The Big Number

Tom Haberstroh and Dan Devine get together, along with five of their favorite stats, to see if this is the most impressive season in LeBron James' awe-inspiring career. Also, would making dunks worth 3 points fix the NBA?

(2:05) The Big Number: 826

(17:34) The Little Numbers: 47.3

(19:54) The Little Numbers: 49.2%

(22:37) The Little Numbers: 1.19

(27:32) The Little Numbers: +15.5

(32:49) Over/unders scoreboard update

(33:37) Should the NBA make dunks worth 3 points?

On this episode of The Big Number, Tom Haberstroh and Dan Devine dive deep into the numbers to try to figure out how 39-year-old LeBron James is having such a great season for the Los Angeles Lakers.

The guys start with the big number, which is 826 this week. That's the number of 3-point shots LeBron James has made since joining the Lakers. If you don't think that's a lot, tune in to hear which Hall of Fame players never made that many 3-point shots in their entire career.

But it's the efficiency of LeBron's season that has really caught the eye of both Tom and Dan. He is currently posting career highs in points created per 36, points scored on plays where LeBron is in the pick-and-roll and percentage of his baskets that are assisted.

The success of the 10-4 Lakers, as well as the success of rookie forward Dalton Knecht, can be directly attributed to the increased efficiency and proficiency of LeBron James, who turns 40 in about six weeks.  That's crazy. Is there a case to be made that he's having his most impressive season?

Finally, Tom wrote a piece for Yahoo Sports wondering if making dunks worth three points would shift the NBA back to offensive diversity and away from every team trying to copy the Boston Celtics. He talks it out with Dan to see if it would be viable and, if not, what other plans might make sense.

Check out the rest of the Yahoo Sports podcast family at https://apple.co/3zEuTQj or at Yahoo Sports Podcasts

On the latest episode of The Big Number, Tom Haberstroh & Dan Devine look at Steph Curry’s incredible offensive impact on the Golden State Warriors. With just as much offensive dominance both on and off the ball, is Steph the greatest offensive player since Michael Jordan? Even more so than LeBron James?

But it’s not just Steph Curry giving the Warriors the boost they need to be title contenders—Golden State is over a dozen players deep with other stars with as Draymond Green and Andrew Wiggins which Dan highlights with four more numbers.

Tom & Dan end the show with some over/under predictions for Golden State throughout the rest of the NBA season.
 

(2:00) The Big Number: 124.2

(15:39) 4 stats that prove Golden State are title contenders

(30:11) Warriors over/unders
 

Check out the rest of the Yahoo Sports podcast family at https://apple.co/3zEuTQj or at Yahoo Sports Podcasts

On this week's episode of The Big Number, Tom Haberstroh and Dan Devine dive into the numbers on the Oklahoma City Thunder. OKC has a team of DAWGS on defense that create chaos all over the court and that defensive prowess might just give them the edge to be title favorites.

Dan counters Tom’s bullish attitude toward the Thunder with a few other teams who could best OKC like the Boston Celtics, Golden State Warriors & Phoenix Suns.

The two wrap with some Oklahoma City over/unders worth keeping an eye on.

(1:10) THE BIG NUMBER: 85

(15:13) The Number Crunch

(15:40) The Number Crunch: Boston Celtics

(18:29) The Number Crunch: Golden State Warriors

(21:55) The Number Crunch: Cleveland Cavaliers

(24:46) The Number Crunch: Phoenix Suns

(28:13) OKC over/unders

Check out the rest of the Yahoo Sports podcast family at https://apple.co/3zEuTQj or at Yahoo Sports Podcasts

The Big Number this week is about Russell Westbrook, but it says much more about the Denver Nuggets' offense and championship window. Join Tom Haberstroh and Dan Devine as they go through all the stats and make bold predictions.

(03:50) - THE BIG NUMBER: 87.5

(05:45) - Will the Nuggets make the playoffs?

(09:30) - Denver's lack of depth

(14:50) - Russell Westbrook's age

(20:10) - Nuggets need more from Murray & MPJ

(27:10) - Has Russ lost his burst?

(30:55) - Has the Nuggets championship window closed?

(36:15) - Over/unders

On this week's episode of The Big Number, Tom Haberstroh and Dan Devine dig into the stats and make bold predictions about the Denver Nuggets.

To start, Tom is very concerned with how bad the Denver offense has been with Russell Westbrook on the floor. He's starting to worry about their ability to make the playoffs this year.

Tom compares Westbrook at 35 to other similar guards to show how unique he is to still be playing in the NBA at this age, while Dan points out that the Nuggets have bigger problems in their starting lineup.

Dan came with a stat of his own, showing that Westbrook might finally be losing enough of his trademark burst and athleticism for it to be a problem. Meanwhile, Tom worries if the Nuggets have any way to get back into contention if their highest paid players don't start playing better.

Finally, as they did last week, the guys finish the show by picking sides on some fun over/unders.

Check out the rest of the Yahoo Sports podcast family at https://apple.co/3zEuTQj or at Yahoo Sports Podcasts

On the very first episode of The Big Number, Tom Haberstroh digs into the numbers with Dan Devine to find out if centers shooting 3s in the preseason will translate into the regular season and beyond.

(01:30) - The Big Number: 79%
(04:00) - Which centers have improved their 3pt attempt rate?
(08:10) - Why Bam Adebayo's 3pt shooting might be real
(15:50) - Why Anthony Davis' 3pt shooting might be real
(18:45) - Will Isaiah Hartenstein shoot more 3s with OKC?
(27:30) - Why DeAndre Ayton's 3pt shooting might be real
(31:00) - PREDICTIONS: Which centers will shoot more from distance?

On the very first episode of The Big Number, Yahoo Sports contributor Tom Haberstroh digs into the numbers with Yahoo Sports senior NBA writer Dan Devine to find out if centers shooting 3s in the preseason will translate into the regular season and beyond.

According to Tom's big number, only about 20% of the centers that greatly increase their three-point attempts in the preseason carry that over to the regular season and beyond. But will the success of the Boston Celtics change that this year?

Tom and Dan discuss four players (Bam Adebayo, Anthony Davis, Isaiah Hartenstein & DeAndre Ayton) who have seen increased volume from long range this preseason and pour over the numbers to see if there is any sign that those guys will shoot more once the games really matter.

The guys finish the show by setting over-unders for the guys discussed and planting their flag on whether they think each guy will increase their three-point attempt rate dramatically this season.

Check out the rest of the Yahoo Sports podcast family at https://apple.co/3zEuTQj or at Yahoo Sports Podcasts

THE BIG NUMBER with Tom Haberstroh & Dan Devine premieres Thursday 10/24. Subscribe and listen on all podcast platforms!

Each week, Tom Haberstroh pours over the data and digs through the stats to come up with THE BIG NUMBER –  the one metric that defines the NBA that week. Tune in as he and Dan Devine put Tom’s big number to the test and explain the one thing from the world of basketball that was hidden in plain sight. Listen to THE BIG NUMBER for a fun conversation filled with jokes, stats that you won’t hear anywhere else and become a smarter NBA fan in the process.