“Stripes” betray but don’t cost C’s a win over lowly Hawks

For only the third time this season – but for the second time in three games – the Boston Celtics were more inept from the foul line than they were accurate from behind the Arc … and winding up with a negative score in the “Striping” column. The first two (last weekend against Toronto, and the season-opener in Philly) resulted in defeat.

Last night, Brad’s boys rode a whopping 14-5 advantage in Free Throw Conversions to a +11 (55-44) in overall conversions. The buffer withstood the -15 points worth of stripes.

Worthy of note – the C’s 25 3FGA’s and .269 usage rate (3PAr) are season lows, the .240 connect rate is third-lowest.

Despite Boston’s 18-10 edge in second-chance opportunities, Atlanta out-pointed the Celtics in stick-backs 15-14. [I should note that, up-to-the-minute, Boston’s Board-men are +1 (422-421) in Second Chance Points for the season.]

Negative Striping, 2019-20

Through Friday’s play, the NBA has delivered on 522 of its 1,230 regularly scheduled exhibits of the best basketball on the planet – 1,044 team performances of high-level, albeit often “load-managed,” competition on the 94’ x 50’ hardwood (which does need to be enlarged, but that won’t happen any time soon …).

How often do you suppose a team has posted a negative score for “Striping”? Well, it’s happened 74 times this year, about one game out of every seven – both sides have been “in the red” on four occasions. The 76ers played (and won) three of those four, including the afore-mentioned opener.




Boston 109

FG: C’s – 41-93, .441
3FG: C’s – 6-25, .240
FT: C’s – 21-29, .724 [14 conversions]
TS%: C’s – .515
OR: C’s – 12 + 6 (team) [minus 1 FT rebound]
DR: C’s – 42 + 1 (team) [minus 1 FT rebound]
TO: C’s – 12 + 1 (team)
Poss: C’s – 102 {47 “Empty”}
PPP: C’s – 1.069
CV%: C’s – 55 / 102, .539
Stripes: C’s – -2 [-1 conversion]
Adjusted CV%: C’s – 54 / 102, .529 {expected production, 108 points}


Atlanta 106

FG: Atl – 39-93, .419
3FG: Atl – 16-45, .356
FT: Atl – 12-15, .800 [5 conversions]
TS%: Atl – .532
OR: Atl – 6 + 4 (team) [minus 0 FT rebounds]
DR: Atl – 36 + 1 (team) [minus 3 FT rebounds]
TO: Atl – 14 + 0 (team)
Poss: Atl – 102 {58 “Empty”}
PPP: Atl – 1.039
CV%: Atl – 44 / 102, .431
Stripes: Atl – 13 [6.5 conversions]
Adjusted CV%: Atl – 50.5 / 102, .495 {expected production, 101 points}


Note re Calculation & Notation:

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) – FT OR’s

“Conversions” calculation: FG’s + FT conversions

“Stripes” calculation: 3FG’s – missed FTA’s

TS% = True Shooting Percentage

PPP = Points per Possession

CV% = Conversion Percentage


Abacus Revelation for the Road

The 2015-16 NBA season was a landmark campaign in that it’s the last time a team (actually two) posted a negative Striping score for a full season.

Jason Kidd’s Milwaukee Bucks (471 FT misses, 440 3FG’s, .189 3PAr) and Sam Mitchell’s Minnesota Timberwolves (460 FT misses, 455 3FG’s, .202 3PAr) combined to put a conclusion to a tradition as old as the Arc (Ark?). Alas, neither came close to qualifying for the post-season

Twenty-eight-point-four percent of NBA shots were treys that season, a tad over one-in-four.

This season, the average 3PAr has been flirting with .380 – an increase of more than ONE-THIRD in just four seasons.