Unexplainable How good was Michael Jordan, really?
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Jul 28, 2025 
Pablo Torre, host of Pablo Torre Finds Out, and Tom Haberstroh, a basketball analytics expert, dive deep into the complexities of evaluating Michael Jordan's greatness. They challenge the reliability of basketball statistics, scrutinizing how nostalgia often clouds our judgment. With insights from the Sloan Sports Analytics Conference, they discuss the transformative role of data in comparing legends like Jordan and Harden. The conversation also touches on marketing strategies of expansion teams and the evolving landscape of basketball analytics.
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Scorekeeper Fabricates Assists
- Nick Van Exel was credited with 23 assists in one game by the Vancouver Grizzlies' scorekeeper.
- Many of these assists were fabricated to boost excitement, with some not even appearing on game film.
Alex Rucker's Early Stats Scamming
- The Stat Keeper "Alex from the Navy" is revealed to be Alex Rucker, who later became a prominent NBA analytics executive.
- His early career involved inflating statistics as a young and immature scorekeeper for the Vancouver Grizzlies.
Home Stat Inflation Evident
- Analysis shows blocks and other stats were often inflated at home games, especially for new teams seeking media attention.
- This suggests stat inflation was a systematic effort to promote teams and players, not just isolated incidents.
