. 12] – 580 [No. 12]) / No. 12 overall

Abacus Revelation: The Merc have exactly half (24) as many offensive rebounds as their opponents.

No. 11 Indiana Fever, 0-5 (43)

[2017 Abacus Rank: No. 12]

KK:  -3; (0 Road Wins – 3 Home Losses) / No. 12 overall

Flow:  -5.80; (39.2 stops OF opp [No. 12] – 45.0 stops BY opp [No. 9] / No. 11 overall

Striping:  -0.40; (+0.90) conversions [No. 8] – (+1.30) conversions [No. 8] / No. 10 overall

SPOR-t:  -81; (469 [No. 10] – 550 [No. 9]) / No. 10 overall

Abacus Revelation: By percentage (.797), the Fever are the second-best defensive rebounding team in the league.

No. 12 Las Vegas Aces, 0-4 (45)

[2017 Abacus Rank: No. 11]

KK:  -1; (0 Road Wins – 1 Home Loss) / No. 9 overall (tied-3)

Flow:  -6.50; (42.8 stops OF opp [No. 10] – 49.3 stops BY opp [No. 12] / No. 12 overall

Striping:  -7.25; (-2.75) conversions [No. 12] – (+4.50) opp conversions [No. 12] / No. 12 overall

SPOR-t:  -112; (467 [No. 11] – 579 [No. 11]) / No. 11 overall

Abacus Revelation: The winless Aces have been taking 9.5 more FT’s per game than the opposition.

Abacus Revelation for the Road / Random Ranking (per-game missed free throws)

Phoenix 2.40

Seattle 2.50

Chicago 3.40

Washington 3.67

Los Angeles 4.00

New York 4.00

Indiana 4.20

Minnesota 4.40

Connecticut 5.00

Atlanta 5.25

Dallas 6.20

Las Vegas 7.50

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