The Algebra of Rivalry Renewal: Stevens system bests the Process

During the regular season, Brett Brown’s Philadelphia 76ers misfired on 5.65 free throw attempts per game, “earning” a No. 25 ranking in the league. They managed that volume of misses despite having 2.85 fewer tries at the foul line per game than their opponents – that differential got them the No. 26 ranking.

The Celtics’ Round Two opponent is the only NBA team to have worked its way into the Bottom Ten of both these kinda contradictory categories. (Indeed, 19 teams predictably finished in the top half of one and the bottom half of the other – no one ended up in the Top Ten of both.)

While the frequency of Sixer attempts wasn’t the problem in Game 1, their inaccuracy prevented them from…