30 Questions You Need To Know How To Answer Before Claiming To Be An NBA Fan
- by Will Morgan
- – on
- in Sports
This NBA season is one for the record books. To be honest every season for the last couple of years has been one for the record books. We are in the midst of a fundamental change in the way basketball is played, and for the last few seasons we have seen that reflected in win loss records, league records, and individual stats. Players are longer and leaner, and move around the court so much that traditional positions have become a thing of the past. The way that refs call the game has shaped the trapping zone and combination man defense that teams play, and the record number of 3 pointers show how some teams have figured out ways around it. This is the most exciting time to be a basketball fan!
The 2017 - 2018 NBA season has finally come to a close. We are just about to enter into one of the most anticipated and wide open playoff races in a while. While injuries have derailed the title dreams of a few clubs, the injury bug has been pretty fair this season, affecting most teams just about equally. The Raptors had a great year but are struggling late. The 76s seem almost unbeatable currently. LeBron is LeBron. The Rockets have been breathtaking to watch all season with MVP play from Harden. The Warriors almost seem beatable. The Jazz have barely been beaten since the All Star break and OKC finally seems to be gelling. Are you ready to watch some playoff basketball? Are you a true NBA fan? Take this quiz and find out!
Who averaged the most points this regular season?
This is usually a pretty straight forward stat, but there is bound to be some controversy this season because NBA fans love controversy. Also, there's a ton of haters out there. The question is who had the highest scoring average, not who scored the most points total. Due to missing a few games with an injury, the person who averaged the most points and the person who scored the most points are not the same dude. The scoring title goes to the highest average.
Which of these teams did NOT make the playoffs in the West?
The Western Conference has been insanely competitive for the last couple of years and this year may have been its strongest. The Houston Rockets and the Golden State Warriors ran off with the top two spots but spots 3-8 were up for grabs up until a wild final night of the regular season. The team that finished 3rd this year had 33 losses. The team team finished 9th this season and did not make the playoffs finished with 36 losses.
Who was this year's rebound leader?
Okay, this one is a lot more straight forward than the scoring title. There was only one dude that averaged the most and grabbed the most total rebounds. And with his average of 16 per game and the runner up coming in with 15.2 he averages nearly one whole rebound a game more than his competition. So who out of all the amazing players, is this year's rebound leader? Can you remember?
In what position in the Eastern Conference did the Cavs wind up?
The Cleveland Cavaliers came into this season with super high expectations. Of course any team that has LeBron on it is going to be some people's favorite in whatever conference he's in no matter what. But the Cavs road to the playoffs has been a particularly rocky one. Injuries and a depleted Isaiah Thomas highlighted the Cav's weaknesses, especially their historically bad stretches of defense. But some mid season trades ended up turning things around and they are on track to wreck shop.
Who was the NBA assist leader this season?
The assist leader and the person that averaged the most assists are one in the same this year, so no tricky business on this one. The assist leader has become an absolutely brutal title to go after. James Harden has been on an assist tear ever since he got a coach that told him it's okay to pass. LeBron is LeBron. Westbrook will chase the stats in every category he can. And Ben Simmons is trying to make his mark on the league ASAP.
What's the name of the 32 year old rookie that made his NBA debut in the Lakers second to last game of the season?
This is one of those real life feel good sports stories that you just know Disney is hard at work acquiring the rights to it before it's even done happening. The Lakers had this dude on their G League team where he is the league all time 3 point leader. The dude has been toiling away in the minors for 10 years and working as a tutor on the side. Then he got called up and scored 19 points in his first game.
Who averaged the most points this season on the Utah Jazz?
The Utah Jazz have been a contender or at least a hard out in the playoffs in the West for several decades now. Karl Malone is second all time on the list for most points scored and John Stockton is the all time assist leader. But, until this year they have never had what could be called an exciting team. Now they are loaded with an unexpected rookie sensation and look locked in for years to come. Who is the rookie that led the team in points this year?
How many games did Kawhi Leonard play this season for the Spurs?
At the end of last season, the Spurs were sitting pretty. Fans considered them to be an injury away from a Finals appearance. Kawhi was an early season pick for the MVP coming into the 2017 - 2018 campaign. But a nagging hamstring injury kept him out. And then it kept keeping him out. Then he was cleared by Spurs team doctors and he still stayed out. He only ended up playing in a handful of games and created some drama for the usual drama free Spurs.
