• Jason

  +5

  Golden State: 99.0% chance of making playoffs, 3.8% chance of winning title.  I'll take it!

  Posted 12/6/2007 respond (flag)

  • tykeenan

    +6

    I would too. Unfortunately, his description suggests that the model doesn't project the possibility of Baron's hamstring falling off.

    Posted 12/6/2007 respond (flag)

• char6587

  +3

  hmm... 

   san antonio: 9.8% chance of winning the title

  boston : 42.6% chance of winning the title

   not sure how seriously we should take these...

  Posted 12/6/2007 respond (flag)

  • Ben Q. Rock

    +4

    I think New York's 1.7% chance of making the playoffs is more dubious. Shouldn't it be lower?

    Posted 12/6/2007 respond (flag)

• Patrick

  +7

  Any projection system that gives any team a 100% chance of making the playoffs at this point in the season needs to be retooled.

  Posted 12/6/2007 respond (flag)

  • la287

    +3

    I've got agree with that, but I'll decide to disagree that my Jazz are a 99% lock for the playoffs...

    However, I think it's really far from close to being accurate...which I think has already been decided.

    It points out the obvious very well (like the Spurs making the playoffs), but aside from the Pacific Division, can you really guarantee a 94+% of the Jazz, Spurs, Magic, Pistons, and Celtics winning their divisions?

    There's not even a 1-in-500 chance the Nuggets catch up to the Jazz and win the division?

    Posted 12/6/2007 respond (flag)

• truthaboutit

  +1

   

  Get this....as of today's changes, the Atlanta Hawks are an 8th seed.

  Thing is...this may be good at predicting who makes the playoffs because that is determined by the regular season and this uses regular season #s....but throw all that out once the playoffs start.

  And that's why using reg. season numbers as a basis for who will win the NBA finals is bunk.

  Posted 12/7/2007 respond (flag)

Orlando Magic News for December 6th - Magic Have 14.6% Chance of Winning the NBA Title
Third Quarter Collapse — ... : John Hollinger's new Playoff Predictor projects that the Magic's final record will be 60-22, that the Magic have a 100% chance of making the playoffs, a 100% chance of winning the division, a 17.6% chance of capturing the East's no. 1 seed, a 23% chance of winning the East finals, and a 14.6% chance of winning the NBA title. Holy crap! ...

They probably didn’t need fancy machines for McLovins
Randball — ... Based on this supercomputer wizardry, Hollinger has concluded that your Timberwolves — known somewhat affectionately here as the McLovins — have a … wait for it … 0.0 percent chance of making the playoffs this year. Brilliant! He pegs them for 19 wins, which also sounds just about right. But wait, there’s more: We love the “worst-case scenario” by which the McLovins would win a whopping 8 games ...

John Hollinger's New Formula, "WTF"
The Shamrock Headband — So ESPN's resident hoopsnerd John Hollinger, apparently bored by the proceedings of the season thus far, has invented something called "Hollinger's Playoff Odds 2007-08." You can read JH's explanation of it ...

Hollinger Playoff Odds
Minnesota Timberwolves — ... John Hollinger over at ESPN has put all of the teams in the NBA into a computer and calculated the odds of each team making the playoffs.  Basically, he uses his current power rankings and replays the remainder of the season 5000 times, tabulating the results at the end.  You can check it out here: John Hollinger Playoff Odds ...

Well that didn't take long...
Bullets Forever — Remember when Hollinger said the Wizards would only get 33 wins this year?  Based on his new Playoff Odds tracker, it looks like he's changed his mind.  According to the predictor, it looks like the Wizards now have a 98.6% chance of making the playoffs this year, with a projected record of 44-38.

Links of the 6th
Hoopinion — ESPN.com unveiled John Hollinger's new toy today: The Playoff Predictor. As of today, 3,000 out of 5,000 times the Hawks make the playoffs. I'm guessing that they'll need to beat Minnesota tonight and Memphis on Saturday to maintain that rate. ...

Expert: Zero Chance Kings Win Title
Sactown Royalty — ... but John Hollinger's playoff prediction machine gives the Kings a 9.9% chance of making the playoffs, with the caveat no one told the machine Kevin Martin's groin is in disrepair. ...

Mortal Locks
RedsArmy.com - The Voice Of Celtics Fans — ... We here at Redsarmy.com are pretty high on the Celtics chances this season. I’m supremely confident the Green will, at the very least, win the Eastern Conference. But the folks over at ESPN are proclaiming us mortal locks to win the NBA championship. Check out John Hollinger’s new Playoff Predictor. It’s staggering. I’m still drooling. ...

Clips Safely Return to NBA Void
FanHouse — ... kept playing instead of resting his gnarly groin, with little nothing to show for it, as Clips Nation details. Maggette returned after only one week off; the Clippers, however, have not been able to escape a seven-game losing streak. Since a 4-0 start, LAC has thrown up a 2-11 record... despite Chris Kaman improbably invoking the holy legend of Bob McAdoo this season. Elgin Baylor is left with a conundrum at this point; the playoffs can be seen only in hallucination, and Elton Brand's latest timetable points to February for a ...

Pacers Rely On Value Of Team Not Individuals
Indy Cornrows — ... John Hollinger's Playoff Odds have the Pacers finishing at 41-41 and earning the 6th seed in the Eastern Conference, as of Dec. 6th. The daily odds are based on a computer program that plays all of the games remaining in the season 5,000 times. The averages of those results set the odds. So, the results give the Pacers a 93.4% chance of making the playoffs and a .01% chance of making the NBA Finals. Those should be interesting numbers to follow throughout the season. ...

Pistons have the playoffs locked up …
Detroit Bad Boys — … at least, they do if you believe John Hollinger: That’s from this page, which I encourage you to not only check out but also bookmark for future reference. I know some people aren’t the biggest fans of Hollinger or statistical analysis in general, but I’ve always found him interesting, even if I don’t always agree. Personally, I happen to agree with his assessment that a playoff spot for Detroit is a foregone conclusion. I’m also confident they’ll win the division, but 100% ...

Daily Links 12/7
CelticsBlog — Herald Scal waits for shot Globe Big 3 Sportscenter Garnett won't make the transition MetroWest Daily Celtics reserves show their worth Celtics.com Post Ups notebook - practice update Celtics Blog Q&A with Raptors HQ LOY's Place Celtics, biggest tests are yet to come ESPN Hollinger playoff odds ESPN Insider Big Baby tops Hollinger's rookie PER ratings Red's Army Is there regret in Toronto? National Post Raptors Notebook, Bosh, Bargnani won't play Sun Times Storybook beginning for the Celtics ...

Today’s Links 12/7
Boston Sports Nation — ...   Globe   Big 3 Sportscenter         Garnett won’t make the transition       MetroWest Daily     Celtics reserves show their worth         Celtics.com     Post Ups notebook - practice update       Celtics Blog   Q&A with Raptors HQ       LOY’s Place   Celtics, biggest tests are yet to come      ESPN    Hollinger playoff odds       ESPN Insider    Big Baby tops ...

Playoff Predictor???
Arin It Out — ... I don't know about anyone else, but I am tired of John Hollinger and his ridiculous formulas.  Why ESPN keeps him on the payroll is beyond me.  His latest stroke of genius (sarcasm) is the "playoff predictor."  Yes, it is exactly like it sounds.  He is predicting which NBA teams will make the playoffs.  Say what??  You needed a formula to tell you who has the best chance at making the playoffs?  ...

John Hollinger Has Odds
YAYsports! NBA — ... . Since he likes to shove his mathematical expertise in the face of the rest of us, he’s come out with the odds for each NBA team to make the playoffs (bookmark to keep up the rest of the season). ...

Your daily DC pro sports report
MVN RSS — ... The Bullets are 5th in the East and according to John Hollinger’s playoff predictor, they’ve got a 98.5 percent chance of making the playoffs. I like those odds. ...

43.4
Parquet Wishes and Leprechaun Dreams — John Hollinger has a new toy up on ESPN.Com, the 2007-08 NBA Playoff Predictor (sports.espn.go.com) ... The Hollinger Power Rankings are a measure of each team's performance in the season so far. Based on those rankings, each day the computer plays out the remainder of the season 5,000 times to see the potential range of projected outcomes. The results reveal the most likely win-loss record for each team -- and how likely it is for each team to make the playoffs, win the NBA title, win the lottery, and so on.For those of you curious, the Celtics ...

John Hollinger invents something dumb.
The Bratwurst - Milwaukee Bucks Blog — ... Normally, I think John Hollinger puts out some of the most interesting reading about the NBA that there is. He does a great job of using his statistical analysis to make his real-world observations objective, and he’s a pretty humorous writer, as well. Learning about PER is what inspired me to take the fantasy basketball scoring system I had come up with and fine-tune it into IPM. That said, Hollinger’s new ESPN Playoff Odds Calculator has to be one of the stupidest things I have ever seen. Essentially, the calculator inputs Hollinger’s ...

Hollinger’s Computer Hates the Nuggets
The Nugg Doctor - A Denver Nuggets Blog — ... (Boulder-CO) I’ll be the first to admit that I am a little bit frustrated with the Denver Nuggets so far this season. John Hollinger’s new computer generated measuring stick seemingly just hates them. Just look at this bizarre, Vegas style odds article if you need some more proof. ...

Bobcats preview + Press clippings
PistonsNationBlog.com — ... ranks #17 among rookie according to John Hollinger’s PER ratings, Hollinger also calculates that the ‘Stonz have a 100% chance of making the Playoffs. I’m not a betting man, but I like them odds. ...

The Weak Bench Myth Debunked
Celtics 17 — ... Note: In a move akin to a referee’s make-up call, NBA Hollinger Playoff Odds 2007-08 put the odds of the Celtics as being the champs at 62%. Thanks for your support John! ...

