MENSAS TARGET SCORE
We've all been in this scenario. Your team's down ten points with three minutes left so you start rushing your offensive possessions and jacking threes to maximize scoring opportunities while on defense you have to quickly foul the opposition so they don't stall the ball and you have to hope they miss a few freebies that open up some miraculous gate of impossible comeback heaven that will shine on your teams brilliance, leading to a memory that will live on in the folklore of basketball annals for all eternity. However, in reality all you did was extended an inevitable loss a useless four minutes while any fan brazen enough to stick around just watched their team plummet a three point percentage as they hoist hum dingers from the cheap seats while the opposition parades up and down the court padding their point totals with easy money at the free throw line. That's not the worst of it. Typically, even the most exciting of basketball games are distilled down to mundane action in its final moments because games under a timed format rarely end with meaningful possessions. We often get a guard dominated dribble fest and free throw attrition where it's no longer about strategy and talent but rather both teams leveraging clock and waiting for the minutes and seconds to dwindle to a banal finale where they start shaking hands before the final buzzer. Nay we say, for there must be a better way! A way that puts passion back into late game possessions, where no team is truly out of a game, and there's always a chance to win, where close games intensify and blowouts end quicker! Now, I know this sounds too good to be true, and yet...
In 2004, during the NCAA tournament one basketball superfan was beginning to tire of the noxious denouement of late game fouling that was spoiling the thrilling final moments of his beloved pastime and decided to do something about it. Nick Elam is no ordinary fan. He is a certified mensa genius with a degree in mathematics. Plus a masters degree from Northwestern University in Sports Administration, specializing in Sports Analytics, and is currently part of the educational leadership faculty at Ball State University (naturally) where he heads statistical research projects aimed at deeper understanding in education, leadership and athletics. In 2007 Nick began his mathematical pursuit to prove there has to be something besides the unceremonious ending of choppy, passive play and predictable outcomes that lead to an objectively boring end. He analyzed some 2,000 college and NBA games and found the math he was looking for. Intentional fouling was only an effective strategy for the trailing team 1.5% of the time.
Nick had a lightbulb and he needed to share his epiphany. So he did so as any mensa mathematician would, by submitting a 76-page powerpoint presentation titled the "Hybrid Duration Format." The Basketball Tournament (TBT) listened and loved it, implementing the style into their 2018 season with great success. After analyzing the data of 134 Elam games in comparison to 63 traditional endings in 2017 some affirming information was unearthed. Under the traditional clock format, 62% of games digressed into deliberate fouling by the trailing team and that only worked in 1 game. With the Elam Ending format, the trailing team only even applied a deliberate fouling technique 1 time. When you analyze defensive intensity the contrast is stark. Under the traditional format there were 32 uncontested shots allowed by the leading teams where under Elam Ending there were only 2 uncontested shots allowed by leading teams since the trailing team is never out of the game with a target score replacing the clock. That's just the defensive. When you break down the data for offense the argument is even more compelling with 99% of traditional format games utilizing a "time wasting" strategy in comparison to just 37% under Elam, not to mention offensive proficiency goes from 0.2 to 1.0 points per possession during game winning attempts. It may seem like a radical concept to apply to the beautiful game we know and love, but numbers don't lie and the math says the majority of game endings will benefit from Elam's way. Is it worth losing those few double overtime "buzzer-beaters" that lodge themselves in our collective memory, preserving the idea that there is only one way to end a game? Only time will tell, but if the world of data, math, mensas and fans had a choice I think it's clear they'd agree that Nick Elam is on to something. Also can't we extract some of this target score philosophy and apply its mathematical wisdom to our very own, very human existence travelling through a perceived time continuum that science is still struggling to truly comprehend. Choose a life where we aren't beholden to some perception of a disintegrating time on earth, but rather with the freedom to make every moment more significant and engage in this game of existence where you know you never lose a chance to win?
Weekly Recap:
Tournament play is upon us and with that glorious factoid we decided to spice up our end of game play by implementing Elam Ending scoring and all teams seemed to be soaring to the sound of target score intensity, ramping up the gametime energy starting with (5)Dadbods vs (12)Primetime in an offensive explosion that ended with the Bods advancing 111-91. Jerek Duda was jiggling love handles under a beige polo as he went off for a team high 26 and Steven Cordova was a double chin away from a 20 ball as he cleared the glass like dads washing windshields on a road trip with 17rebs and 19pts. For the Prime it was a black friday feast for Kamron Tiedeman as he was dropping discounts and next day shipping going for a whopping 48pts, 14reb line but didn't get the help needed for the upset. Great season Prime Time, thanks for everything.
