The NBA is a business. Basketball is a sport. So what happens when business and sport are not in agreement? This is a short documentary about 10 commonly held beliefs that most NBA fans hold about Jordan Vs. LeBron, box scores, analytics, draft picks and the highly coveted triple double. I care about this. So I made a short film / documentary about it. I considered calling it Dear Basketball. It was taken.
CHAPTERS:
0:00 – INTRO
0:10 – Myth 1 – Scoring
1:04 – Phone Call with Grant Williams/Batman
1:42- Myth 2 – Triple Doubles
3:03 – Myth 3 – Point Guards
3:44- Myth 4 – Late Bloomers
5:13- Myth 5 – Starter or Sixth Man?
6:17- Myth 6 – Draft Picks Value
8:20- Myth 7 – GOAT debate and Championships/MVPs
9:46- Myth 8 – Playoff Seeding and NBA Chokers
11:09- Myth 9 – Box Score Lies
12:14- Myth 10 – NBA Players are better Analysts/GMs/Coaches
14:00- Bonus Myth – Scoring VS. Aggression
#scottiebarnes #MichaelJordan #newyorkknicks
Script Transcript:
Additional Thoughts on Myths
1. I don’t like stat-padders. Russell Westbrook drove me mad with his stat-padding, and there’s a lot of things from selfish assists to rebound-hunting that fans DON’T see. Not to mention steal and block gambling. But how do you tell people that these things are not ALWAYS good? It’s hard.
2. I got to test out my Batman impression. Let me know how I did 😉
2.1- I’ve been annoyed my whole life with triple doubles. People who chase them, how they play. I’ve chased a LOT of triple doubles in NBA 2K and played in real life with a lot of selfish guys who just wanted to hit 10 assists or 40 points. Stat-hunting is gross and it’s worse than flopping. Way worse.
3. I used to think pass-first point guards like Jose Calderon were better than score-first point guards, or MORE pure. But the term pure is dated, and not relevant. Not just because of Steph and Dame, but just because the game has very much evolved.
4. That prospect who started playing basketball at 18 isn’t going to peak at 35. Trust me on this. This is a biological factoid for those in the back row.
5. 5 man lineup metrics have been around for a while, but how does a coach determine who starts? In most cases, they don’t have the ability to, due to the severe stigma with coming off the bench. Most young players will straight up demand a trade or tank their value if asked to come off the bench. And that’s sad. Because a bad starter becoming a really good sixth man could mean a championship.
6. Comparing any player picked at x spot in any draft to another player picked at the same spot in any other draft is dumb. Shaq and Kwame Brown were both first overall picks. That’s how they were packaged and sold. That’s a branding thing. NOT a basketball thing.
7. Sooo if Jordan doesn’t retire, Hakeem is not a top 10 player… OR Jordan loses in the finals to a player no one on the Bulls could guard and LeBron fans have a new slant. If LeBron was drafted to the west, his finals record is WAY better. Except most of this is total nonsense. Voters vote on MVP each year. Guess how many times they’ve actually gotten it right?
8. All 8th seeds are not created equal. And losing to one doesn’t mean you choked.
9. This was fun. Enjoy the game and let me know how you did.
10. If you’ve actually listened to Draymond Green’s new media slant, you’d think that people who didn’t play professional basketball don’t understand the sport at all. But that’s really not true. Another myth which you probably believe, and because you believe it, broadcasters will continue to pay players to talk about the game, instead of probably some 30-year-old hoop-head in his mom’s basement who knows just as much or more.
11. You don’t have to score 20-30-40 to be aggressive. Aggression is pushing the break, attacking gaps, exploiting mismatches. Too often Nick Nurse has said Scottie Barnes not taking more than 10 shots means he was not being aggressive. But when you really break the game down, he just made the right reads. When he had clear mismatches and openings, or when someone on his team didn’t have it going he always found ways to score big.
You appreciate things about Barnes the more you watch him. He’s TOTALLY unconcerned with the box score. He’ll take 70 foot heaves that most players won’t because he doesn’t care about his 3p%. He’ll give up the ball to the guy who can make the play because he’s not chasing assists. He finds the hot hand whenever, and he’ll even find teammates who are struggling. Scottie is ALWAYS thinking about his teammates first. And this is why he’s a winner. And the Raptors will continue to win as long as they have him.
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27 Comments
Finally a good baseball video.
There's alot to being the greatest and I think Jordan takes that spot for me. He's your ideal 2 way player and yes both sides of the court matter in a basketball game. You see all of Jordan's offensive highlights but there was probably a defensive highlight for every offensive highlight he had. He also epitomizes the entire killer mentality when it came to winning and working hard towards that. So many factors play into being the greatest of all time and I believe Jordan checks off every single one. I do think accolades and chips matter to an extent, they have to. But they aren't the end all be all. Otherwise bill Russell is the undisputed goat. There are role players who have collected an impressive amount of rings too. It will always be a debate even though to me it's never been a debate when you consider everything.
Context matters if you want the facts… Few people have the time or want to take the time to deep dive. It's a pastime for most people, and homer-ism, favourite-ism and bias are things. Well done video, and the effort is appreciated.
