Nivek wrote:GhostsOfGil wrote:Kev do you have the PPA numbers for the wiz guys yet? I'm also interested in getting thoughts on our 6-2 record. Our scheduled has been absurdly easy. I'm having trouble assessing the quality of this team. The Toronto game shed a lot of light on this specifically.
Edit- Went back and saw your latest blog post. Interesting to see PP rated so highly.
Glad you found it. My view on the 6-2 start is the same as it was after 5-2. "Worried" isn't really the right word, but it's in that area. The record is good, but the schedule has been favorable. So far, the Wiz have outscored their opponents by 1.9 points per game, but the league has outscored those opponents by 2.6 points per game. Pretty average so far despite the nice record.
I agree with the "concern" to an extent, but the truth of the matter is that the NBA isn't college football and there is no such thing as a "quality win." Beating a crappy team counts just as much as beating a good one. The Wizards are going to be judged two ways -- their regular season record, and how they do in the playoffs. And as distasteful as it might be, the NBA narrative machine is really powerful and important.
So if the Wizards win 50 -- even on the strength of an easy schedule --- the franchise is going to be able to spin positive value out of it.
Zach Lowe made a comment to this effect (not the narrative thing) on Simmons' pod yesterday -- the Wizards are beating bad teams, and they have struggled to do that in the past.