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Basketball on Paper: Rules and Tools for Performance Analysis Paperback – November 1, 2004

by Dean Oliver (Author)
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At the risk of succumbing to hyperbole, Basketball on Paper is a revolutionary strike for statistical analysis of the game of basketball. . . . There has never been a basketball book quite like [it].—Hoopsworld.com

Journey "inside the numbers" for an exceptional set of statistical tools and rules that can help explain the winning, or losing, ways of a basketball team. Basketball on Paper doesn’t diagram plays or explain how players get in shape, but instead demonstrates how to interpret player and team performance. Dean Oliver highlights general strategies for teams when they’re winning or losing and what aspects should be the focus in either situation.

He describes and quantifies the jobs of team leaders and role players, then discusses the interactions between players and how to achieve the best fit. Oliver conceptualizes the meaning of teamwork and how to quantify the value of different types of players working together. He examines historically successful NBA teams and identifies what made them so successful: individual talent, a system of putting players together, or good coaching. Oliver then uses these statistical tools and case studies to evaluate the best players in history, such as Magic Johnson, Wilt Chamberlain, Bill Russell, and Charles Barkley and how they contributed to their teams’ success. He does the same for some of the NBA’s "oddball" players-Manute Bol, Muggsy Bogues, and Dennis Rodman and for the WNBA’s top players. 

Basketball on Paper is unique in its incorporation of business and analytical concepts within the context of basketball to measure the value of players in a cooperative setting. Whether you’re looking for strategies or new ideas to throw out while watching the ballgame at a sports bar, Dean Oliver’s Basketball on Paper will give you amazing new insights into teamwork, coaching, and success. 

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  1. Print length
    392 pages
  2. Language
    English
  3. Publisher
    POTOMAC BOOKS
  4. Publication date
    November 1, 2004
  5. Dimensions
    6.01 x 1.04 x 9.05 inches
  6. ISBN-10
    1574886886
  7. ISBN-13
    978-1574886887
  8. See all details
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Editorial Reviews

Review

"A revolutionary strike for statistical analysis of the game of basketball."

"At the risk of succumbing to hyperbole, "Basketball on Paper" is a revolutionary strike for statistical analysis of the game of basketball. . . . There has never been a basketball book quite like [it]."

"Excellent writing. There are a lot of math guys who just rush from the numbers to the conclusion. . . . Dean is more that that; he's really struggling to understand the actual problem, rather than the statistical after-image of it. I learn a lot by reading him."

"Oliver's book provides an insightful framework for basketball. . . . This book is a unique and surprisingly practical addition to a coach's library."

"Statistics guru Dean Oliver . . . is to the NBA what Bill James is to baseball."

"The must-read hoops numbers book."

"At the risk of succumbing to hyperbole, BASKETBALL ON PAPER is a revolutionary strike for statistical analysis of the game of basketball. . . . There has never been a basketball book quite like [it]." --HOOPSWORLD.COM

About the Author

Dean Oliver is a former basketball player, assistant coach, and collegiate scout, and has contributed to Basketball Digest. In 1996 he founded the Journal of Basketball Studies, an online compilation of basketball research, and contributes to the Association for Professional Basketball Research. Oliver currently provides statistical advice to the Seattle Supersonics and the public relations director of the WNBA. He lives in Oakland, California.

Product details

  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ POTOMAC BOOKS; New edition (November 1, 2004)
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Paperback ‏ : ‎ 392 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 1574886886
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1574886887
  • Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 1.12 pounds
  • Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 6.01 x 1.04 x 9.05 inches

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Dean Oliver

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Customer reviews

4.5 out of 5 stars
180 global ratings

Customers say

Customers find the book insightful, providing a significant amount of information. They describe it as interesting, useful, and educational. Readers also mention that the flow is easy and enjoyable.

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InsightReadability
10 customers mention "Insight"10 positive0 negative

Customers find the book insightful and well-written. They say it provides a significant amount of information leading to the genesis of sports analytics. Readers also mention it helps them think out of the box in an analytical career.

"...This book provides a significant amount of information leading to the genesis of sports analytics in basketball...." Read more

"...the league average for a particular year is a pretty good indicator of the teams winning percentage...." Read more

"...Best book on sports statistics that I've read." Read more

"Mindblowing. Big picture thinking with granular detail...." Read more

9 customers mention "Readability"9 positive0 negative

Customers find the book interesting, useful, and enjoyable. They say it's educational.

"...The book is interesting as I expected, and I beleive Oliver adds some wit and humor that helps in the drier sections, but the book tends to get a..." Read more

"...might be difficult to read but I found the flow to be quite easy and enjoyable" Read more

"I found this research very interesting some aparts are above my level of the math but the concept makes you look at the game very different...." Read more

"...Was a surprisingly excellent read all the way through." Read more

Top reviews from the United States

Timothy A. Lewis
5.0 out of 5 stars This book changed how I watch college basketball
Reviewed in the United States on May 8, 2010
Verified Purchase
While Oliver's methods and approaches are all applied to the NBA game in this book, they nevertheless can be applied in whole to the collegiate game. After reading "Basketball on Paper" over the last year and watching the 2009-2010 college basketball season, I can truly say that this book has revolutionized how I view a basketball game -- all for the better.

Without giving away key premises, Oliver truly dives deep into the fundamentals of how a basketball game works to determine tools to evaluate how teams and players do just past the final score. Typical cliches are challenged -- some proven, some shown to be irrelevant -- as he puts a statistical and logical argument behind why the proposed approaches are superior. And I agree with his results. After focusing on them over the past year, I can truly say that this book has helped me further understand how and why a team wins just behind the final score. Diving into the box score alone can reveal hidden gems that you might not have thought about otherwise. If you're a stat nut, a basketball fanatic, or some sort of a combination of the two, this book is a definite must read.

