Perry Perspective: Jan 11
Officials in the spotlight for key matchup
Dear Mr. Cuban,
If NBA officials show favoritism towards the Spurs and Pistons, who do you think they?ll favor when the two teams meet on Thursday night in San Antonio?
Thanks,
Perry
Dear Perry,
Depends on which officials.
Thanks,
Mark
That?s certainly true, but not exactly the answer I was looking for. Nonetheless it?s an answer.
I guess Mavericks owner Mark Cuban really does respond to all emails that are sent to him. That?s pretty cool. (Although, I wonder how he responds to penis enlargement spam?)
Earlier this week, Cuban told the Dallas Morning News that he felt league officials were being more favorable to the Pistons and Spurs in terms of calling fouls.
?What I don't understand is how the two most aggressive defensive teams in the league are Detroit and San Antonio,? he said, ?yet they've had the fewest fouls called against them. How does that happen? I don't understand it.?
The reason, Cuban suggested, may be because the two teams have earned a reputation for being aggressive and defensive. As a result, officials become desensitized to their physical play and end up calling fewer fouls.
Interesting.
As of Tuesday, the Pistons had the fewest fouls per game in the league at 19.6; the Spurs had the fourth-fewest at 21.2 per game. Meanwhile, Detroit had the best overall record in the NBA, and the Spurs had the second-best record.
Coincidence?
Theoretically, favorable officiating could help with a team?s overall success, but it seems unlikely when it comes to teams as dominant as the Spurs and Pistons.
What seems more likely is that favorable officiating could shift the score by a couple of points, and be the difference between whether a team covers or not.
So what happens when two teams who get favorable treatment by officials face each other as the Pistons and the Spurs will in San Antonio on Thursday night (8 p.m. ET, TNT)? As Cuban says, it really depends on which officials will be on the floor.
For instance, we might have a better idea of how the officiating would turn out if referee Mike Callahan were working. This season, when Callahan has the whistle, the home team has an abysmal record of 5-23-1 ATS.
Unfortunately, we don?t know which officials are going to be calling games until shortly before tip-off.
(If you know someone who?s going to an NBA game, see if you can get them to send you a text message immediately after the officials have been announced. It could help you with your bets.)
What we do know is that the Spurs are the defending NBA champions, and they will be playing the Pistons at home where they are 16-1 SU (9-8 ATS) as of Tuesday. And they?ll have their hands full with the Pistons, who are 12-3 SU (8-7 ATS) on the road.
This will be first time these two teams have met in San Antonio since the Spurs beat the Pistons in Game 7 of last year?s NBA Finals. The Spurs won that game 81-74 as 4-point favorites.
On Christmas Day, the Pistons got a measure of revenge when they routed the Spurs 85-70 as 6.5-point home favorites.
As discussed above, both teams are winning with stifling defenses. The Spurs are allowing 89.2 ppg, the second-fewest in the league; the Pistons are allowing 91.7 ppg, seventh-fewest.
Led by Richard Hamilton (21.5 ppg) and Chauncey Billups (19.8 ppg, 8.4 apg), the Pistons have one of the better scoring offenses averaging more than 99 ppg, ninth overall.
The Spurs, on the other hand, are averaging only 96.1 ppg, 20th overall. The combination of a strong defense and a low-scoring offense is reflected in the Spurs OVER/UNDER record, which is 13-18-3.
As of Tuesday, the Spurs were 7-3 SU in their past 10; the Pistons were 8-2.
Other notable game:
In the second game of TNT?s Thursday night doubleheader, LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers visit Kobe Bryant and the LA Lakers.
Despite the return of Zen Master Phil Jackson, the Lakers continue to wallow in mediocrity this season. As of Tuesday, they were 18-16 SU (19-15 ATS) and sat third in the Pacific division behind the Suns and the cross-town Clippers.
While they are just 5-5 in their past 10, the Lakers had won three straight prior to Wednesday?s game in Portland.
The Cavs, meanwhile, have firmly established themselves as one of the top contenders in the Eastern Conference. As of Tuesday, they were 20-11 SU (18-12-1 ATS) and sat second in the conference behind Detroit.
However, last week the Cavs lost their second-leading scorer Larry Hughes, who suffered a broken finger. He?s out six-to-eight weeks.
This game will be the first meeting of the year between these two teams and will feature the league?s top scorer Bryant (34.1 ppg), against the league?s third-leading scorer James (30.6 ppg).
