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Anyone want to chime in on the mathematical soundness of my NBA simulating model

Posted on 1/20/17 at 1:53 pm
Posted by goldennugget
NIL Ruined College Sports
Member since Jul 2013
25268 posts
Posted on 1/20/17 at 1:53 pm


My NBA simulator model has been doing well, enough to turn me a profit using it to bet, but I was still unnerved by the fact that at least on totals, it was skewing too heavily toward the under, by an aggregate of about 1.25 points.

So what I did is that in my stat calculations, I switched over to the basketball-reference.com style of calculating possessions(have been using the stats.nba.com/ESPN's style of calculating possessions, which is FGA + (FTA * .44) - ORB + TO). Basketball Reference is a bit different, 0.5 * ((Tm FGA + 0.4 * Tm FTA - 1.07 * (Tm ORB / (Tm ORB + Opp DRB)) * (Tm FGA - Tm FG) + Tm TOV) + (Opp FGA + 0.4 * Opp FTA - 1.07 * (Opp ORB / (Opp ORB + Tm DRB)) * (Opp FGA - Opp FG) + Opp TOV)).

So while this made game possession calculations more accurate, it also means my simulator needs to take into consideration a couple of things. One, this style of calculating possessions tries to factor in the team offensive rebound(something that doesn't show up on a box score). It uses 1.07 * ORB to calculate the team rebound. Second, it changes FTA to 0.4 for a possession usage, down from 0.44 on the previous method.

So I changed it up and was still getting too low totals, and I realized two things, my simulator was still using FTA as a full possession usage, and was not factoring in the team rebound. So in my simulator I decreased the running possession count(the simulated "game" ends when the running possession count is greater than the estimated possession count for the game) for free throws from 1 to 0.8(0.4 per free throw times 2). This helped some but was still short.

Then I realized that FGA attempts were the culprit of the low totals, as they were too low based on expectancy. So for every offensive rebound that occured in the simulation, I reduced the running possession counter by .07(to factor in the team offensive rebound). This also helped, but the total was still just a bit too low for my liking.

What I finally did was realize that box score turnovers and season team stat turnovers are not equal because of the rare "team turnover". For example if you add up the Hawks total turnovers individually from the box scores for all their games this year, you get 628, but their season turnover total is 647, meaning they have 19 team turnovers that didn't show up in box scores. So what I did was multiply their game turnovers by the percentage increase of team turnovers (3.025%). This was necessary because my possession and tempo calculations use turnovers in the equation, so naturally being short on turnover totals was causing tempo numbers to also be a bit too low. This seemed to do the trick and now the simulated totals in a macro sense are more in line with the posted totals.

Is there anything else I need to be factoring in here? I factor in back-to-backs, use both dynamic home advantages and static home advantages, but nothing with injuries.
Posted by Aggie Fishfinder
Republic of Texas
Member since Feb 2012
4260 posts
Posted on 1/20/17 at 1:55 pm to
Nope
Posted by StrongBackWeakMind
Member since May 2014
22650 posts
Posted on 1/20/17 at 1:56 pm to
grilled chicken wrap
water
Posted by slackster
Houston
Member since Mar 2009
89757 posts
Posted on 1/20/17 at 1:59 pm to
quote:

Is there anything else I need to be factoring in here?


dukke v's prediction would be a valid variable to track when available.
Posted by ShaneTheLegLechler
Member since Dec 2011
62202 posts
Posted on 1/20/17 at 2:04 pm to
Did not read

How was the script factored in
This post was edited on 1/20/17 at 2:05 pm
Posted by saintsfan1977
Arkansas, from Cajun country
Member since Jun 2010
8903 posts
Posted on 1/20/17 at 2:06 pm to
Try asking here.

LINK /
Posted by td01241
Savannah
Member since Nov 2012
25219 posts
Posted on 1/20/17 at 2:09 pm to
Goldennugget;dr
Posted by Hogwall Jackson
Member since Feb 2013
5203 posts
Posted on 1/20/17 at 2:11 pm to
quote:

Is there anything else I need to be factoring in here?

