Looking at a box score is something anyone can do. Who lead my team in scoring? How'd we shoot from the field? And while that knowledge is useful, does it really earn you bonus points around the water cooler?
That's why I'm here. I'm bringing you the S.W.I.M: Statistics Worth Increased Media. Let Joe from accounting regurgitate what he heard on the way in this morning; you're better than that. Use these nuggets to gain a unique perspective about last night's Mavericks/Grizzlies game.
Dirk Nowitzki played 40-plus minutes for only the third time this season ⦠Dallas has yet to win one of those games.
For the first time in over two months, Nowitzki made at least three three pointers in back-to-back games.
DeJuan Blair played 17 minutes and made four free throws. The Mavericks starters played158 minutes and attempted three.
Jose Calderon is averaging nearly five assists and is shooting 45% from distance for the season, but he finished April without a single game in which he handed out five dimes and shot even 30% from deep.
The "first half" of the season (meaning pre-all star break) is the longer of the two halves, yet 74.4% of Devin Harris' assists this season came after the break.
The 32 minutes played by Shawn Marion were his most without a turnover in a losing effort since the first month of the season.
Courtney Lee has missed nine three pointers in his last two games (11 attempts): Brandon Wright has missed nine field goals on the road over the last month (29 attempts).
The Grizzlies have won six games in the last three weeks in which Zach Randolph has scored at least 20 points: the same number of such instances occurred over the previous two months.
Randolph has recorded a blocked shot in only four games over the last month.
In April, Memphis is 6-0 when Mike Conley attempts a free throw and 0-2 when he doesn't.
Marc Gasol matched a career high for a single season with his fifth consecutive 18-plus point performance (he's done it twice this year).