Sixers Crash Rockets in Philly
Philadelphia 76ers — ... needed to create that pace wears down your players, which causes lapses late in games. This team has gotten off to big leads in other games before going stagnant later and allowing teams to come back. Now, players such as Iguodala, Dalembert and Miller are much fresher for the second half, which has been a key to them putting teams away in the 3rd quarter in each of the last two games. If they keep this up, we might be talking playoffs. Think I’m crazy? Well, ESPN’s John Hollinger would disagree with you . If things go as he’s projected, the Sixers would face the Celtics in ...

PREVIEW: “Groundswell” Game Tonight vs. T-Wolves?
Philadelphia 76ers — ... for the Sixers. The Andres and Willie Green have seemed to raise their games recently. Thaddeus Young and Jason Smith are improving every game. Kyle Korver’s stroke appears to be back as well. Hopefully, their recent success will fill them with a confidence that serve them well. They seem to be having fun too, which is very big. If they can ride the momentum to play good basketball tonight and Friday, maybe we can look at Saturday at LeBron’s House as a statement game. “We talking Playoffs ?” Maybe, you just never know. This entry was posted on Wednesday, December 12th, 2007 ...

Speaking Of Bling
Thank You Isiah — ... Hollinger's basketball super computer projects a 36 win season for the Bulls. I wish it had odds on me watching a 36 win team. I'll wait the suckiness out. Movie rentals come via the mail now, and I haven't read the second Bruce Campbell book yet.

Better, Stronger, Faster NBA Playoff Odds
Give Me The Rock — ... John Hollinger recently came out with his NBA Hollinger Playoff Odds for 2007-08 (I take no responsibility for that title). Using the power rankings that he developed for ESPN, the remainder of the season is simulated 5,000 times to “reveal the most likely win-loss record for each team — and how likely it is for each team to make the playoffs, win the NBA title, win the lottery, and so on.” ...

Trail Blazers Run It To Seven [Nba Closer]
Deadspin — ... • Ring The Bells And Sound The Alarm! The current chances of Boston posting a 72-10 record or better are 8.1 percent. They also have a 100% chance at making the playoffs. I think they just might. Paul Pierce scored 18 points, Kevin Garnett had 16 and the Celtics extended their winning streak to nine games by beating the Raptors 90-77. The start of the second half was delayed because of a leaky vent in the ceiling of the Air Canada Centre, leaving water dripping onto the floor. But don't worry; ...

Pistons Hype, Day 2: Why They’re Better
RedsArmy.com - The Voice Of Celtics Fans — ... C’s go  |  MLive.com: Celtics start familiar to Pistons  |  DetNews.com:  Thibodeau changed Celtics fortunes  |  Washington Post: The Doc is in for the Celtics  |  CBS:  Time to find out if the Celtics are for real  |  Power Rankings:  #1 on ESPN  |  #1 on Hoopsworld  |  #2 on SI  |  Hollinger’s updated playoff odds (we’re still awesome)  |  Daily ...

Tuesday Bullets
ESPN.com - TrueHoop — ... I'm sure I'm misusing statistics 100 ways here, but for fun, let me point out that after beating New Orleans last night to stretch the win streak to eight, according to John Hollinger's playoff predictor, the Blazers are now three times more likely to win the NBA Finals (1.2%) than they are to win the lottery (0.4%). ...

Pacer Pride
18 to 88 — ... , but it seems a tad misguided. He claims the team won't make the playoffs (or that he's not convinced they will), but the odds seem pretty good. John Hollinger's playoff odds page on ESPN likes the Pacers, and even says that if they played this season 1000 times, the Pacers would win the title...once. ...

Hold the Phone There, Blazer Fans
ESPN.com - TrueHoop — ... People are fired up in Portland. A nine-game winning streak. Some Hollinger stats saying the team is likely to make the playoffs. And ...

Thursday Burn
Blazers Blog — Here's some links to keep you busy. In his playoff odds, ESPN.com's John Hollinger puts the Blazers at 44.3 % of making the post season . It seems like this system runs off averages, so his projected final record for Portland, currently, is 43-39. Adding a possible best of 58-24, and worst of 31-51. Your 'Word O' the Day' Blazer fans is ...

Game #27 Recap - Blazers 99, Nuggets 96
Portland Trail Blazers — ... . Just look at Hollinger’s Playoff Odds for goodness sake, which gives the Blazers a 60% chance of making the tournament, better than teams like the Rockets, Bulls and Cavaliers. If they Blazers were in the east, they’d be the 4th seed right now. By the way, the Blazers were 12-15 at this point last year. ...

Tonight's Game: Boston Celtics vs. Orlando Magic - Open Thread
Third Quarter Collapse — ... 4. I'm sure you've seen John Hollinger's Playoff Odds doohickey at ESPN. The simulator gives the Celtics a 10% chance of posting a record of 72-10 or better and a 61% chance of winning the NBA title. How much stock do you put into that? ...

It’s Not Bragging if It’s True
YAYsports! NBA — ... It’s not bragging if it’s true and since the Celtics haven’t won a championship in quite some time, this is a good way to remind people that….they are one of the, if not the, most storied franchises in the NBA. With the way the Celtics are playing this season, there might be another patch going on there in May. ...

Hawks Ready to Begin New Year
Atlanta Hawks — ... The big question for 2008 is do the Hawks actually have the ability to make the playoffs this season. John Hollinger gives the Hawks over a 90% chance to make the playoffs this year, something people would have laughed at 2 months ago. But heading into 2008, the Hawks are in 5th position in the East and have been playing well consistently this season. Their defense has been better and their offense has been able to constantly threaten 100 points on any given night. Josh Smith has been a monster this season, filling up the stat sheet and playing like a man ...

The Lull
18 to 88 — ... than they did during the NE game and in the Super Bowl. Hence, I tend not to worry about it. Demond favors an aggressive step of adding Mathis, the Zombie and Bethea back onto the special teams as the Colts did at times during last year's playoffs. For me, that issue comes down to health. If guys are sound physically, ok, but where we really need them is on defense. In other news: The Pacers' playoff odds have dropped under 70%. Hmmm, nice calculations guys. Weren't ...

Route 66%
Lakers Blog — ... foe, something they've struggled to do over the last season or two. Given the gaggle of weak sister opponents they'll see over the next ten days , it's a habit they'll be happy to break. The Lakers were happy to have a bounce back game, and particularly happy to see one from Andrew Bynum, who showed a little more polish in the post while still energizing the crowd with some big time dunks . A few more of these robust box scores , and L.A.'s place in John Hollinger's fancy playoff projections will get even better.

Updated NBA Playoff Odds - 1/7/08
Give Me The Rock — ... using a program to simulate the remainder of the season. This was in response to John Hollinger’s Playoff Odds on ESPN.com. I didn’t really like what I saw in his simulation (Look at the percentage of the time Boston or Detroit wins the championship), so I set out to see if I could do something better. And not only is it better, it’s now updated. Here are the new odds based on play through 1/6 and 10,000 simulated seasons using the remaining schedule. ...

Ranking the Blazers
Blazers Blog — New week, new rankings ... Marc Stein of ESPN.com, Blazers down one spot from 7 to 8: Don't be so sure that the Blazers' seven-game trip will ruin the fairy tale. Portland is 5-1 on the road during this astonishing 16-1 run. And its only road losses since Thanksgiving were at Dallas, San Antonio and Utah. John Hollinger, also of ESPN.com, has the Blazers at No. 12. Portland's playoff odds dropped slightly, despite three-straight wins, to 61%. Blazers hold pat in the latest USA Today ranks at No. 5 And Martell Webster gets the nod for his performance in ...

Am I Reading This Wrong?
FIRE JOE MORGAN — ... But! I know -- or I'm pretty sure -- that the Suns, Spurs, and Mavericks have better than a combined 3.7% chance of winning the NBA title. This is what John Hollinger is telling me, with his new NBA Playoff Odds Report. ...

Daily Links 1/8
CelticsBlog — Herald House keys C's bench Globe Greatness is measured only one way Celtics.com Big Baby working through NBA growing pains CelticsBlog When will this train slow down? LOY's Place Home or away? Celtics 17 Everybody's getting chippy against the Celtics NBA.com Power Rankings - Celtics back on top Celtics man on the street ESPN Power Rankings - Celtics on top here too Playoff odds Hollinger puts Celtics second SI.com Celtics top this Power Ranking too NY Post Big Baby's breakout ...

Today’s Links 1/8
Boston Sports Nation — ... through NBA growing pains    CelticsBlog   When will this train slow down?       LOY’s Place    Home or away?     Celtics 17  Everybody’s getting chippy against the Celtics    NBA.com     Power Rankings - Celtics back on top    Celtics man on the street        ESPN      Power Rankings  - Celtics on top here too       Playoff odds      Hollinger puts Celtics second        SI.com  ...

Player of the D.A.Y.
SLAM Online — ... More bad news for the Spurs, according to John Hollinger’s latest invention, San Antonio has a 0.2% chance of winning the championship. That’s 2 out of 1000, not even 100. It’s based on if they keep playing how they’ve been playing, but still… come on. I learned about this from ...

Lakers #1 in West in Hollinger playoff odds
The Lakers Nation — Interesting stuff for you number guys. And even if you aren’t a number guy, these are positive results from a positive basketball team. This year, the Lakers are proving to be a special group. ESPN: The following has been caculated about the Lakers: 57 wins 30% chance for Finals 10% chance for Championship Hollinger’s stats are what they are, but it’s nice to see they’re doing well in a quantifiable way. Point ...

Pop fools national media with recent slump
San Antonio Spurs — ... and playoff predictor. His power rankings have the Spurs at 10th, just behind the Gilbert Arenas-less Wizards. Now that is a sentence I never thought I would have to type. His playoff predictor estimates that the Spurs will finish 50-32 and earn the sixth seed, setting up a juicy 3-6 match up with Phoenix. Talk about an interesting first round battle. ...

