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06/14/2004: "Pistons' depth shows"

Box scores from the first four games of the NBA finals:

		1st		2nd		3rd		4th		O.T.		ESPN
1	Detroit		22		18		24		23			link
	at L.A.	19		22		17		17
2	Detroit		16		20		30		23		2	link
	at L.A.	18		26		24		21		10
3	L.A.	16		16		19		17				link
	at Detroit		24		15		24		25
4	L.A.	22		17		17		24				link
	at Detroit		21		20		15		32
L.A.Total		2		3		1		0		1
Det.Total			2		1		3		4		0

To keep things confusing, I have two columns for each quarter, one for each team. The bottom rows indicate how many quarters each team has won. It is not surprising that the Pistons, up three games to one, are up in quarters, 10-7 (I count the overtime session as a separate quarter).

What I was not surprised to see was that the Pistons have outscored the Lakers in all four fourth quarters and in three out of four third quarters. The Lakers did best earlier in games, winning five of eight first half quarters. The anomoly here is that the Lakers won the series' only overtime session. Perhaps the Lakers were hopped up on adreniline high enough to survive the last five minutes.

Anyway, I post this to support my contention that the Pistons are beating the Lakers with their depth. That the Pistons are wearing down the Lakers. Thus, the Pistons gain a comparitive edge as the games wear on.

If I weren't so lazy, I'd dig up and analyze free throw percentages by quarter. When players get tired, their legs go, and they lose theuir shooting touch. I expect that such an analysis would show that the Lakers are surprisingly inaccurate from the free throw line late in the games.