Confessions of an NBA scorekeeper

[VF21]

http://deadspin.com/5345287/the-confessions-of-an-nba-scorekeeper

The Confessions of an NBA scorekeeper
by Tommy Craggs

Not long ago, we brought you the story of a stat-padding NBA scorekeeper who, one day in 1997, awarded 23 assists to Lakers guard Nick Van Exel, mostly for the hell of it. That was Alex. (He is now an officer in the Navy and asks that I not use his last name.) From 1995 to 1998, he headed up the Vancouver Grizzlies' stat crew. Alex is a numbers guy, and he came at the job from the perspective of someone who spent his childhood, as he says, "recreating baseball games with Dungeons and Dragons dice and baseball cards." So it was particularly galling for him to find that the seemingly cold and objective NBA box score was, on many nights, a self-serving fiction, subject to so much artful embroidery and deliberate manipulation that one might reasonably conclude that the boys from Enron were sitting courtside, counting dimes...

Some interesting stuff in this article, including some allegations of a little bit of stat-padding by the Grizzlies in SAR's favor...

 

[MoneyMike916]

Clippers

 

[beb0p]

In that case I predict:

Headline: Ricky Rubio gets 30 Assists in His First NBA Game!!



In another news:

President of the Largest Ricky Rubio Fan Club Hired by Timberwolves to be the New Official Score Keeper.

 

[AriesMar27]

Clippers

now we know how sterling kept payroll so low for so long.... under reporting stats to keep their value low. if a player isnt getting 10 assists they cant get paid like one. if a player isnt getting 10 rebounds he cant get paid like a player who does.... it makes sense but its shady.....

 

[Gargamel]

I remember the 23 assist game not feeling like a 23 assist game. I've got a game where Magic had 24 in a 120 pt OT game (fastbreaks all night) that was legit. The Grizz game was 95-82 final. That's too much halfcourt ball to feature a 23 assist night. Nick's 2nd highest assist game with LA was 18 on 114 pts and 554 shooting from the teammates.

 

[Jespher]

In that case I predict:

Headline: Ricky Rubio gets 30 Assists in His First NBA Game!!



In another news:

President of the Largest Ricky Rubio Fan Club Hired by Timberwolves to be the New Official Score Keeper.

So no more Aileen Voison?

 

[beb0p]

So no more Aileen Voison?

LOL. That's a good one!