Another awesome content.
One problem i have with advanced merrics tho, is that they are merely projections, or models. I can not understand why people use it to analyze players. Many variables can occur, like you mentioned and ot would be silly to rely on a projection, ( or basically a guess)
But damn man!
Your contents are fire!
Yep. Learning from mistakes is evolution mate. The prejudgemennt dilemma. The marketing. The politics. The reality that every player and every management is unique. Especially the raptors becuase it's a unique ish style. Ither teams know how irreplaceable the top 7 guys on the Raptors are. They ate more than just tall jackknifes with high motor. they all have that high intelligence and pass first mentality.
Basically they will wear you down physically, and mentally with steals, blocks, and third chance shots. So by the third or fourth quarter your screwed.
Even if they dont hit their 3,s there not out of the game.
In essence, judging the raptors w traditional metrics, is futile. I agree.
Anyone of those top 7 can create their own shot, point gaurd, and shoot the fadeaway three, stuff, steal and deflect.
Vanfleet, took down a near 7 footer w a swat. I mean flat down. Timber. Next one jumped over him and shit.
On another teams, "my boys", they are 25 plus scorers, ( 😉 ) on the raptors they're not. They most evenly , share the wealth.
Dont it?
They all have unique physiques, so they develop different approaches. So what might actually be good for Gary, might not be better for others.
If Gary has too much space or time, he seems more likely to miss. But at first everyone was like, he will chuck up anything.
We have to make that decision at some point, to break away w the norm and go by our gut. Especially when u r the coach of these guys. You want all your stars to shine.
Liking your documentaries.
Check out the raptor freaks morning daily talk show. Alexy Ots – the number one raptors fan and host will blow your mind with his total recall of everything raptors and NBA and in the moment improv requests. Peace all.
Looking forward to entertaining season. Are you not thoroughly entertained?
Oh. I see Demar as a superstar right now. Hes top 10. Seems like hes getting better to me. But it's a team sport…..he's essentially a Pascal level guy.
What do you think about employing a double elimination format for the NBA Championship/Playoffs?
Rob, your channel is a breath of fresh air. To be honest, I can't really listen to any of the others anymore. Been playing, watching, and following basketball since high school and thanks to you I'm still learning 50 years later! Great videos!
I didn't even know I was waiting for this, but it was overdue. This is a gem. Your points. Evidence. Logic. Illustrations. Production quality. Wit.. the list could go on. I have been schooled 🍁
Manu best 6th man for sure. A starter on any other team but sacrificed for the better of the team. Ultimate winner.
It’s finally arrived!
Great content Robert as usual. Scottie vs Cade will never end. Cade shooting 40% from the field Scottie 50% 3pt % Cade 30% Scottie 50%. So more points equals better player? Efficiency matters, less wasted possessions. I guess the math is too difficult for Piston fans. For me Jordan is the goat plays both sides of the ball. Kareem 2nd Lebron 3rd Kobe 4 Magic 5 Bird 6 Duncan 7. It would be great if Gary or Fred would come off the bench. The long boy line up is dominating.! Keep up the great content.
Thanks!
Myth #6 is not a myth. There's a big difference between expectations and results. Also, it should be obvious to everyone that basketball is a team game. That's why the nets are in shambles despite having a talented roster. Their leaders are selfish.
This is why you should subscribe to this guy…great outside the box content.
You're gonna blow up. 🎉 Great vid again
The most underrated Channel on YouTube.
.. I like your vid but I’m not sure where you got these ideas as myths…..those are not myths but are good observances about basketball that you have made. Also they are not contentious, specific to basketball but sports statistics. Stats exist in all sports to contextualize the game at a point in time, not for draft selection…. Scottie has to be more aggressive to grow in the NBA that’s a fact. He will impact the game,draw fouls, open lanes, make his teammates better.. He is a leader but does not need to be the highest score but he has to be aggressive especially at the point position. Being aggressive also means pushing the pace.
Great content man, keep it up!
Shoutout to the word mollywopped.
Pensare called his friends around to click "likes" and some people to susb. Pensare is losing it. Pascal is driving Pensare crazy. Oscar Robinson and Russell Westbrook are just about to call the psychiatrist to check on pensare.
Great video Robert! It was a great summary of what you have been saying this year. My favourite myth was your bonus one.
This is such a great piece of work here Robert. I appreciate the format and your approach. Always seeking to understand and learn more is definitely something I value. Great breakdown and articulation of facets of the game I myself could never find to bring them to life the way you did here. Thank you so much.
Myth 9 is good.
The thing about take fouls is absolutely about the viewing product but it's just good for the game. Grabbing a dude at half court is hardly a basketball play.
You from either the Toronto area or Canada lol.
Good work bro
Anyone who said anyone is going to peak in their mid thirties doesn’t know how professional sports work 😂
I have not heard any Raptors fans suggesting Siakam will peak in his mid 30’s. in fact, if anything, I see people worried about paying him a supermax contract because of his age. This is just another thinly veiled swipe at Siakam. That 2nd triple double game must have really upset you.