Who had the most blocks in the NBA this season?
The defensive stats coming off of the season spell good things for the future of the NBA. Along with some of the old stalwarts that seem to year after year dominate these lists, some of the young fellas are starting to give them a run for their money. The center and power forward positions are now completely different from what they were even a few short years ago. Players may not post up as much but sliding over and playing help D, brings tons of shot blocking opportunities.
How many teams has JaVale McGee played for in his career?
JaVale McGee has been through a lot in his NBA career. Sure he brings a lot of ridicule onto himself with some bonehead plays, occasional absent-mindedness, and general eccentricities, but do not forget the man can play basketball. And he is a decent producer to boot, if you want to check out his new album. In spite of Shaq's weird obsession with him, the dude has found success and seems to have finally settled into his niche with the Warriors.
Who averaged the most points per game this year for the Wizards?
The Washington Wizards could be a team in transition very soon. I guess as usual it will just come down to what they do in the playoffs. They have been right there at the edge of making the leap to Eastern Conference powerhouse for several years now, but they just have not had that little extra push necessary to get them there. This season could maybe be excused with injuries. But again, they were right there. Let's see what they do with it.
Did Russell Westbrook actually average a triple double again this season?
Last season Russell Westbrook averaged a triple double. This was an amazing feat that had not been done since the days of Oscar Robertson. It was os impressive that he was awarded the NBA MVP award even though there is a very good argument that James Harden was more deserving. But this season all the news coming out of Oklahoma City was about their lack of chemistry. People realized with a few games left that Westbrook could do it again. Did he?
Who was the NBA leader in steals this season?
Steals can be a tricky thing in a defensive scheme. They can be a natural byproduct of a defensive system that forces turnovers. Or in some cases, they are from reckless defenders who leave their assignment to chase every possible ball that comes on their side of the court. This year's steal leader may come as somewhat of a surprise, seeing as how his team has flown under the radar. But make no mistake, this dude and his team are for real.
Who had the most losses in the NBA this season?
Losing sucks. Nobody likes to watch a losing team. But it comes with the territory man. It is almost worse to be middle of the road year after year. To be the team that just barely misses the playoffs. You are not good enough to make it to the post season, but not quiet bad enough to get a lottery pick. Although this might be a little different now and for the next couple years since Boston seemingly owns everyones picks until 2030.
Who was the number one pick in the last NBA draft?
This should be a super easy question for anyone that even halfway keeps up with the NBA. But with the playoffs just starting off, last years draft seems like it happened close to a billion years ago. It gets even more confusing than usual since the presumed rookie of the year was drafted the year before. And his closest competition was not taken with a top ten pick. Oh and the dude picked first sat out most of the year.
Who was the first coach fired this season?
Coaches have a tough job. Management tries, most of the time, to put a team in place that is best for now and possibly the future. The players, in most cases, are trying to maximize the total possible dollars they can make during their careers. The coach has to put out the best team possible with what he has, groom players for the future, and manage the egos of veteran stars and kids that are still basically teenagers. And they get the blame when it all goes wrong.
Where did the Warriors place overall in the NBA this year?
The Golden State Warriors have had quite the historic run for the last few seasons. After they got the record for most wins in the regular season and blew a 3-1 lead in the Finals, they went an added the league MVP to their relatively unchanged roster. They also enjoyed a fairly injury free run the last few seasons. Well this season apathy and the injury bug seems to have caught up with them and several teams caught up talent wise as well.
How old is the Celtics man-baby coach, Brad Stevens?
Brad Stevens looks like a weird baby found some growth serum and then was fitted for a suit. The dude looks very young. But there is a good reason for that. The dude is very young! And as the Celtics proved by fighting through injuries and adversity all season and defying expectations, the dude can really coach. he is another in the new breed of NBA thinking that favors going to a more position-less system on the floor. And so far it has paid off.
Who had the longest winning streak this NBA season?
There are still some people out there that will tell you that the NBA regular season doesn't really matter. Those people are wrong and should be slapped across the face by their mothers. If you watched this regular season you would have seen all the playoff power teams finally gel. It is not surprising that all of the hottest teams going into the playoffs experienced extended winning streaks in the regular season. Those are where their teams got on the same page.
