Introduction to advanced basketball statistics unfortunately shows Pistons’ defense was overrated
By Dan Feldman
We use a fair amount of advanced statistics here, something I’m sure many of our regular readers understand. But for those who are only casual basketball fans or not numerically inclined, advanced statistics can be an intimidating term.
Writing for the Detroit Free Press, I try to bridge that gap by providing an introduction to the core concept of many advanced statistics: Possessions alternate. Unfortunately, the most apt example to display the idea was that the Pistons’ defense isn’t as good as basic numbers made it out to be.
"Last season, the Pistons allowed 95.7 points per game and the Milwaukee Bucks allowed 98.7 points per game.Which team had a better defense?Unfortunately for Detroit, it was the Bucks.Advanced statistics – a bugaboo that isn’t nearly as scary or complicated as it sounds – tell a more accurate story than aforementioned numbers."