Not some much starting well in the season and banking the
requisite wins to best help your post-season position (though it helps immensely),
but starting each game well-executing with your best starters and with the
pages in the coach’s play book most refined.
Over the last 16 NBA seasons, 12 of the eventual champions
have been ranked within the league’s top 5 teams where overall first quarter
production is concerned.
The last quarter for instance, when championship caliber teams
have likely put away their opponents and often had the luxury of benching their
starters hasn’t beared as much relevance with only 7
of the last 14 champions ranking within the top 5.
Most markets consider Miami, Oklahoma City, San Antonio and
the LA Clippers as the four teams most likely to win this season’s championship.
It’s therefore little surprise to find that those 4 are all ranked within the
league’s top 6 first quarter executers with at this stage Minnesota
surprisingly holding a place within the top 5 along with Brooklyn.
Most interesting among the best first quarter teams are the
Spurs. For all the successes this franchise has enjoyed in recent years they
haven’t led the league in the first quarter since their first championship in
the 1998-99 season.
This
season however they sit at the top the charts for first quarter excellence with
an impressive +128, while claiming the honour of being the only team to top 50%
for field goal percentage as well as leading the league in long range efficiency.
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