Smith vs. Taylor: two perspectives that shape how I watch the NBA

Note: This article is a translation of an earlier piece written in French for QiBasket.

Since I started writing for CelticsBlog, I think I’ve finally understood the way I watch the NBA. I’ve been watching NBA games on a more or less daily basis for over 10 years, and yet I’ve always felt a kind of irregularity in how I scrutinize those 48 minutes — a feeling that two perspectives lie dormant within me, each with different and sometimes contradictory opinions and ways of operating.

I can’t help but get excited by Jaylen Brown’s incredible dunk on Maxi Kleber—a violent poster that he followed up by slapping the hand of KG, who had come to celebrate the retirement of his jersey at TD Garden. Part of me (let’s call him Smith) immediately thinks that Jaylen Brown is a ferocious forward, capable of creating mismatches and finishing at the rim in any situation.

But then, why not make him the franchise player? After all, he’s just shown that he’s capable of getting on top of a defender after dribbling past another. Yet once the game is over, the other perspective takes over and invites me to compare Jaylen Brown’s efficiency with his contemporaries.

This other perspective (let’s call it Taylor) scrolls down to Jaylen Brown’s Basketball Reference page and shows me that, in reality, he’s not all that efficient. A TS+ of 100 reveals that his efficiency is right on par with the NBA average. And, to make matters worse, Taylor points out that with his Usage%, Brown is already very responsible offensively.

So, how can two perspectives in the same mind hold such different opinions and still think their view is the correct one? Which of Smith or Taylor holds the truth, and how do they work?

Smith: living in the moment

Smith operates automatically when I’m watching an NBA game. He has his eyes glued to the ball and doesn’t miss a single crossover, missed pass, or three-pointer. Smith lives entirely in the moment, watching games like a Super Bowl — analyzing based purely on feelings without taking context into account.

Smith is a ball of emotion, a time bomb ready to explode at every highlight. As a Celtics fan, Smith is the part of me that believed Boston could win the title in 2017, with Isaiah Thomas as the franchise player, after his iconic 53-point game…