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NBA Franchise Notes: Mavs' Sellout Streak Goes On Despite Empty Seats

In Ft. Worth, Mac Engel sarcastically wrote the Mavericks "filled" American Airlines Center on Tuesday for their game against the Kings, pitting the NBA's "two worst teams" against each other. A sellout crowd of 19,801 was announced. Of the "many records and numbers accumulated in this NBA season, the Mavs’ continued home sellout streak is the most impressive, harmless, insulting, and unbelievable." The last time the Mavs were over .500 was the final game of the '15-16 season, and "we’re to believe they’re still selling out." Mavs Owner Mark Cuban “simply does not want to publicly declare what we all know, and see: His team plays before thousands of empties every night.” What was once a “legitimate point of pride for the franchise is now a punchline” (Ft. Worth STAR-TELEGRAM, 2/14). 

NUMBERS GAME: In Milwaukee, Lori Nickel noted the Bucks' analytics department, headed by Dir of Basketball Research Seth Partnow, has "changed the way" the team looks at the game. Bucks GM Jon Horst "embraces analytics so much, in fact, that he expanded his staff of math geniuses in the hopes that the Bucks can find the next stat that changes the game." Horst said, “We run everything through analytics; we run through medical, we run through our scouting, our eyes test, from a cap strategy standpoint, and then we’re going to make a holistic 360 view decision on everything we do. Analytics is a piece of that.” That means Partnow has "become an influential member of the organization behind the scenes" (MILWAUKEE JOURNAL SENTINEL, 2/12).

STARTUP BUSINESS: In Sacramento, Noel Harris noted the Kings for the third consecutive year will host their "Capitalize contest, which is being powered by the Sacramento Urban Technology Lab." The winner will "receive $10,000, with additional mentoring sessions and opportunities from the Kings and other judges." The event, which "received more than 200 applicants during its first two years, will be narrowed to 16 contestants on Feb. 21" (SACRAMENTO BEE, 2/13).

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