Jeff Van Gundy Is Having A Heat Stroke
Monday, August 9, 2010
That's the only way to explain the comments that came flying out of his mouth over the weekend:
"They will break the single-season win record [of 72]," Jeff Van Gundy said. "And I think they have a legit shot at the Lakers' 33-game [winning] streak [in 1971-72], as well. And only the Lakers have even a remote shot at beating them in a playoff series. They will never lose two games in a row this year. They have put together a much better roster than anybody could ever have expected," Van Gundy added. "There is now no good way to defend them. They are unguardable. They are indefensible. They are just too good and have added so much shooting and are so versatile that they will score at will. And with Erik Spoelstra coaching, they will be in the top three defensive teams in the league, as well. The other 29 teams better hope the lockout gets moved up a year."Just so we're clear, here are some of the numbers that Miami will have to improve upon in order to top the '95-'96 Bulls:
Regular Season record: 72-10 (#1 in NBA History)
Home Record: 39-2 (#2 in NBA History)
Away Record: 33-8
Longest Win Streak: 18 (tied for 7th in NBA History)
Points Per Game: 105.2 (Ranked #1 in the NBA)
Points Allowed: 92.9 (Ranked #3 in the NBA)
They started the season 41-3, at one point they won 37 straight home games, and are the only team in NBA history to lose consecutive games only one time during the regular season.
And then let's take a look at those '71-'72 Lakers that had the 33 game win streak:
Regular Season record: 69-13 (#2 in NBA History)
Home Record: 36-5
Away Record: 31-7 (2-1 on neutral sites)
Longest Win Streak: 33 (#1 in NBA History)
Points Per Game: 121.0 (Ranked #1 in the NBA)
Points Allowed: 108.7 (Ranked #6 in the NBA)
They only started the season 39-3, and went from November 5, 1971 until January 7, 1972 without losing a game. Thirty-three wins. In a row.
So there you go Miami Heat. A few numbers to shoot for.
And in case you're wondering, the most wins for a team that didn't win the NBA Championship in a season was 68 by the 1972-1973 Boston Celtics (68-14). Some other teams that won a ton of games and didn't win the whole pie include the 2006-2007 Dallas Mavericks (67-15) and the 2008-2009 Cleveland Cavaliers (66-16) led by none other than LeBron James.
Posted byEnigmatik at 9:12 AM
Labels: Jeff Van Gundy, Miami Heat, NBA History
2 comments:
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While Jeff is CLEARLY spouting booty chatter with those "best record ever" assumptions, he does have a point as to the Heat being a defensive nightmare. The Heat have 3 starters, in their 20's, averaging 20+ a game, 2 of which who are arguably the best at their position. The last team with three 20+ starters was the 07-08 Celtics, and well all know how well that aging triumvirate did, in their first season together...
Great information! I enjoyed this one, and many of the other posts you've been putting out lately.