CSN New England, with an "offer of help" from the Celtics, "is delving deeper into advanced stats analysis this season," according to Mark Murphy of the BOSTON HERALD. CSNNE analyst and former NBAer Brian Scalabrine during preseason games has used "offensive and defensive rating (both measuring points per 100 possessions)" as his two main reference points. The RSN "also plans to draw from the categories of rebound percentage and pace (possessions per game)." For now, the "truly deep stuff -- exotic numbers like player efficiency rating and usage rate -- will be left alone." Scalabrine said, "I did it all a bit last year, and they didn’t really want to do it. They wanted me to dumb it down a bit. But now the stats I’m using, I’m going to use all year long. I’ll really get into points per possession." The Celtics "have held at least two meetings with Comcast to discuss what will and what won’t work," with Assistant GM Michael Zarren serving as the "sounding board." Play-by-play announcer Mike Gorman said, “We still have to communicate with the average guy. It’s a good thing, though, and it reflects what’s changing." Murphy notes the pairing of analyst Tommy Heinsohn and exotic numbers "probably doesn’t strike anyone as realistic," though the former NBA coach does have "his own relevant statistic, attempted shots." Heinsohn said, "Number of shots -- now that’s an important stat. The idea was to put the maximum amount of pressure on a team with your offense and force mistakes" (BOSTON HERALD, 9/13).