Considering that this is one of the greatest books I've ever read, I'd say it is worthy of a five star rating.
3 people found this helpful
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Patrick & Amy Sheehy
5.0 out of 5 stars A Valuable Tool
Reviewed in the United States on August 17, 2007
Verified Purchase
I have been using the formulas and ideas presented in Dean Oliver's book for the past three years. I was never a math fan, but my spreadsheets for calculating basketball statistics are the most complicated I have ever created and it was this book that started my obsession. The book inspired me with a fascination over a new way to look at the game and the players that bring it to life. Mr. Oliver's work was just a starting point and over the past few years I have added other formulas and other mathematical approaches to looking at the game, but I would not have gotten anywhere without this book. It is an essential tool in my toolbox for evaluating and enjoying the game of basketball.
18 people found this helpful
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R. Intrieri
4.0 out of 5 stars Service by Amazon was perfect, on time and brand new condition
Reviewed in the United States on September 16, 2014
Verified Purchase
Service by Amazon was perfect, on time and brand new condition. The book is interesting as I expected, and I beleive Oliver adds some wit and humor that helps in the drier sections, but the book tends to get a little listy. For example, it will show you the scorer's sheet for an entire game, when maybe only a half is necessary. Or it will give you the top 30 offenses of all-time, when a list of ten might be more managable. There are also some typos in the book that the editor should not have missed. All in all though, it's a great purchase and a very educational and interesting read.
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Randy R
5.0 out of 5 stars Well worth the price and better yet well worth my own time to digest this ...
Reviewed in the United States on November 8, 2014
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If you are into a technical, mathematical analysis of basketball teams, then this book is a right fit for you. The author Dean Oliver is a genius with his presentation of various factors and rankings regarding teams and players from not only a current aspect but from also a historical perspective. This book obviously took a tremendous amount of time to produce with all of the ratings and graphs and formulas. Well worth the price and better yet well worth my own time to digest this book in its entirety.
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Alan Branch
5.0 out of 5 stars It was what I wanted
Reviewed in the United States on March 22, 2022
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Professional development
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Doctor Bob
3.0 out of 5 stars Statistical over simplicity
Reviewed in the United States on July 2, 2012
Verified Purchase
As a statistician, and someone who also loves sports, I have totally enjoyed the "new" satistical approaches to sports stats, from tversky to moneyball to learning you should never punt. Sports arguments are often a lot more fun these days (e.g., 90 percent of the ESPN analysis on NBA draft night is how well the players scored the ball in college, when that appears statistically to be only a minor indicator of professional success.

The problem I have with much of the literature aimed at the general public though, is that is over simplifies the problems, and all to often takes away the argument by assumption. John Maynard Keynes taught us that the big problem with statistics is not the methods, it's having no way to validate the numbers we put in.

So here we have an assumed method of picking the best offensive and defensive teams in history, no discussion of why most of those teams did not win a championship, no discussion of alternative methods. We get probabilities of winning streaks, but only a couple paragraphs on problems with those stats. (player injuries as the only example.). What about the fact that NBA teams almost always lose the second game of back to back road games? What about teams tanking at the end of the season to improve draft position?

I appreciated large parts of this book, but also found myself deeply frustrated with it at points. There are better books out there for people who want to get started on modern sports statistics.
17 people found this helpful
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John Scott
5.0 out of 5 stars A book about statistics I thought might be difficult to read but I found the flow to be quite easy and
Reviewed in the United States on July 22, 2015
Verified Purchase
Dean Oliver's Basketball on Paper is a must read for coaches and those interested in statistics. This book provides a significant amount of information leading to the genesis of sports analytics in basketball. A book about statistics I thought might be difficult to read but I found the flow to be quite easy and enjoyable
One person found this helpful
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Raymond G. Edwards
4.0 out of 5 stars Basketball for Geeks
Reviewed in the United States on August 25, 2010
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If you are a numbers geek, want to write a paper that evaluates some area of basketball, or are looking to develop a way to evaluate what your team/ players contribute to the game, this book is for you. There an interesting chapter on the "best players ever"; but for the most part Dean Oliver does exactly what the title says; he gives us tools for performance analysis at a level of understanding and sophistication that only he can provide.
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Top reviews from other countries

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Alex Vazquez
3.0 out of 5 stars good book for assistant coaches
Reviewed in Mexico on January 13, 2019
Verified Purchase
easy formulas to improve the reports about games
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Robert Vandenberg
5.0 out of 5 stars Five Stars
Reviewed in Canada on July 27, 2015
Verified Purchase
Everything was top class!
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Andrea Pizzetti
5.0 out of 5 stars Un libro eccezionale per gli amanti delle statistiche
Reviewed in Italy on June 4, 2015
Verified Purchase
Ho acquistato questo libro nella speranza di riuscire a padroneggiare le statistiche avanzate come avviene nell'Nba. Risultato raggiunto. Se cercate un libro con tecnicismi ed aspetti statistici di altissimo livello questo è il libro che fa per voi. Per poter leggere il libro è necessario essere ben preparati in inglese
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PIli
5.0 out of 5 stars MUY INTERESANTE
Reviewed in Spain on May 21, 2015
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Como indica el titulo, es la opinión de mi hijo que es al que iba destinado.
Le ha resultado interesante y le ha aportado datos a los que él quería recibir.
Todo lo relacionado con el Basketball le interesa muchísimo y lo ha disfrutado a tope.
Gracias
Saludos
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granahaj
5.0 out of 5 stars Review
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on February 3, 2014
Verified Purchase
Very interesting book, that provides an excellent run down of statistical methods for evaluating teams and players. It is well written and the writing style is engaging. I would highly recommend this book as an introduction to basketball analytics and a reference tool for those already interested in the subject.
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