Dead in the Water
18 to 88 — ... point, you have to be at an utter loss to explain this team. Unfortunately, they are built around a star with bad knees and a point guard who has made a career out of being inconsistent. They traded guys with real talent who caused trouble for a collection of junk. Just a month ago, they were a virtual playoff lock, but after losing almost constantly, they find themselves tied for the 8th spot, and just a half game out of 10th. Hollinger is still apparently smoking crack, because he thinks they have a 67% chance at the playoffs. If they can ever manage to win 3 of 5, ...

Today's Best - 01.27.08
Garbage Points — ... The 1996 Chicago Bulls - With Kevin Garnett out because of a strained ab muscle, the Orlando Magic took advantage and handed the Celtics their eighth loss of the season. Ray Allen tied at game at 93 on a three-pointer, but Hairdo Turkey Glue stunned Boston with a turnaround jumper over Paul Pierce at the buzzer, to give Orlando a 96-93 win. The win was bad news for anyone cheering for the Celtics to become the most winning team of all-time, as John Hollinger lists their current odds for matching the Bulls' 72-10 record at 0.3%. And if ...

Fear the Jazz
ESPN.com - TrueHoop — Have you seen John Hollinger's Playoff Odds lately? That thing is pretty new, so I don't feel like I have a relationship with it yet. But it sure is interesting. I find myself staring at it frequently, wondering what it might see that the regular standings don't. And if you check it out today, you'll notice something odd: the Utah Jazz are listed as about as likely to make the playoffs as any team in the whole league. At 94.4% certain to make the playoffs, they are fifth most likely to make the playoffs in the West, mere percentage ...

NBA-The Hollinger Playoff Odds
Bleacher Report — ...     This season, ESPN Insider writer John Hollinger announced a fantastic new tool for NBA rankings and predictions.  This tool, the Hollinger Playoff Predictor, predicts the outcomes of the various NBA teams' seasons, their likelihood of making the playoffs, winning their division, being the conferences number 1 seed, making it to the Finals, being the Champs, and even winning the Lottery. ...

NBA:The Hollinger Playoff Odds
Bleacher Report — ... This tool, the Hollinger Playoff Predictor, predicts the outcomes of the various NBA teams' seasons, their likelihood of making the playoffs, winning their division, being the conference’s number 1 seed, making it to the Finals, being the Champs, and even winning the lottery. ...

Daily Links 2/12
CelticsBlog — Herald C's get 2nds helpings Globe Bench is a seat of power D Up MetroWest Daily News Team record a reflection of Rivers CelticsBlog Leon Davis fills in the gaps LOY's Place Random thoughts 2/12 Celtics 17 The forgotten nine carrying the load without Garnett ESPN Stein's power rankings, Celtics #2 Hollinger's power rankings, Celtics #1 Playoff odds for all 30 teams Hoopsworld Rondo draws comparisons to Parker Red's Army What if.... Full Court Press Celtics report card February ...

Fiddlin' and Diddlin' - Daily Links 2/12
LOY's PLACE a celtics green blog — ... Garnett ESPN Stein's power rankings, Celtics #2 Hollinger's power rankings, Celtics #1 FL's Take: It is amazing how these rankings differ. The Jazz lead the SI rankings with Boston 2nd and Detroit 3rd. Stein has Detroit 1st and Celtics second and Jazz all the way down at 4. Hollinger has the Celtics on top with the Lakers #2 and Detroit all the way down at 5. There is no rhyme nor reason to the way they rank these teams. Playoff odds for all 30 teams Hoopsworld Rondo draws ...

It’s Time to Put ‘Sixers’ and ‘Playoffs’ in the Same Sentence
Recliner GM — ... I may be in the minority among Philly fans, but I am excited about the prospect of the team making the playoffs.  Which according to John Hollinger’s playoff odds, gives the Sixers an 82.6% chance of being in the postseason.  It’s important for the young guys to build some character and gain some valuable postseason experience (without AI carrying them).  Competing in the playoffs accomplishes that.  I am also hoping the inevitable loss to either Detroit or Boston in the first round will leave a bad taste in their mouths that intensifies their ...

Monday Bullets
ESPN.com - TrueHoop — ... Remember all the talk about ten good teams in the West? Portland's recent five-game losing streak has pretty much ended all that. The Blazers or Kings will have to get super hot -- or two teams will have to get really cold -- for this to be considered anything other than a nine-team race. John Hollinger's playoff odds machine now gives Portland just a 1.1% chance of even making the playoffs, and a 0% chance of winning the division they led just a few weeks ago. And ...

Spurs 89 Hawks 74
Hoopinion — ... One win was the most anyone (there I go again) could have realistically expected from the road trip. Atlanta has 15 (well, 14 and 1/53rd) home games and 13 road games remaining. 11 of those 13 road games are against Eastern Conference teams. A 12th is at Memphis. Hollinger's playoff odds have the Hawks as the 8th most likely playoff team in the East, with a little better than a 40% probability of making the playoffs. ...

Daily Links 2/26
CelticsBlog — ... s stroll through LA, ease way back home Green comfortable with their place in the East Any moves in guarded condition Ainge speaks to Barry Globe Celtics finish strongly Cassell drawing interest Barry update Return to form CelticsBlog Blogger MVP/ROY rankings Celtics 17 Winning returns out West ESPN Stein's power rankings - Celtics #4, Lakers #1 Hollinger's power rankings Celtics #2, Lakers #1 Hollinger's Playoff odds Sources say Magloire leaning toward Mavs Hoopsworld The ...

Fiddlin' and Diddlin' - Daily Links 2/26
LOY's PLACE a celtics green blog — ... from getting them. The Celtics have always been hated throughout the league and it doesn't seem to have changed after their recent 20 year run of bad luck. Barry update Return to form CelticsBlog Blogger MVP/ROY rankings Celtics 17 Winning returns out West ESPN Stein's power rankings - Celtics #4, Lakers #1 Hollinger's power rankings Celtics #2, Lakers #1 Hollinger's Playoff odds Sources say Magloire leaning toward Mavs ...

The Home Stretch
Hoopinion — ... As of this morning, John Hollinger's playoff odds predicts it will take 34 wins to make the playoffs in the East and 38 wins to climb into sixth and avoid Boston and Detroit in the first round. ...

The ESPN Guru Checks In...
T.Jose Caldesports — ... Can you give a brief explanation on the methodology of your playoff odds? 19% chance of Raptors making the Finals is getting a lot of people (ed. note: "a lot of people" = me) excited. ...

More from Hollinger
The Globe and Mail - From Deep — ... even out?“The strength of schedule does come into play, as does home vs. road. Toronto's gets dinged for a weak recent schedule, but they've won by such overwhelming amounts that it more than offsets the penalty. And for the season as a whole, Toronto's schedule strength is better than that of Detroit or Boston. As for the back-to-backs and injuries and what not – the assumption is that comes out in the wash, yes.” Can you give a brief explanation on the methodology of your playoff odds ? 19% chance of Raptors making the Finals is getting a lot of people (ed. note: "a lot of ...

Bring on the Bulls!
True Blue Jazz — ... To make up for it, I will finish with: A. My Prediction: Jazz 111 Bulls: 93 B. Look at our odds to make the finals C. Hi Mom! D. Award Winning Photos ...

Friday Hodge Podge
Pickaxe And Roll — ... I have been monitoring John Hollinger’s playoff odds calculator for the past couple of months, but have failed to pass it on to all of you.  It is very interesting.  It runs 5,000 iterations of the remaining games to determine the likely finishing record of every team.  He then calculates the probability that each team will make the playoffs as well as how likely they are to win their division, conference, the championship and/or win the lottery. ...

How the (Somewhat) Mighty Have Fallen...
T.Jose Caldesports — ... Consider: They've gone from having an 18% chance at making the Finals to a 3% chance, according to John Hollinger's Playoff Odds. They've fallen from 4th to 14th in Hollinger's Power Rankings. ...

Monday Bullets
ESPN.com - TrueHoop — ... John Hollinger's Playoff Odds predicts Denver will beat out Golden State for the last spot in the West, while the Lakers and Rockets are projected to be first and second. The Jazz, Hornets, Spurs, Mavericks, Suns, Nuggets, and Warriors are all expected to finish within four games of each other. Also, Atlanta, Chicago, and Indiana are all seen as more likely than New Jersey to make the playoffs. ...

Hawks 105 Wizards 96
Hoopinion — ... (If one wished to grouse about the team defense through three quarters or Josh Smith sitting for the first 4:46 of the fourth quarter because he had four fouls, one could, and I do admit to chuckling at Mario West's failed dunk attempt late in the third quarter. Grousing can have the day off: Atlanta's playoff odds are back over 50%.) ...

The Knicks still have a chance and other stuff you won’t believe
YAYsports! NBA — ... While perusing John Hollinger’s NBA Playoff Odds, I became deeply mired in the insane notion that if the Hawks, Pacers, Bulls, Nets, Bobcats, and Bucks all lost every single game until the end of the season, and the Knicks went 11-3, the New York Knicks would make the 8th seed in the Eastern Conference. ...

The Knicks still have a chance and other stuff you won't believe
The Serious Tip — ... While perusing John Hollinger’s NBA Playoff Odds, I became deeply mired in the insane notion that if the Hawks, Pacers, Bulls, Nets, Bobcats, and Bucks all lost every single game until the end of the season, and the Knicks went 11-3, the New York Knicks would make the 8th seed in the Eastern Conference. ...

Easter Weekend 1 Hoopinion 0
Hoopinion — ... The Playoff Odds calculator this morning sees The Drive for 35 as irrelevant. The current target for the East's final playoff spot is up to 37 wins yet the 30-39 Hawks have a sixty-percent chance of getting there. Playing three weeks of basketball slightly above .500 is the goal. ...

Hollinger's Playoff Odds: Celtics, Lakers Most Likely to Make Finals
ESPN.com - TrueHoop — ... The Celtics, according to John Hollinger's giant machine, are about 60% likely to make the Finals. The Lakers are second, at about 25%. ...

