To sports columnists and talking heads of a certain age, the word “analytics” has become a pejorative, a shorthand for nerds that are so engrossed in their algorithms that they can’t see the actual game being played on the court.
The truth, as always, is far more complex.
“Who is the best NBA player to never win an MVP award?”
On Christmas day, The New York Times published an editorial in which it asked some of its sportswriters who the NBA’s best player of the decade was and the nod went to Stephen Curry.
While the Times conceded the only other possibility was LeBron James, Curry won “in a landslide.”
There’s no need for a preamble. Let’s just say it: Scottie Pippen was fucking great. Not good. Not really good. Not very good. Great. Great great.
How different would the Association had looked if different decisions had been made?
The Passion of Christopher Pierznik 