BetWWTS.com
Officials in the spotlight for key matchup
Dear Mr. Cuban,
If NBA officials show favoritism towards the Spurs and Pistons, who do you think they?ll favor when the two teams meet on Thursday night in San Antonio?
Thanks,
Perry
Dear Perry,
Depends on which officials.
Thanks,
Mark
That?s certainly true, but not exactly the answer I was looking for. Nonetheless it?s an answer.
I guess Mavericks owner Mark Cuban really does respond to all emails that are sent to him. That?s pretty cool. (Although, I wonder how he responds to penis enlargement spam?)
Earlier this week, Cuban told the Dallas Morning News that he felt league officials were being more favorable to the Pistons and Spurs in terms of calling fouls.
?What I don't understand is how the two most aggressive defensive teams in the league are Detroit and San Antonio,? he said, ?yet they've had the fewest fouls called against them. How does that happen? I don't understand it.?
The reason, Cuban suggested, may be because the two teams have earned a reputation for being aggressive and defensive. As a result, officials become desensitized to their physical play and end up calling fewer fouls.
Interesting.
As of Tuesday, the Pistons had the fewest fouls per game in the league at 19.6; the Spurs had the fourth-fewest at 21.2 per game. Meanwhile, Detroit had the best overall record in the NBA, and the Spurs had the second-best record.
Coincidence?
Theoretically, favorable officiating could help with a team?s overall success, but it seems unlikely when it comes to teams as dominant as the Spurs and Pistons.
What seems more likely is that favorable officiating could shift the score by a couple of points, and be the difference between whether a team covers or not.
So what happens when two teams who get favorable treatment by officials face each other as the Pistons and the Spurs will in San Antonio on Thursday night (8 p.m. ET, TNT)? As Cuban says, it really depends on which officials will be on the floor.
For instance, we might have a better idea of how the officiating would turn out if referee Mike Callahan were working. This season, when Callahan has the whistle, the home team has an abysmal record of 5-23-1 ATS.
Unfortunately, we don?t know which officials are going to be calling games until shortly before tip-off.
(If you know someone who?s going to an NBA game, see if you can get them to send you a text message immediately after the officials have been announced. It could help you with your bets.)
What we do know is that the Spurs are the defending NBA champions, and they will be playing the Pistons at home where they are 16-1 SU (9-8 ATS) as of Tuesday. And they?ll have their hands full with the Pistons, who are 12-3 SU (8-7 ATS) on the road.
This will be first time these two teams have met in San Antonio since the Spurs beat the Pistons in Game 7 of last year?s NBA Finals. The Spurs won that game 81-74 as 4-point favorites.
On Christmas Day, the Pistons got a measure of revenge when they routed the Spurs 85-70 as 6.5-point home favorites.
As discussed above, both teams are winning with stifling defenses. The Spurs are allowing 89.2 ppg, the second-fewest in the league; the Pistons are allowing 91.7 ppg, seventh-fewest.
Led by Richard Hamilton (21.5 ppg) and Chauncey Billups (19.8 ppg, 8.4 apg), the Pistons have one of the better scoring offenses averaging more than 99 ppg, ninth overall.
The Spurs, on the other hand, are averaging only 96.1 ppg, 20th overall. The combination of a strong defense and a low-scoring offense is reflected in the Spurs OVER/UNDER record, which is 13-18-3.
As of Tuesday, the Spurs were 7-3 SU in their past 10; the Pistons were 8-2.
Other notable game:
In the second game of TNT?s Thursday night doubleheader, LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers visit Kobe Bryant and the LA Lakers.
Despite the return of Zen Master Phil Jackson, the Lakers continue to wallow in mediocrity this season. As of Tuesday, they were 18-16 SU (19-15 ATS) and sat third in the Pacific division behind the Suns and the cross-town Clippers.
While they are just 5-5 in their past 10, the Lakers had won three straight prior to Wednesday?s game in Portland.
The Cavs, meanwhile, have firmly established themselves as one of the top contenders in the Eastern Conference. As of Tuesday, they were 20-11 SU (18-12-1 ATS) and sat second in the conference behind Detroit.
However, last week the Cavs lost their second-leading scorer Larry Hughes, who suffered a broken finger. He?s out six-to-eight weeks.
This game will be the first meeting of the year between these two teams and will feature the league?s top scorer Bryant (34.1 ppg), against the league?s third-leading scorer James (30.6 ppg).
BetWWTS.com