Not Every Team Can Make the Playoffs
ESPN.com - TrueHoop — ... John Hollinger's playoff predictor thinks the most likely scenario is that the East stays as it is -- with Atlanta in the eighth spot, while Dallas and Denver beat out Golden State in the West. ...

It's Really Easy To Catch A Cold At A Bowling Alley
Thank You Isiah — ... Despite losing to Atlanta last night, there's still a 1.3% chance the Bulls will make the playoffs. Through thick and thin, it's history in the making!

Hawks 114 Knicks 109
Hoopinion — ... The concept of infinity might be relevant again tonight as in, "Mike Conley is infinitely quicker than Mike Bibby." I presume the Hawks will have to outscore another poor team to inch closer to clinching their opportunity to lose in the first round of the playoffs. Current odds: 75.8%. Estimated wins needed: 36. Level of excitement: roughly nil. ...

Tuesday Bullets
ESPN.com - TrueHoop — ... from the Suns' huge, high-scoring comeback against the Nuggets. (Those two meet again tonight. I love the NBA.) That, combined the Mavericks' victory against the Clippers, combined to improve the Mavericks' chances of making the playoffs. Hollinger's machine now has the Warriors most likely to be left out. ...

Gameday Links
Hoopinion — Unless I've miscalculated, a Raptors win and a Pacers loss clinches a playoff spot for Toronto. For this first time in more than a week Atlanta will face an opponent playing for something. I expect tonight's game, the Friday/Saturday back-to-back versus the 76ers, and next Tuesday's game at Indiana, will generate some excitement about the near-inevitable playoff berth regardless of the small probability of post-season success. Assuming, of course, that the Hawks play well. ...

And Now, We're Down To The Magic Number Four
Right Down Peachtree — ... ESPN's John Hollinger puts our playoff chances at 92 percent; anybody but the Hawks, and I'd already be popping the champagne. But we shall see, we shall see...  ...

Golden State and Denver in a Dog Fight
ESPN.com - TrueHoop — ... John Hollinger's playoff odds predictor likes the Warriors -- who play four out of five games at home the rest of the way. Hollinger's machine calls Golden State 63% likely to make the playoffs, as opposed to 38% for the Nuggets. ...

Open Game Thread #77: Bulls at Miami Heat
Blog a Bull — ... What if Atlanta fails to lock it up?  Can the Bulls actually win a game, and thus continue to torture us all with infinitisimal playoff possibilities?  Tonight's opponent is our old friend, the Miami Heat, perhaps the only other NBA team that is even arguably as disappointing as our Bulls (although I think the Bulls "win" that argument).  The catch is, these aren't really our old-friends-Miami-Heat.  No Shaq, no D-Wade, no Posey the Thug, no Haslem.  The Heat's anticipated ...

Are the Mavs Finally Gellin’?
MavsUpdate — ... of our teams, he and the rest of Dallas are far too quick to jump on the “horrible Jason Kidd trade” or “Mavs are now gellin” bandwagon. So what IS the status of the Dallas Mavericks? Are they actually starting to gel since the Jason Kidd trade? Time will tell. Dallas still needs two wins to clinch a playoff spot. Until then, they’re just another team in the competitive West. Stay tuned for tomorrow’s game against Utah. Utah is red hot and ready to make a championship run. I saw an ESPN rating system that put Utah as the most probable Western team to make it to the Finals. ...

The World's Most Unlikely MVP Showdown
ESPN.com - TrueHoop — ... But here we are. That's the deal. All the teams that everyone loved in the preseason -- the world champion San Antonio Spurs, the Phoenix Suns who lost to the Spurs on something of a technicality, the Dallas Mavericks who had special motivation courtesy of the Warriors, the Jazz who were fresh off the Western Conference Finals, the trendy Rockets -- now have a combined 7.1% chance at winning the top seed in the Conference, according to John Hollinger's playoff odds. ...

Playoff Odds via Hollinger
Bust a Bucket - A Portland Trail Blazers Blog — ... So I thought this was interesting. Hollinger just did a little playoff odds simulator for the NBA, based on his power rankings. Guess who the only team is to have 100% odds of making the playoffs? The dreaded Lakers. But the good news is the Blazers have an 88.4% chance of making the playoffs according to Hollinger. There really isn't much to say but I wanted all Bust a Bucket fans to see this, and then forget about it because it's basically worthless.

John Hollinger's NBA playoff predictor
Full-Court Press — ... are 2,500 divided by 5,000, or 50 percent. This tool doesn't just play out the regular season, though -- it plays out the postseason with seedings and even runs the draft lottery. As a result, we can get an idea of the probability of all sorts of outcomes; the most prominent is the team's median record from the 5,000 trials. As a reminder, this tool is completely, 100 percent automated, so my obvious, long-standing bias against your favorite team is not a factor here. So what are the Detroit Pistons' chances using Hollinger's criteria? The Pistons have a 90.1% chance of ...

Perk Ain’t Changin’ For No One
RedsArmy.com - The Voice Of Celtics Fans — ... be the worst part. Herald:  Celtics must take out the trash |  Ratings double from last year |  Globe:  Less talk, just play |  Camerato:  Lil Wayne says KG talks good trash |  Souza:  Detroit on an upswing |  Enterprise News:  Solid court case for Celtics in the East |  Pistons end Cavs streak |  Hollinger:  Playoff odds:  Lakers 45.5% chance of championship.  Celtics: 5.5% ...

Today’s Links 11/20
Boston Sports Nation — ... Pistons thumbnails      MetroWest Daily      Celtics: Detroit on upswing      CelticsBlog      Sergio up and down in garbage time      Stepping back:  C’s are 10-2 without playing well.  Look out NBA! NBA.com     The numbers game:   Celtics’ offense not at championship level  ESPN    Pistons use Iverson effectively against Cavaliers NBA Hollinger playoff odds  2008-09  Can Rondo solve the Pistons?  NY Post ...

Hawks 91 Wizards 87
Peachtree Hoops — ... "He’ll still be another four or five games probably." Smith's take: "I want it to be two, three games [before a return], but I’m not going to risk injuring it again and being out longer, because it’s definitely boring. It’s hard to see my teammates out there playing and I’m not able to contribute.” Mark Bradley is still predicting 50 wins. The inaugural edition of John Hollinger's playoff odds predicts 44 wins for the Hawks. (HT: Jake the ...

Excellent news, and a QOTD
Lakers Blog — ... Statistically speaking, the Lakers are shoe-ins. Does that mean AK and I can just check out until April? In other news, Kobe Bryant has ...

Game Thread: Lakers (8-1) at Suns (8-4)
Fanster.com — ... According to John Hollinger’s Playoff Odds, the Suns and Lakers have the top two projected records in the Western Conference, with the computer projection giving the Lakers a 100 percent chance of making the playoffs and the Suns 96.5 percent. ...

Game Thread: Lakers (8-1) at Suns (8-4)
ValleyoftheSuns.com — ... According to John Hollinger’s Playoff Odds, the Suns and Lakers have the top two projected records in the Western Conference, with the computer projection giving the Lakers a 100 percent chance of making the playoffs and the Suns 96.5 percent. ...

Monday Bullets
ESPN.com - TrueHoop — ... John Hollinger's playoff predictor gizmo says the Blazers are at the moment the second strongest team in the West. (It also gives the Clippers and Thunder a combined 0% chance of making the playoffs. Ooh, that's gotta hurt.) TrueHoop reader Chris notes: "Portland has played just four home games (all wins) and is the NBA's only team to play 10 road games (winning four, losing six). The opponents in those road games, as of Monday morning, have a combined 73-54 record (counting Phoenix twice). If they can get through the next month, when they don't have ...

Hollinger on the Lakers
Lakers Blog — John Hollinger takes a look at the Lakers in his "PER Diem" column this afternoon at ESPN.com. The early percentages look good , but while Hollinger is certainly very bullish on LA, he ...

Fun With Hollinger
Upside and Motor — ... John Hollinger is a pretty polarizing figure in the basketball world.  Well, at least his work is pretty polarizing.  Be it the Hollinger Power Rankings, his Playoff Odds, or PER itself, ESPN's resident stats guru is and has been under a constant stream of heavy artillery fire concerning the validity of his statistical assertions.  Today, we're going to take a look at the Playoff Odds in particular, and a few nuggets that I found to be particularly interesting: ...

Appreciating Brandon Roy: Shot Distribution
Deceptively Quick — ... his status as a budding superstar. Roy possesses that rare combination of talent, work ethic, and awareness that leads speculators at sports bars throughout Rip City to summarize him as one who "just gets it." No disagreement here. His resume certainly seems to be steadily building towards greatness. Year one; rookie of the year, Year two; All-Star. So far year three has Roy performing at his best level yet, and he seems likely to steer a very young team into the playoffs. Yet Roy is rarely the player that has the tongues of Rip City wagging. ...

Thanksgiving eve links: A gaggle of Greg Oden
Blazers Blog — ... As we sit today, the Blazers odds of making the playoffs look pretty good , according to former OregonLive.com employee John Hollinger. There's still a little ball to play yet. Casey Holdahl has ...

John Hollinger + Portland = Thanksgiving
ESPN.com - TrueHoop — ... And they matter. Between them, these four teams hog a 90.7% likelihood of winning this year's title in an extrapolation of the power rankings. ...

Orlando Magic News for December 2nd: Stat Geeks Evaluate the Magic (And Everyone Else, for That Matter)
Third Quarter Collapse — ... Meanwhile, John Hollinger's math-based playoff doohickey updates daily, and the most common result for the Magic is a 49-33 season, the third seed in the playoffs, and a matchup with the Chicago Bulls in the first round. I'll exchange fewer wins for a more favorable matchup every time, so naturally I prefer this scenario. ...

Hollinger wouldn't lie, Portland a lock for the playoffs
Deceptively Quick — I'm sure I'm late to this, but I just noticed that Portland has a 100% chance of making the playoffs according to Hollinger's magical statistics: ...

