數學家聯盟

Kevin Pelton

Every year when we arrive at the MIT Sloan Sports Analytics Conference①， reporters immediately open up the list of attendees and begin counting NBA teams. Using both hands and both feet wasnt sufficient to count all the way to this years total -- 29 of the 30 teams had at least one representative in attendance. The only exception？ The Los Angeles Lakers.

每年當我們來到麻省理工斯隆體育分析大會時，記者們都會關注參會者名單，然后數數參加大會的NBA球隊數量。今年，用上你的雙手雙腳都數不過來了，因為30支球隊里有29支都至少派了一個代表參加大會。唯一的那個例外？是洛杉磯湖人。

That figure has skyrocketed from 12 teams just four years ago， which shows the growth in both the Sloan conference （which had an attendance of nearly 3，000） and how NBA teams value statistical analysis.

這個數字與四年前的12支球隊相比已經有了飛躍性的提高，這也顯示了斯隆大會的成長（大約有3000名參會者），以及NBA球隊對數據分析的重視。

Certainly， those involved have taken notice of the change. Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban， who took part in the "Revenge of the Nerds" panel that kicked off the two-day conference， recalled that when he was helping pioneer the field in the early 2000s， "You couldnt have a conversation with anyone." Then it was because few others understood the language Cuban was speaking. Now those conversations are limited primarily because teams are so secretive about what theyre doing， hoping to maintain their competitive advantage.

當然，那些參與其中的人也感受到了變化。小牛老板馬克·庫班，他才參加了為期2天的大會揭幕討論“書呆子逆襲”，回憶起自己在21世紀最初幾年幫助開拓這片領域時的情況時說，“你跟誰都說不上話。”因為在那時，沒人能聽懂他說的是什么。而現在，這些交流都是受限的，因為球隊都會注重保護自己的隱私，希望能保持自己的競爭優勢。

That leaves observers to read into what executives like Cuban， Houston Rockets general manager Daryl Morey （co-chair of the conference）， Indiana Pacers general manager Kevin Pritchard and San Antonio Spurs president R.C. Buford （who were part of the marquee Basketball Analytics panel） had to say all weekend.

那么諸如庫班、火箭總經理達瑞爾·莫雷（大會聯合主席）、步行者總經理凱文·普理查德和馬刺總裁R.C.布福德（他是高級籃球分析小組的成員）這樣的管理層人員在整個周末都說了些什么，解讀這些的任務就得留給觀察家們了。

Increasingly， however， we can see the influence of analytics in the game on the floor. Conference attendees each received a copy of ESPN The Magazines Analytics Issue， highlighted by a feature on how firstyear Portland Trail Blazers coach Terry Stotts is using statistical analysis to inform his game plans. The Rockets shot selection -- rated the most efficient in the league by Hoopdata.coms expected effective field goal percentage --shows the front office putting its philosophy into play.

可以說，我們越來越多地在球場上看到了數據分析帶來的影響。大會的每個參與者都得到了一份ESPN雜志的數據特刊，其中的亮點正是波特蘭開拓者菜鳥主教練特里·斯托茨如何使用數據分析來制定他比賽計劃的。火箭的出手選擇則顯示了球隊管理層如何把自己的想法貫徹到比賽中，在Hoodata.com的預期有效命中率上，他們的排名在聯盟最前列。……