NBA Showdown 30 for 30: Simulation through December

 Unfortunately, I was too busy to post the update after November, but we're getting a post after the December portion. Now three months into the simulation, get ready for an update on the standings, stats and thoughts on teams!! Let's get started:

Luka led the Mavs to an 18-3 start through November and is averaging 28.9/10.8/7.1 through 39 games

STANDINGS

Best Differentials

1. New York Knicks                   13.8
2. San Antonio Spurs                  11.9
3. Chicago Bulls                         10.9
4. Minnesota Timberwolves        9.3
5. Dallas Mavericks                     7.8
6. Philadelphia 76ers                   7.3
7. Oklahoma City Thunder          6.6
8. Brooklyn Nets                          3.5
9. Detroit Pistons                         3.3
10. New Orleans Pelicans              3.0

Best Offense

1. New York Knicks                    128.1
2. Chicago Bulls                          120.6
3. Toronto Raptors                       120.5
4. Denver Nuggets                       119.6
5. Dallas Mavericks                     117.9
6. Los Angeles Clippers              116.8
7. New Orleans Pelicans             115.4
8. Oklahoma City Thunder          115.1
9. San Antonio Spurs                   114.3
10. Washington Wizards                114.3

Best Defense

1. San Antonio Spurs                  102.5
2. Philadelphia 76ers                   103.1
3. Minnesota Timberwolves        103.4
4. Brooklyn Nets                         105.8
5. Indiana Pacers                          108.0
6. Oklahoma City Thunder          108.4
7. Portland Trailblazers                108.9
8. Memphis Grizzlies                   109.1
9. Miami Heat                               109.4
10. Chicago Bulls                           109.7

Also, through 555 games simulated, the average score is 112.07-111.48. In short, I'm loving the believability of the sim so far (outside the Knicks' early dominance ;)).

PLAYER STATS

Let's take a look at the leaderboards! I think you can spot that team rebounding seems to be a good predictor of success, as is having two guards with PG eligibility getting huge minutes -- those bonus assists from guys like Luka and Kidd is clutch... although so is both their 7+ rpg!! 

Another new, interesting stat that is game specific is a player's "VALUE SCORE" 

This rating comes from dividing a player's cumulative game score by their points, showing how much game score per point you're receiving... while my value picks of Ewing and Wesbrook are way up there, the Wolves' Michael Beasley is currently on top of this one!

With a current 25-12 record, the Wolves are definitely reaping the rewards of having a sub-500 pt player providing 980 pt value to the starting lineup!!! Carmelo is also playing out of his mind, like a near 2000 pt player, so we'll see (a) if that continues; (b) explains why the Knicks are currently playing out of this world and leading the league in wins, point differential, and offense!

Mr. Value is averaging a ridiculous 22.2 ppg, 5.7 apg, 11.6 rpg in nearly 45 mpg

I hope you've enjoyed this short update -- we'll be back with January's results and further breakdowns soon! If anything has been surprising you or you've got predictions, let us know!