Friday Victory Links
Mavs Moneyball — - Mike Fisher's game observation - Caplan's game recap - Sefko's game recap - Moore says the Mavs are hitting their stride. - Reeves on the Mavs being happy with Kidd - Caplan on the evolving lineup - Hollinger: Mavs have 96.5% chance to make playoffs  

A changing of the guards
Fanster.com — ... If the playoffs started today, the Suns would be seeded eighth. Sure, the West is so bunched they’re only 1 1/2 games out of second, but they’re also only a game ahead of the lottery. In fact, John Hollinger’s playoff odds have Phoenix on the outside looking in with only a 55.4 percent chance of even reaching the postseason. ...

Hollinger, and why Jose Calderon is overrated as a passer
T.Jose Caldesports — ... How likely do you think it is that the Raps make the playoffs this season? 75 percent? 50 percent? Hollinger's playoff odds say Toronto has only a 23.7% chance of making the post-season. Ouch! ...

NBA Future Selection
Sports Investments — ... Hollinger has their chances at winning at 54.5%. Though I don't think their odds are quite that high, it really is three teams and then the rest. And I'm not ...

Week 7 NBA power rankings: Blazers less powerful
Blazers Blog — ... , from No. 4. Despite currently sitting at eighth in the West, Hollinger's playoff odds are still good for the Blazers. Marty Burns ...

Hollinger has Bucks at 37 wins... and in the playoffs!
Bucks Diary — ... I found another win expectation model, and its better news for the Bucks. Hollinger at ESPN.com has them winning 37 games and then sneaking into the 8th spot in the Eastern Conference, where I presume he has them getting destroyed by Prince James and the Cleveland Cavaliers. ...

This Year's Cavaliers and Celtics are Ahead of the 1995-96 Chicago Bulls' Pace; the Lakers Aren't Far Behind
Third Quarter Collapse — ... The Cleveland Cavaliers defeated the Denver Nuggets tonight, 105-88, for their 22nd win in 26 tries this season. The Cavs, along with the Boston Celtics and Los Angeles Lakers, are making a serious run at a 70-win season, and may challenge the 1995-96 Chicago Bulls' record 72-win season. ESPN.com's playoff odds feature, which uses a stat-driven (i.e. completely objective) formula devised by John Hollinger, lends credence to that claim. ...

Full Court Press
Blazersedge — ... percentage and his True Shooting Percentage. Durant has gone from a low-efficiency, volume shooter to the kind of lethal, highly-efficient scorer he was in his lone season at Texas. And he's done it while slashing his turnovers as well.     Power Rankings Stein -- 10 Hollinger -- 6 CNNSI -- 8 Yahoo! -- 8 Playoff Odds Hollinger -- 96.3 percent -- Ben (benjamin.golliver@gmail.com) ...

Nuggets at Portland, Pre-pregame
Deceptively Quick — ... , these games do have the added bonus of potential playoff implications. And considering Portland is competing with eight legitimate veteran playoff teams for a post-season spot (Oh Hollinger, how I want to believe!), they might want to win tonight. Seriously. ...

Game Thread #31: Atlanta @ Indiana, December 30th
Peachtree Hoops — ... Before the season, I picked one of these teams to make the playoffs and one to busy themselves with the draft lottery. I guess it's not out of the realm of possibility that Indiana can rally and make me half right. ...

The NBA's Best Rebounder of 2008 is...Joel Przybilla? (Joel Przybilla!)
Loaded Orygun - Front Page — ... and Hollinger's playoff odds. Your eyes aren't deceiving you; against the toughest competition the league has, some of the Blazers are performing at very high levels night in and night out.  ...

Poll For an Off Day
Peachtree Hoops — ... John Hollinger's Playoff Odds project 50 wins for the Hawks. In the best of the 5000 simulated iterations of the remainder of the season the Hawks win 63 games. In the worst of the 5000 simulated iterations of the remainder of the season the Hawks win 35 games. ...

Mavs Thursday Morning Donuts
DallasBasketball.com — ... the season for us.’’ That requires not one but two acceptances of fact: One, obviously, that beating the Knicks that day was significant. And two, that Dallas’ season is truly “turned around.’’ That, plus some silliness from Hollinger, and it’s time to make the donuts. … DONUT 1: " I’m not smart enough to argue with ESPN’s numbers-guy John Hollinger. I am smart enough, however, to put little stock in evaluations that flip and flop and flail about from week to week. Upset because John said on Wednesday that the Mavs won’t make the playoffs while the Spurs will finish sixth? ...

Game Thread: Mavericks (22-13) at Suns (19-13)
ValleyoftheSuns.com — ... And entering play today, ESPN’s John Hollinger’s playoff odds has Dallas in the No. 8 spot with a 76.6 chance of reaching the playoffs and the Suns No. 9 with a 73.1 percent chance of getting into postseason play. ...

Game Thread: Mavericks (22-13) at Suns (19-13)
Fanster.com — ... And entering play today, ESPN’s John Hollinger’s playoff odds has Dallas in the No. 8 spot with a 76.6 chance of reaching the playoffs and the Suns No. 9 with a 73.1 percent chance of getting into postseason play. ...

Suns 128, Mavericks 100 – 3rd quarter domination
ValleyoftheSuns.com — ... Finally, I know I put more stock into John Hollinger’s Playoff Odds than I should, but after tonight’s win the mathematical calculations still have Dallas in the last playoff spot and the Suns on the outside looking in. ...

Suns 128, Mavericks 100 – 3rd quarter domination
Fanster.com — ... Finally, I know I put more stock into John Hollinger’s Playoff Odds than I should, but after tonight’s win the mathematical calculations still have Dallas in the last playoff spot and the Suns on the outside looking in. ...

The 70-win Grail or Kobe and LeBron vs the “Specter” of Michael Jordan
Fanster.com —   (USA Today Photo) John Hollinger’s latest NBA Playoff odds appeared yesterday on ESPN.com. The most interesting element of his data, at least to me, is whether or not a team could win 70 games or more this season. The Rating System predicts a best and worst case scenario for each team. Under the latter, 4 teams could have a shot at 70: Lakers, Cavaliers, Magic, Celtics. The chances of the Magic or the slowing Celtics making it are so close to zero it’s worthless of any more comment. No team is indeed projected, at ...

Shawn Marion -- Broken Down
T.Jose Caldesports — ... (Quick aside before I begin: After that awful loss to Phoenix--that defence was embarrassing by the way--Hollinger's playoff odds say the Raptors only have a one in three shot of making the post-season) ...

Sixers at the Halfway Point
Recliner GM — ... The most important number above is 4.  The Sixers are 4 wins ahead of last years 40 win pace.  44 wins would be the most since 2003 and easily enough to get into the playoffs.  According to John Hollinger’s playoff odds the Sixers have a 92.5% chance to reach the playoffs and right now has them with a projected record of 45-37 which is good for 5th in the Eastern conference. ...

Caldeford vs Hollinger
T.Jose Caldesports — ... thankful for Mr. Grange's links to Caldeford on his blog... but we need to remove that superfluous "r" that he adds to Caldeford ("CaldeRford"). It's always there! I forgot how I wanted to finish my post yesterday (this happens more often than you think... I start out with a plan, and it just kind of unravels from there... this happens more often IN MY LIFE than you think too). Anyways, I wanted to compare my conclusions with those of Mr. Hollinger's Playoff Odds. So, as a reminder, here was my prediction: ...

Letting Stats Explain the NBA
Thoughts from the Jockstrap — ... PER aside, Hollinger also uses extensive statistical formulas to project won-loss records as the season is ongoing. Here is that formula. It is alarmingly accurate as well and it can change day to day, based on how a team is playing. A big part of this equation takes 2 major stats that most fans know nothing about to come up with it's projections: offensive and defensive efficiency.  A quick run down: ...

Full Court Press
Blazersedge — ... There's limited space on the DVRs Comcast rents you, and for HD the space is even more at a premium. But this one's a keeper, and I'm going to go watch that third quarter again now. Mmmmmm....38.       Check out this very, very questionable barb from Mike Breen to Mark Jackson during Friday Night's game. Power Rankings Hollinger: 5 (same) Hollinger's playoff odds: 99.3% to make the playoffs, 46.1% to win division ...

Prepping for the Trade Deadline
Roundball Mining Company - Denver Nuggets Blog — ... From a draft pick standpoint Denver already traded their 2009 pick to Oklahoma City in the Petro deal, but they do have the future pick from Charlotte.  The Bobcats are one of seven teams who are in the mix for the final playoff spot in the east.  If they somehow make it (John Hollinger’s playoff odd rater has them at roughly a one in four chance to make it) that pick will go to Denver this season.  Such an event would be disappointing as the Nuggets definitely made that trade expecting to get a top ten or higher pick out of ...

Tuesday linkage: a bunch o' Bayless
Blazers Blog — After last night's come-from-behind win over the Hornets, the Blazers sit at second in the West in John Hollinger's daily playoff odds . Hollinger's super number crunching machine predicts: 63-19 at best and 40-42 at worst. Casey calls last night's win the strangest of the season and has ...

Game Preview #52: Chicago Bulls vs. Detroit Pistons
Blog a Bull — ... Detroit comes into the United Center with a 27-22 record (13-10 on the road), half a game in front of Miami for the fifth playoff spot in the East.  Hollinger's Playoff Odds give the Pistons a 66.4% chance of making the playoffs, though, only 17% better than the Bulls, who currently sit at tenth in the East.  Furthermore, Hollinger's ...

Is it Wednesday yet?
Raptors Republic - Raptors Blog ESPN TrueHoop — ... John Hollinger’s ESPN Insider article (which I can’t post for obvious reasons) is pointing out that the Raptors have a 10.6% chance of making the playoffs given their easy schedule and the teams in between them and the promised land (yes, 8th spot is the promised land for us now). He’s also suggesting that the Kings are actively looking to unload John Salmons who some of you believed to be a good (and cheaper) fit for our SF needs. Now that Marion’s here I’m sure we’re out of that race. ...