Linking your spreadsheet for us to download.
Posted by goldennugget
NIL Ruined College Sports
Member since Jul 2013
25268 posts
Posted on 1/20/17 at 2:12 pm to
I'm permanently banned from SBR

Otherwise id have posted there

I think my model is fine and that oddsmakers use the .44 method. Hence why my totals seem to go lower

Tonight we have 2 teams on the extreme

Dallas and Utah play who are the 2 slowest paced teams in the league. Both teams tempos are about 5 possessions per 48 minutes slower than the league average. Plus Dallas is on a back to back and teams coming off a back to back tend to play slower. Expectency says since both teams are 5 possessions slower than the league average than the game tempo will be 10 possessions slower than the league average, or about 85(league average is 96, plus a possession for the back to back decrease). But a tempo of 85 is awfully low... at what point is too low, too low.

Rockets and Warriors other extreme. GSW is #1 in pace and Rockets are #4. So fast tempo game right. Model puts game tempo at 104, 8 possessions faster than the league average. Even then - simulated total is 235 which is really high - but still 4.5 points short of the posted total of 239.5. I'm guessing the discrepency is based on how the odds makers (and the market) calculate possessions. The .44 method overestimates possessions.
Posted by VermilionTiger
Member since Dec 2012
38279 posts
Posted on 1/20/17 at 2:15 pm to
Didn't read, went straight for the downvote
Posted by LL012697
Texas
Member since May 2013
4031 posts
Posted on 1/20/17 at 2:16 pm to
You've basically said you think there's a script and the league is fixed, so why did you even bother doing all of this work?
Posted by goldennugget
NIL Ruined College Sports
Member since Jul 2013
25268 posts
Posted on 1/20/17 at 2:18 pm to
quote:

You've basically said you think there's a script and the league is fixed, so why did you even bother doing all of this work?


The playoffs are fixed
Posted by saintsfan1977
Arkansas, from Cajun country
Member since Jun 2010
8903 posts
Posted on 1/20/17 at 2:21 pm to
Because he doesnt get the inside information? Some guys use stats, some only watch line moves, some actually know where the money is on a game. Some use a combination of all 3 and some people dont use any of it. If it works stick with it.
Posted by knight_ryder
XTC cabaret
Member since Jan 2015
3356 posts
Posted on 1/20/17 at 2:31 pm to
quote:

The playoffs are fixed


I wish your post count was fixed
Posted by TbirdSpur2010
ALAMO CITY
Member since Dec 2010
134050 posts
Posted on 1/20/17 at 2:33 pm to
quote:

The playoffs are fixed


I wish your post count was fixed


Brutal
Posted by td01241
Savannah
Member since Nov 2012
25219 posts
Posted on 1/20/17 at 2:35 pm to
Oh? What's this years script
Posted by WestCoastAg
Member since Oct 2012
148088 posts
Posted on 1/20/17 at 2:35 pm to
quote:

I'm permanently banned from SBR

Posted by ReauxlTide222
St. Petersburg
Member since Nov 2010
86594 posts
Posted on 1/20/17 at 2:40 pm to
quote:

I'm permanently banned from SBR

C'mon now, what'd you do?
Posted by SpartyGator
Detroit Lions fan
Member since Oct 2011
79672 posts
Posted on 1/20/17 at 2:46 pm to
quote:

Goldennugget;dr
Posted by goldennugget
NIL Ruined College Sports
Member since Jul 2013
25268 posts
Posted on 1/20/17 at 2:48 pm to
quote:

C'mon now, what'd you do?


The mod shari91 banned me for insulting someone by saying they were gay

No lie

I was a well respected member of that board for years and all of a sudden get banned. Never knew when they implemented that rule because for years posters would joke about other users being a homo
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