(11)Goon Squad was giving (6)Team Nuevo fits in the first half behind Andres "Dre" Lovato and his 22pts of treasure as he and Jaylen Lovato's 21pts were living proof of "Goonies never say die" and hung tough as Sloth's shredded superman shirt, but in the end couldn't make it out alive, and succumbed to the state-of-the-arts, 94-73. The ground breaking duo of Dom Baca and Phil Montaño shooting a scintillating 13-27 from downtown was the novel needed as they amassed unprecedented levels of scoring drip with 36 and 27pts, while Baca led the freshies with 7rebs and 4 dimes to boot. Thanks for a wild ride this season Goon Squad!
(4)Mob jumped all over (13)IPS like monsters of a zombie apocalypse engulfing the masses from the tip, and cruised to a dominant 77-48 dub behind Dom Roybal's flesh eating 25pts and Andrew "Uncle Drew" Ellsworth's 20 ball as he was reanimating cadavers out of the defense all night. For the short form survivors there wasn't much to feed on in this apocalyptic wasteland but Gabriel Serrano and Greg Trujillo did manage double figures with 11 and 10 respectively, but saw their tourney hopes abbreviated. Thanks for the solid season IPS!
The killer combo of Derrick Carls (23pts) and Luis Alvarado (22pts) was all the sting needed for the (7)Killer Bees to advance over (10)The Standard and their benchmarks of hoop, 74-63. For the black and yellow butts Antonio "Tone" Lovato did add a complete nectar collecting effort of 17/9/5 to ensure the advancement of team, Queen, hive and glory. For the criteria setters Carlos "Los" Quintana was the criterion upon which all is built as he paced the norms with 21pts and Bryan Enriquez was a model of typical metric measure with 15. Thanks for an amazing season Standard!
What a comeback for those milkshake and french fry guys, (9)Blakes Lottabuckets as they slathered on the green chile and cheese in Elam Ending to steal any moral compass left from the (8)Degenerates 71-62. Employee of the month Isaac Shanley gets the bow tie, candy cane hat and sweet parking spot again as he manned the register and cashed in with 36pts and 9rebs. Eli Dawson handled the kitchen duties and dirty work with 16pts, 5rebs and 2 dimes in the win. The corrupt ones did get a decadent display of depravery from "Super" Mario Archuleta with his 38pts and 5rebs but even after Bernie Jaquez's 16 deviant points it wasn't enough to overcome the indegestion from the spicy fast food. Great season Degenerates, thanks for always showing out!
We all figured the 1 vs 16 would be a wash, but (16)Zia Elite had other ideas as they shone like the sweet pueblo sun god himself out the gate with stellar shot making and stingy defense behind Elijah Rodriguez and this team high 14pts plus 5rebs and 2 dimes. Oscar Nuñez helped find the deeper meaning of sacred symbolism with his 12 bunnies, but in the end bowed out to the mighty (1)505 Unit, 92-57. It was a second half of enhanced measurement behind Lukas Turner's 41pts and 6rebs that got the tide swinging in the direction of 505 as crafty vet Mario Montaño mustered up momentum and muscled in 18pts to ensure the components were itemized in the correct area code, none of this 575 crap. Great season Zia Elite, thanks for bringing the culture and the game!
The tale of the 2 vs 15 matchup is one of dignity and controversy. Not quite the extreme but not, not an extreme, and this night it felt extremely like a 1 vs 16 as the sage sticks were smudging and the turquoise was buffing for the slick southwestern (2)Santa Fe Style as they stormed the castle and routed out the (15)Medium Kings 111-66, and it never felt like a fight. All five amigos swaggered with double digits led by Oliver "Young" Fell's piñon picking 28pts, 6rebs and 2 assists and game ending alley oop flush from Jerome Trujillo's straight dime. Sprinkle in some Jordan Campos (27/5/3) and Tj Sanchez's (26,19,3,3 thefts) and the summer rain was giving petrichor for the plaza mariachis. The midsommar half a crown wearers did get a 20 ball from Josh Valdez and Adan Lopez was wielding half an excalibur with mildly coordinated ability as he totaled 16pts and 4rebs, but the game of thrones ended with a disappointing review. Thanks for a whole lot of fun Medium Kings!
To close out our sweet sixteen we had (3)Heatwave vs (14)Silent Storm going toe to toe or tube to tornado in the first half before the summertime scorchers turned up the temp and drove the storm clouds south for the season with an 83-68 win to advance. The fever catchers were led in the second half by inspired play from Rico Wagatsuma and his 16pts in limited court time as he sweltered the storm chasers with torrid barrel rides to the bucket. Jonathen Ealey scorched the net with a team high 18 as the dog days of summer were sharing the bone and putting a hot spell on the silent rainmakers with four players hitting double digits. The hushed squalls got 29pts and 5rebs from Shawn Daniels and an inspired monsoon effort of 9pts, 12rebs and 4 dimes from Jessie "The White Wizard" Woosley but alas not even Zues and his fist full of lightning bolts could create the upset this night. Great season Silent Storm, love having you all!
That sets up our Elite Eight next Tuesday so get your squads up and bring your game.
Respect the game, Santa Fe Swish