Toronto Raptors Linkage for February 17th from 09:11 to 10:47
The AltRaps Blog — ... and will not be moved before Thursday's NBA trade deadline. The march up to the 3pm EST deadline always yields more speculation than action and this year's deadline looks to be even more heated because of big name players, and teams looking to clear contracts for economic reasons. The Raptors are involved in talks regarding deals, but sources close to the situation say the available players on Toronto's side are Anthony Parker and Joey Graham, not Chris Bosh and Andrea Bargnani. ESPN Raptors Playoff Odds - 10.6% -

Linkage for Feb 16 10pm to Feb 17 9pm
Raptors Republic - Raptors Blog ESPN TrueHoop — ... World Freaks and Geeks and Roko Ukic RaptorsHQ Grades at the All-Star Break NBA Trade Rumors: Amare Stoudemire… To Toronto? Ranking the Best Big Men in the NBA today Blockbuster Trade Involving Chris Bosh and Amare Stoudamire? Chris Bosh Comments on Raptors’ Trade, Answers the ‘Kobe or LeBron’ Question Morning Report: Not Moving Bosh ESPN Raptors Playoff Odds - 10.6% How Triano uses newcomers will determine his ...

Mavs-at-Rockets: Some Odd Odds
DallasBasketball.com — Mavs-at-Rockets: Some Odd Odds There Is An 83.6-Pct Chance Nobody Knows Anything About The West [image] According to ESPN’s John Hollinger , the Mavs have an 83.6-percent chance to make the playoffs, a 4.1-percent chance to get to the Finals, and a 0.9-percent chance to win the title. The run starts (continues? Dallas is 7-2 in its nine and 30-14 since the bad start) tonight in Houston. … and that’s where we start as we’ve assembled some other Hollingeresque odds about what’s happening in the West: Houston: There is a 70.2-percent chance that Carl Landry will play on a bum ...

Dueling Playoff Machines
ESPN.com - TrueHoop — John Hollinger's playoff probability machine absorbs more of my time than I'd care to admit. Now it's no longer the only game in town. Basketball-References's Justin Kubatko has launched his own, based on different, secret methodology. (The same methodology, he points out, that led him to win the first two TrueHoop Stat Geek Smackdowns.) I can't say I really understand how either works -- not well enough to put myself out there as "the explainer" -- but I can tell you that these two machines are certainly a little ...

Numbers! Yes!
Mistake by the Lake Sporting Times — Justin Kubatko of Basketball-Reference.com has joined in on the playoff probability game with his own report. Unfortunately, it's a black box for now. But it makes for a good complement to John Hollinger's creation. The Cavs' patience at the trading deadline not only bodes well for the team in the long-term (all of the rumored deals had the Cavs taking on more salary and longer commitments to overpaid players) but also, perhaps, in the short-term. Basketball-Reference.com currently has the Cavs as the favorite to win the Finals, at 33.8%. Hollinger has that a ...

Crunching the Numbers
The Two Man Game — ... According to ESPN’s John Hollinger, the Mavs have an 83.6% chance to make the playoffs, a 4.1% chance to get to the Finals, and a 0.9% chance to win the title. ...

Game Preview #56: Chicago Bulls at Indiana Pacers
Blog a Bull — ... the deal in the 4th.  We are young.  We have Derrick Rose.  TT is improving by the day.  Paxson seems to have a good plan.  We're playing well and I'm pumped.  Today my Bulls play a depleted Indiana team.  Milwaukee plays Denver at home.  We win, Milwaukee loses we are in the 8th spot.  Over the next few weeks it is possible for us to overtake Detroit and Philly and finish in the 6th spot with an outside chance of finishing higher.  Hollinger's playoff odds have us in the 7th seed ahead of Detroit.  Yes today is the perfect ...

Raps exact revenge
Raptors Republic - Raptors Blog ESPN TrueHoop — ... What does the win mean? Nothing but the good feeling that is beating the Knicks. It is my duty to report that we need to go 17-7 the rest of the way and hope that Milwaukee, Chicago, New Jersey, New York, Indiana and Charlotte play a worse percentage than what they’ve played all season. According to Hollinger we have a 4% chance of making the playoffs. ...

Week 17 NBA power rankings
Blazers Blog — ... Props to Portland. The Blazers have responded to two fairly significant disappointments -- Oden's new knee injury and a frustrating trade deadline -- with two emphatic home spankings of the Hawks and Clips. John Hollinger's playoff odds and ...

Expectations, The Draft, and Keeping it Real
Raptors Republic - Raptors Blog ESPN TrueHoop — ... after returning from my vacation with the kids at Disneyworld, reality set in. Perhaps I was sniffing a little too much of the pixie dust, no? As it stands this morning, the Raptors are 14th in the Eastern Conference, 5 ½ games out of the 8th and final playoff spot in the Eastern Conference. Since there are still 24 games to play, the boys still have a shot at the final seed, right? Actually, no they don’t. According to John Hollinger at espn.com, the Raptors only have a http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/hollinger/playoffodds”>5.5% chance of making the playoffs. ...

The collapse of a contender in 2,500 words or less
ValleyoftheSuns.com — ... The Suns have now fallen 1 1/2 games out of the playoff race, and it almost seems high that John Hollinger’s Playoff Odds gives them a 71.3 percent chance of reaching the postseason. Yes, we’re talking about just making the playoffs. ...

The collapse of a contender in 2,500 words or less
Fanster.com — ... The Suns have now fallen 1 1/2 games out of the playoff race, and it almost seems high that John Hollinger’s Playoff Odds give them a 71.3 percent chance of reaching the postseason. Yes, we’re talking about just making the playoffs. ...

Expectations, The Draft, and Keeping it Real
Raptors Republic - Raptors Blog ESPN TrueHoop — ... after returning from my vacation with the kids at Disneyworld, reality set in. Perhaps I was sniffing a little too much of the pixie dust, no? As it stands this morning, the Raptors are 14th in the Eastern Conference, 5 ½ games out of the 8th and final playoff spot in the Eastern Conference. Since there are still 24 games to play, the boys still have a shot at the final seed, right? Actually, no they don’t. According to John Hollinger at espn.com, the Raptors only have a 5.5% chance of making the playoffs. ...

Game Preview #57: Chicago Bulls v. Orlando Magic
Blog a Bull — ... and hoping to make the playoffs.  After last night's Bucks and Nets wins, the Bulls are 1 1/2 games out of the final playoff spot and only 1/2 game ahead of slipping into a tie with New Jersey, who the team actually plays tomorrow night.  On the bright side, the Bulls' great recent record has them at 7th in Hollinger's playoff odds.  On the not-so-bright side, and just to reiterate, tonight's opponent is the ...

Looking for wins on the Detroit Pistons' schedule
It's Just Sports — ... whatever that means at this point in a year of uncertainty, anything is possible. But the teams behind them in the standings really suck ... except for maybe the Toronto Raptors (homer-alert). Of course anything can happen in every game so by no means are these Hollinger-like projections (Pistons to make playoffs = 42.8 percent). It's just me babbling. After the jump, a quick glance at the Pistons' remaining schedule to project our final record and playoff positioning. 2/27 At Orlando: Sheed is suspended, ( ...

NBA Playoff Favorites: Lakers, Cavaliers, Celtics, Spurs
FanIQ Blog — ... in those series? As far as i am concerned, some one better ship a box  CRATE of tissues A S A P. Detroit. ... ... ... Detroit. I understand they want more salary cap, but getting rid of Billups for an aging Iverson was pretty foolish. They'll regret it when they possibly miss the playoffs. At the rate they are losing, anyone can beat this team. They're below .500 AT HOME! What is going on, D-Town??? Chris's End of Season Predicted Seeds vs. John Hollinger [ESPN]'s Playoff Odds (as of 2/28/09) ...

4 Q's of Basketball with TheDreamShake.com
Hoop Heads North — ... and the centres of the league "barbecue chicken".  The Raps may face similar problems with Rockets' big man, Yao Ming.  The Raptors will have to come up with something as ESPN's John Hollinger has the Raps' playoff chances at a measly 2.3%.  ...

Game Preview #61: Chicago Bulls at Charlotte Bobcats
Blog a Bull — ... Howard and Nazr "I'd Like to Buy a Vowel" Mohammed), but the Bulls are deeper (i.e., more "rotationally diverse").  The Bobcats are a slow (27th in pace factor), defensively minded team (9th in defensive efficiency) with some athletes and a shotblocking center (much like Houston), that can't take care of the ball (dead last in turnover ratio despite the slow pace and fundamentals-first coach – at least partially owing to horrible FT shooting).  According to Hollinger's playoff odds, Charlotte clings to a sliver of hope but is most likely lottery bound ...

Looking Forward - 1st Round
CelticsBlog — ... Hollinger has his playoff odds page that shows that we have a 100% chance of making the playoffs.  But you knew that.  What is interesting to me is the teams that might finish 7 and 8 (or even 6?) because we will be facing one of those teams in the first round.  So I thought I'd get your thoughts on those teams and who concerns you most or least. ...

Hollinger's Odds
The Cowhide Globe — ... According to the ever-trustworthy and future-seeing John Hollinger of ESPN.com, the Jazz have a 9.7% chance of getting to the 2009 NBA Finals, and a 3.0% chance of winning the 2009 NBA Finals. ...

Are the Playoffs already out of reach?
Fanster's Suns Community — ... , ESPN.com John Hollinger gives the Suns a 49.4 percent chance of reaching the postseason and it’s also the first time it dropped below 50%. ...

Are the Playoffs already out of reach?
Fanster.com — ... In his latest Playoff odds, ESPN.com John Hollinger gives the Suns a 49.4 percent chance of reaching the postseason and it’s also the first time it dropped below 50%. ...

Duck and Cover
ESPN.com - TrueHoop — ... John Hollinger's playoff predictor now thinks the Lakers are only about 15% likely to win this year's title -- Cleveland is at 31.2% ...

