“Intangible Al”-gebra – Horford steps up as Celtics’ de-facto Captain

Even the most heinous of Al Horford “haters” – yes, I’m talking to YOU – needs to tip his sombrero to the yeoman’s effort put forth by Tito’s kid in his team's two most crucial games of this most challenging of seasons – facing possible elimination, then kicking off with the hottest squad in the loop, all in a little over 48 hours.

And with that, I’ll let these numbers speak for themselves from here on.


The Algebra of two crucial games


Al Horford on the floor (65:59 playing time)


Summative Equation:

Bos – 74 Conversions + [+16 “Stripes”] {20 treys “minus” 4 missed FT’s “equals” 16 stripes}
Opp – 68 Conversions + [+2 “Stripes”] {11 treys “minus” 9 missed FT’s “equals” 2 stripes}
Expected Outcome -- +6 Conversions + [+14 Stripes] = C’s win by 26 points \
Actual Score: Boston 169, Opponents 142


FG: C’s – 65 - 115, .565 / Opp – 52 - 111, .468
3FG: C’s – 20 - 43, .465 / Opp – 11 - 35, .314
FT: C’s – 19 - 23, .826 [9] / Opp – 27 - 36, .750 [16]
TO: C’s – 18 / Opp – 16
OR: C’s – 6 + 4 (team) / Opp – 10 + 4 (team)
Poss: C’s – 132 / Opp – 129
CV%: C’s – 74 / 132, .561 / Opp – 68 / 129, .527
PPP: C’s – 169 / 132, 1.280 / Opp – 142 / 129, 1.101


Al Horford on the bench (30:01 non-playing time)


Summative Equation:

Bos – 28 Conversions + [+1 “Stripe”] {6 treys “minus” 5 missed FT’s “equals” 1 stripe}
Opp – 26 Conversions + [+2 “Stripes”] {3 treys “minus” 1 missed FT’s “equals” 2 stripes}
Expected Outcome -- +2 Conversions + [-1 Stripes] = C’s win by 1 point
Actual Score: Boston 60, Opponents 55


FG: C’s – 21 - 54, .389 / Opp – 18 - 46, .391
3FG: C’s – 6 - 18, .333 / Opp – 3 - 18, .167
FT: C’s – 12 - 17, .706 [7] / Opp – 16 - 17, .941 [8]
TO: C’s – 7 / Opp – 12
OR: C’s – 10 + 1 (team) / Opp – 5 + 2 (team)
Poss: C’s – 57 / Opp – 59
CV%: C’s – 28 / 57, .491 / Opp – 26 / 59, .441
PPP: C’s – 60 / 57, 1.053 / Opp – 55 / 59, 0.932


Note re Calculations:
The number of “possessions” is an accurate count, not a formula-based estimated value.

For purposes of clarity, the bracketed digit following the FT% is the exact count of “conversions” represented by those FTA’s.

“Possessions” calculation: FGA’s + FT conversions + TO’s – OR’s (including Team OR’s)

“Conversions” calculation: FG’s + FT conversions

“PPP” = Points per Possession


Abacus Revelation for the Road

Just askin’ but …

Is the NBA more liberal these days than it used to be when it comes to players hanging on the rim after a dunk?

I often wonder if our Al is risking a “T” with his little celebrations – and rookie Jayson Tatum one time Monday looked like he was auditioning for a summer gig with The Flying Zucchinis trapeze act following one “flush.”


images: nbcsports, nba.com