It was an exciting evening at U.S. Airways center on Wednesday night as the Phoenix Suns opened their 2011-12 NBA season with a thrilling win over the Oklahoma City Thunder. Vince Carter led the team with 19 points, including a late three-pointer to secure the win.
↵That's how the lede paragraph would read if the NBA season had actually started AND the NBA season was played in the simulated word created by Basketball Prospectus in partnership with Strat-o-Matic.
↵The fine geeks at BP are using their big math brains to run simulations of the NBA season that in real life is currently locked out.
↵↵↵Basketball Prospectus | Sim Season: Basketball Prospectus, Strat-O-Matic Team Up
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Beginning Nov. 2, the day after the 2011-12 NBA season was originally scheduled to begin, we will be posting daily results of a simulated season. You will be able to find box scores, standings, statistical leaders--both traditional and advanced--and even a little bit of narrative to bring it all to life.
So, if you are desperate enough for NBA basketball that you are willing to believe in a world where Vince Carter is still a member of the Phoenix Suns, here's the box score from last night's "game".
↵Pretty much all I'm going to say about it is that the box score does in fact look like a box score. Beyond that...well, let's just hope the players and owners can make a deal soon. Very soon.