4 Q's of Basketball with Sixers 4 Guidos
Hoop Heads North — ... Both the Raps and Sixers have been struggling and are 3-7 in their last ten.  The Sixers are sitting in the #7 in the East but have a cluster of teams breathing down their neck.  The Raptors on the other hand hold a 0.3% chance on making the playoffs according to Hollinger's playoff odds.  The Raptors are fresh off of a fourth quarter collapse against the "half-asleep" Utah Jazz on Sunday afternoon. ...

Worst of the Night: March 10, 2009
Basketbawful — ... The Phoenix Suns: Last night's home loss to the Mavericks -- who themselves hadn't won a road game since February 2nd -- was a veritable dagger in the heart of their playoff hopes. They now trail Dallas by 5 games in the race to be put out in the first round by the Lakers. And, according to John Hollinger's playoff odds, they have a 28.8 percent chance to stumble into the postseason. I'm not an ESPN-accredited mathemologist, but shouldn't that number be closer to zero? Anyway, it's a bad sign when a team shoots 55 percent and commits only 10 turnovers at home in ...

Wednesday Bolts - 3.11.09
Daily Thunder.com — ... According to John Hollinger, OKC is projected to finish the season with a 24-58 record with a ZERO percent chance of making the playoffs. Dang, I thought we were on a roll. ...

Let me use the quarter I won by beating you to call the Waaaambulance
Basketbawful — ... is a grizzled Internet veteran who watches in despair as his favorite team, the Phoenix Suns, drop their chances lower and lower to make the '09 playoffs. When not wasting time at his ...

Five Quick Thoughts
ESPN.com - TrueHoop — ... (John Hollinger's playoff machine gives them a 9% chance of making the post-season) but it could happen! And if it does, they should probably build a statue to Mike D'Antoni. ...

Chris Paul
Sportfeen — ... The Hornets are on pace to win 51 games, and the reason they're hanging in the race has been Paul. He's looking to lead the league in steals and assists for a second straight season and ranks a close third behind James (31.29) and Wade (30.51) in the PER race after finishing second behind James a season ago. ...

John Hollinger, The Suns, and Random Stats
Mavs Moneyball — ... Now before you start sending him hate mail, Hollinger's current projections give Phoenix a 26.4% of making the postseason.  The Mavs, just slightly better, at 86.3% ...

Donuts: Jet's Smile, Nellie Midgets, Popeye's Undies
DallasBasketball.com — ... . DONUT 9: So what is the magic number for NoJetSki tonight? We know the Mavs are 20-5 when Jason Terry and Dirk Nowitzki each score 20 or more. But 40 combined points isn’t enough. Put me down for 46 as tonight’s magic NoJetSki number. DONUT 10: Wes points out that Hollinger's current projections give Phoenix a 26.4 percent of making the postseason and that the Mavs are at 86.3 percent. Yeah, but. … if Hollinger’s brain thinks that, ...

Worst of the Night and a submission request
Basketbawful — ... The Suns are now a mere three games above .500 (34-31) and six full games behind the Mavericks for the last playoff spot in the West...and their playoff odds are looking increasingly grim. ...

Fear the Lakeshow
ESPN.com - TrueHoop — ... Here's the thing about this Laker team: By John Hollinger's sophisticated analysis of the regular season so far, the Cavaliers are most likely to win the title this year. The Celtics are second. And the Lakers are third, at about 17% likely to take the top prize. ...

Atlanta Hawks 101 Indiana Pacers 87 or where we remember the times.
Peachtree Hoops — ...   ACTUAL PROJECTED ODDS (%) Team W L W L Best Worst Seed --> Playoffs ...

Full Court Press
Blazersedge — ... Kendrick Perkins, Wally Sczerbiak, Pau Gasol, Matt Harping) made the cut. Injury Watch Rudy: Is back on the court.  Martell: Out for regular season. Claims he will play in April. Greg: Could return as soon as Wednesday or Thursday this week.  Power Rankings Hollinger: 9 Stein: 10 CNNSI: 11 Hollinger's Playoff Odds: 94.9% -- Ben ...

Phoenix in danger of being postseason wasteland
Fanster.com — ... , which begin in just about a month, will most likely occur without their favorite team. In fact, ESPN’s basketball stats guru John Hollinger has placed the Suns’ chances at making the ...

The Wildcats did it, so why not the Suns?
ValleyoftheSuns.com — ... John Hollinger’s vaunted Playing Odds believe it’s possible, giving the Suns a one in three shot of reaching postseason play. ...

The Wildcats did it, so why can’t the Suns?
Fanster.com — ... John Hollinger’s vaunted Playing Odds believe it’s possible, giving the Suns a one in three shot of reaching postseason play. ...

So, You're Saying There's A Chance!
What Would Oakley Do? — ... According to the published calculations of ESPN's resident hoops number cruncher, John Hollinger, the Knicks still have a decent-ish shot of reaching the postseason as the No. 8 seed in the East. New York enters tonight's action 1.5 games back of Milwaukee and Chicago for the final opening in the (L)Eastern. ...

Worst of the Night: March 17, 2009
Basketbawful — ... with a sprained left shoulder and strained deltoid muscle. Mind you, the Nets are currently 12th in the East and their playoff odds are looking grim. (A 2.7 percent chance of making the postseason is bad, right?) And Devin, as I like to remind everybody, is the guy ...

Full Court Press
Blazersedge — ... but not least, I'm not sure how I missed this Sporting News story by Mike DeCourcy last week but let's give it up to Kyle Singler. Singler's Dukies are in the sweet 16.  Which reminds me: you should probably check to see how your BE Readers Bracket is doing in the standings. Without a doubt, you're crushing me. Rankings Hollinger: #6 Stein: #9 Hollinger Playoff Odds: 99.3% to make playoffs / 42.4% to win division ...

Game Preview #72 - Detroit Pistons @ Chicago Bulls
Blog a Bull — ... Tonight begins Operation Toyota, our quest to pass Detroit and acquire the 7th seed in the playoffs.  Hollinger currently has us in the 8th seed in the East, with the same record as Detroit (40-42).  We currently sit two games behind them in the standings, having played two more games than they have.  More importantly, we play them tonight and again in three weeks. The only tough game we have remaining on our schedule is against Miami this Thursday at home and we only have two road games left. Detroit has a home game against the Lakers on ...

Stop checking the standings, just cheer for our Suns
Fanster's Suns Community — ... So, the Suns have 12 games left, 7 on the  road, 5 at home; 6 against winning teams and 6 against losing ones. The Mavs are 3 up in the standings…we all know the rest of the story. According to the latest Hollinger’s NBA Playoffs odds on ESPN.com, the Suns have only a 29% chance of making it to the postseason. ...

Stop checking the standings, just cheer for our Suns
Fanster.com — ... So, the Suns have 12 games left, 7 on the  road, 5 at home; 6 against winning teams and 6 against losing ones. The Mavs are 3 up in the standings…we all know the rest of the story. According to the latest Hollinger’s NBA Playoffs odds on ESPN.com, the Suns have only a 29% chance of making it to the postseason. ...

Bobcats vs Wizards Recap
Queen City Hoops — Bobcats vs Wizards - 03/25/2009 - Boxscore Score: 95-93 Wizards Bobcats Record: 31-40 (2.5 games back of 8th) Playoff odds (): 8.5% Game Efficiencies:     Offensive: 100.0     Defensive: 102.2 Meritorious Player: Gerald Wallace - 21 points on 8 of 16 shooting from the floor, 5 of 9 from the line (including the miss that would have sent it into overtime). 11 rebounds, 4 assists, 3 blocks, and 2 steals. Brilliant game - not quite enough. The Bobcats were held to an offensive efficiency of ...

Discussing John Hollinger’s NBA playoff odds
The Scores Report - The National Sports Blog — ... ESPN’s John Hollinger says that there are six Eastern Conference teams that have better than a 99% chance of earning a playoff spot this year: Cleveland, Boston, Orlando and Atlanta, who are all at 100%, along with Miami and Philadelphia. ...

Worst of the Night: March 26th, 2009 -- Sweet Suckteen Edition
Basketbawful — ... is the Chief Internet Media Relations and Security Officer for Basketbawful and a grizzled Internet veteran who watches in despair as his favorite team, the Phoenix Suns, drop their chances lower and lower to make the '09 playoffs. When not wasting time at his ...

Friday links
Fanster's Suns Community — ... .  According to Hollinger’s playoff odds this morning, the Suns have a 21% chance of making it to the postseason.  Time to swing even harder. ...

Friday links
Fanster.com — ... .  According to Hollinger’s playoff odds this morning, the Suns have a 21% chance of making it to the postseason.  Time to swing even harder. ...

Bobcats vs 76ers Recap
Queen City Hoops — Bobcats vs 76ers - 03/27/2009 - Boxscore Score: 100-95 Bobcats Bobcats Record: 32-40 (2.5 games back of 7th and 8th) Playoff odds (from Hollinger's toy): 14.8% Game Efficiencies:     Offensive: 112.4     Defensive: 106.7 Meritorious Player: D.J. Augustin - 13 points on 5 attempts, 3 of 4 from the free throw line. 1 rebound. And that is it. But he helped provide a spark off the bench, and the team was +11 in his 16 minutes of action. The Bobcats get their 12th road victory of the season ...

Paint By Numbers: Suns at Utah
Fanster.com — ... All-Star break. 20 The number of times Utah has scored 110 or more points all season long. 0 The number of championships won by both teams combined. 75 The number of combined seasons played by the Jazz and Suns in the NBA. 14-4 Utah’s record after the All-Star break, which is tied for the 2nd best record in the league (Cleveland 18-2) 21.4 The percentage chance that the Suns make the playoffs, according to ESPN’s John Hollinger. 21.4 Also Lou Amundson’s free throw percentage (ok, ...