Who had the best free throw percentage this year?
Hey man, they are called free throws for a reason! You throw them! Wait no, I mean they're free. That seems to be a favorite saying of every old time wannabe coach out there. And it's true, if you struggle at the line you are leaving points on the table. Shaq used to say he only made them when they counted. He never seemed to figure out that no matter when they came in the game, they always counted as 1 point that could be on the final score.
Who had the best field goal percentage this year?
Field goal percentage is a misleading stat. When you think of players that make most of their shots, the NBA's array of deadly sharpshooters are the ones that come to mind. But it's not the dudes taking spot up 3s and peeling off of screens for a jump shot that shoot the highest percentage. It's those tall dudes that take almost all of their shots within three feet of the basket. Makes sense. Those shots are the easiest so they should get the most makes.
What team made the most three pointers this season?
This is just about as close to a gimme as we are going to get on this quiz. If you do not know off the top of your dome who not only made the most 3 pointers this regular season, but also got the record for most 3 pointers ever made in the regular season, then you might as well go ahead and take another quiz. The team they took the record from? Themselves from the year before. True story.
What team made the least amount of three pointers?
Hey man, not every team is down with the threes, baby! And, surprisingly this is not a team that is stuck in the past and a perennial loser. This is a playoff team. This team just does not run an offensive system that takes produces and takes advantage of a high number of outside shots. The team that made the most threes made 1,256 this year. This team here made 658. Oh and these two teams are facing each other in the first round of the playoffs.
Who won this year's slam dunk contest?
There has been talk for years that the slam dunk contest has been going downhill. What was once the end all be all display for pure athleticism devolved into a gimmick fueled hang out between buddies. There was talk that the contest had finally started to come back around to its roots, that there was a real competition between the athletes to show the world something they hadn't seen before. But, this was not the year that it came back.
How many seasons has Vince Carter played in the NBA?
Vince Carter is a freak of nature. This dude right here is in his 40s and he is still going strong. He says he's even coming back for another season. He started off as a high flying novelty, lighting up the northern sky with the Toronto Raptors. He has changes his game and his style between teams and rode the trends that have come and gone in the league. Dunks gave way yo spot up jumpers, and still the guy plays at the highest level.
Who is the leading scorer on this year's Indiana Pacers?
Hey surprise everybody! The Indiana Pacers actually have a young and exciting team! They have had a lot of ups and downs over the years. They had the dizzying heights of Reggie Miller at his most clutch and the Dunking Dutchman Rik Smits' glorious mustache to the crushing lows of the malice at the palace and their brawl with the Pistons. And now they have a young core and a crazy weirdo that is going to be a scary matchup in the playoffs.
Who had the most techs this season?
The NBA has really been trying to clamp down on the super egregious techs. They are calling dudes out for complaining too much to the refs and they jump ahead of any problems that could turn violent before they have a chance to explode on the court. That being said, there are jus some guys that have a hard time keeping their emotions in check. These are the guys that are always sneaking in a cheap shot when they can.
Who has the most ejections this season?
Okay there are techs and then there is getting thrown out of the freaking game. I mean it's one thing if you hired a goon that is supposed to go out there and cause some bruises and hurt feelings. But it is another thing entirely if your team is depending on you to produce for them and keep them competitive and you're getting your butt ejected all of the time. Calm down guys, it's just a game with lots of money and prestige at stake.
How many games did LeBron James miss this season?
LeBron has proven himself multiple time to be the greatest basketball player currently playing on the planet. There was a while were people actually debated whether it was LeBron or Kobe, but as we get some time from Kobe's career we can begin to see how overvalued he was and how much LeBron absolutely dominates. There are some legit arguments being made that the King has maybe surpassed Jordan. But you can't compare the different times. Just appreciate what we are witness to.
Who had the best regular season record this year in the NBA?
There are plenty of people out there who are quick to point out that there is the regular season and then there are the playoffs and the the way the game is played in each of those is completely different. Okay sure that can be true to a degree, but let's not discount the regular season entirely. To win, you have to beat the teams you are supposed to beat and grind out some tough ones against contenders. The best overall record is no joke.