Paint By Numbers: Suns at Utah
Fanster's Suns Community — ... All-Star break. 20 The number of times Utah has scored 110 or more points all season long. 0 The number of championships won by both teams combined. 75 The number of combined seasons played by the Jazz and Suns in the NBA. 14-4 Utah’s record after the All-Star break, which is tied for the 2nd best record in the league (Cleveland 18-2) 21.4 The percentage chance that the Suns make the playoffs, according to ESPN’s John Hollinger. 21.4 Also Lou Amundson’s free throw percentage (ok, ...

Winning ain’t right, not now at least
Raptors Republic - Raptors Blog ESPN TrueHoop — ... Chicago comes into town this afternoon tied for the 7th spot with Detroit and holding a 2 1/2 game lead over Charlotte who face the Lakers, Boston and Heat next. Chicago is up against Indiana, New Jersey and New York while Detroit’s next three games are against New Jersey, Philadelphia and Charlotte. So the Bulls are sitting pretty with a 92.8% Hollinger odds for the playoffs and are basically fighting off Detroit so they can avoid Cleveland. The late playoff push is thanks in large part because of the trade pulled by much maligned GM John Paxson which brought ...

How Will The Orlando Magic Finish The Season?
Third Quarter Collapse — ... Orlando followers (including myself) expected to see the team reach that threshold after Jameer Nelson was lost for the year. I digress.    I decided to take a look at three different sites that project NBA regular season standings. Here's what each of them had to say, with regards to how many wins the Magic are predicted to end up with:   Basketball Prospectus - 61 wins Basketball-Reference - 61 wins ESPN - 61 wins   As you can see, all three websites are in ...

Monday Morning Link Dump: Bobcats and Hoops in General
Rufus on Fire — ... -- I put Charlotte's playoff chances at 20 percent. The Bobcats have a large deficit to make up given that six of the team's final nine games are on the road. But that's 20 percent more of a chance than the Bobcats have had in their first four seasons. (Note to Mr. Fowler: Your 20 percent guess comes with no reasoning. People who have actually put thought into this put the Bobcats' odds at 14.8% based on a detailed analysis of this season's performance. I have neither the ability nor the time to make that analysis, so I point to the people who do instead of guessing.) ...

Let's Assume the Magic Doesn't Want to Face the Pistons
ESPN.com - TrueHoop — ... Now that it is clearer than ever who is in and who is out of the playoffs, let the jockeying for position begin. Let me know what you see ... ...

Worst of the Night: March 30, 2009
Basketbawful — ... : "We knew we were going to be a playoff team." John Hollinger's playoff odds now give them a 0.2 percent chance of making it to the second season. ...

Full Court Press
Blazersedge — ... Bustabucket.com took a nice look at the 2008 NBA Draft and what would happen if the draft was done over knowing what we know now. SJ from Rip City Project with a thorough rundown of the worst Blazers losses of the season. Power Rankings Hollinger: #5 Stein: #9 CNNSI: #9 Yahoo! #6 Hollinger Playoff Odds: 99.9% to make playoffs, 4.8% to win title ...

Bobcats vs Lakers Recap
Queen City Hoops — Bobcats vs Lakers - 03/31/2009 - Boxscore Score: 94-84 Bobcats Bobcats Record: 34-40 (1 game out of 8th, 2 games out of 7th) Playoff Odds (From Hollinger): 22.4% Game Efficiencies:     Offensive: 105.6     Defensive: 94.4 Meritorious Player: Gerald Wallace - 21 points on 16 attempts, 13 rebounds, 5 blocks, 4 assists and 0 turnovers. The biggest crowd in Bobcats history - the biggest game (so far) in their history? I would say the first makes the second true: The Bobcats are giving ...

Worst of the Night: April 1, 2009
Basketbawful — ... and six games out of the eighth and final Eastern Conference playoff spot...with only eight games remaining. But Chris and Jose have NOT given up. Said Bosh: "It's not over. It's not over yet. We're going to keep playing, see what happens. We still have a chance." Added Calderon: "We're in a great situation. We're just playing. We've got five (wins) in a row now and we've got to keep working until the last day." Regarding that "great situation" Jose is talking about: John Hollinger's playoff odds give them a zero percent chance of making the postseason. But don't let that get ...

The Mini-Championships of the Remaining Regular Season
ESPN.com - TrueHoop — ... Sunday, April 5: Blazers at Rockets John Hollinger's cyberintern predicts these two teams will finish tied. It also predicts they will play each other in the first round. Both teams are really excellent at home (Houston is 30-8, Portland 31-7). No pressure, but there could be a first-round playoff series victory on the line this Sunday, and these are two teams that haven't seen a playoff series victory in ages. ...

Friday links
Fanster.com — ... I’m very much looking forward to the end of the season.  The Suns aren’t making the playoffs, you know it, I know it, John Hollinger knows it.  Let’s get it over with already. ...

Friday links
Fanster's Suns Community — ... I’m very much looking forward to the end of the season.  The Suns aren’t making the playoffs, you know it, I know it, John Hollinger knows it.  Let’s get it over with already. ...

Friday Bullets
ESPN.com - TrueHoop — ... Who's going to make the Finals from the West? Both John Hollinger and Justin Kubatko's systems say the Lakers are heavy favorites. But if they stumble, the second most likely team is ... the Spurs? The Rockets? The Nuggets? None of the above. The Blazers are almost twice as likely as the Spurs to make the Finals in Hollinger's system, and ...

Bobcats vs Pistons Recap
Queen City Hoops — Bobcats vs Pistons - 04/06/2009 - Boxscore Score: 104-97 Pistons Bobcats Record: 34-43 (3 games back of 7th/8th) Hollinger's Playoff Odds (from here): 4.5% Game Efficiencies:     Offensive: 114.1     Defensive: 120.9 Meritorious Player: Emeka Okafor - 14 points on 10 attempts, 2 of 4 free throws, 16 rebounds. The Bobcats managed to beat Will Bynum 28-26 in the fourth quarter, but the rest of the Pistons chipped in just enough in the quarter (8 points) to pull out the win. Will Bynum, ...

Seven Reasons to Fear the Orlando Magic
ESPN.com - TrueHoop — ... Their point differential falls a bit short, but in certain, empirically-driven quarters, they're the numeric favorites to claim the Larry O'Brien Trophy. By casual observation, it's hard not to identify strength upon strength -- perimeter defense, the league's most capable rebounder, shot-blocker, and help defender, versatility at the forward spots that wreaks havoc on opposing defenses, shooters who can find open space and drain shots when they do. ...

NBA playoff picture clearing up
The Scores Report - The National Sports Blog — ... There’s a pretty good chance that the current top eight teams in each conference will be the same 16 teams that make the playoffs. According to John Hollinger’s playoff odds, the Charlotte Bobcats have a 4.5% chance and the Indiana Pacers have a 1.1% chance to earn a spot. The Bobcats are four games back of the Bulls and the Pistons with five games to play, so they essentially have to win out or go 4-1 and hope either Chicago or Detroit has a complete meltdown. The Pacers are five games back, so their margin for error is even slimmer. ...

Bobcats vs 76ers Recap
Queen City Hoops — Bobcats vs 76ers - 04/07/2009 - Boxscore Score: 101-98 Bobcats Bobcats Record: 35-43 (2.5 games back of 8th) Hollinger's Playoff Odds: 3.6% ("So, you're telling me there's a chance") Game Efficiencies:     Offensive: 121.7     Defensive: 114.0 Meritorious Player: Raymond Felton - 32 points on 20 attempts, 6 rebounds, 5 assists but also 5 turnovers - Ray scored so efficiently that we forgive the turnovers. I thought I was having a case of deja vu. The Bobcats ran out to a big early (20 ...

Scoreboard Watching 4/8
CelticsBlog — ... romp"--Houston was firmly in control throughout, but never blew the game open--over Orlando, which was unable to make the game competitive despite the best efforts of Houston native Rashard Lewis. In other action: The Bulls won, taking a 1/2 game lead over Detroit for the 7 seed. The Heat (5th seed) and the Sixers (6th seed) both lost so they remain separated by a half game. Charlotte kept their slim playoff hopes alive in that win in Philly.

Paint By Numbers: Suns visit the Big Easy
Fanster's Suns Community — ... There’s still a mathematical chance that Phoenix could steal that last playoff spot, but it would take them being perfect, and the Dallas roster collectively being hit on the head, causing them to forget completely how to play basketball. The Suns continue their road trip tonight in New Orleans against Chris Paul and the Hornets, and here’s what to look for…by the numbers. 1.0 The percentage chance that the Suns will make the playoffs, as projected by ESPN’s John Hollinger. 1.0 The percentage chance that ...

Paint By Numbers: Suns visit the Big Easy
Fanster.com — ... There’s still a mathematical chance that Phoenix could steal that last playoff spot, but it would take them being perfect, and the Dallas roster collectively being hit on the head, causing them to forget completely how to play basketball. The Suns continue their road trip tonight in New Orleans against Chris Paul and the Hornets, and here’s what to look for…by the numbers. 1.0 The percentage chance that the Suns will make the playoffs, as projected by ESPN’s John Hollinger. 1.0 The percentage chance that ...

Speaking on Behalf of a Western Underdog
ESPN.com - TrueHoop — ... are the favorites to win the West. That's an easy call -- they have no real peer in the standings. They are by far the most likely, out of the eight teams, to win. But are they likely to win the West? That's a little different. If you take the seven other teams, they each have some chance of winning. If you add all those slim chances together, who's the favorite, the Lakers -- or the Nuggets, Spurs, Rockets, Blazers, Hornets, Jazz, and Mavericks combined? John Hollinger's playoff projection system says that the other seven teams ...

Worst of the Night: April 9, 2009
Basketbawful — ... for the jumping business. It's just one of the events that he feels strongly about, that he feels should be a part of the whole cultural experience that we offer in this building." And here I thought people usually got props for putting family first. But I guess that only applies when they take a mid-career vacation retire for 18 months or something. Advanced statistical fail: As AnacondaHL pointed out: "As of yesterday and today, both Hollinger and Kubatko still show the Suns with a chance to ...