ndricks x NBA
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It's been a few months since the last edition! If you didn't see my?previous #bendevtip post, the same logic applies to this newsletter -- it was a way to force me to keep writing, a skill I want to keep improving. It'd also be an easy way to test out various new content features my organization at LinkedIn would be creating. So it's pretty wild that this is edition #30 of this newsletter, with my monthly release cadence of over two years. But as I said in my post, I'll focus on posting about my sports analytics business going forward!
On that note, ever since I spoke at the MIT Sloan Sports Analytics conference in March, I've been hard at work bringing to life my thesis research with even more focus. Combining the technology I discussed in my last edition (AI Lexicon: How ChatGPT Works) with my existing infrastructure has produced exciting results.?
Right now, what's on my mind is the NBA playoffs. The Western Conference is all over the place, with positions 5-9 still up in the air (as of writing this, Saturday morning). I've struggled to keep up, so I created a quick solution.
In just a few hours, I built a demo that takes an NBA team name and produces a summary of professional and fan thoughts about the team, retrieved from ESPN and Twitter, respectively.?
Here are the summaries for all the Western Conference teams who are still not locked into seeding for the playoffs:
Golden State Warriors: The overall positive sentiment from fans on Twitter reflects their confidence in the Golden State Warriors as they approach the end of the regular season, potentially finishing as a top-six seed in the Western Conference. The team's recent success, winning seven out of their last nine games, shows their focus and determination. Key developments include the NBA's play-in tournament, the Sacramento Kings resting their top three scorers against the Warriors, the NBA denying Dallas Mavericks' protest, and Andrew Wiggins missing the final two regular-season games. Both fan and professional opinions exude optimism in the Warriors' playoff positioning and potential for success in the upcoming postseason.
New Orleans Pelicans: The New Orleans Pelicans secured their spot in the NBA playoffs after a victory over the Memphis Grizzlies, making it their second consecutive season in the postseason. While Zion Williamson's return remains uncertain due to a hamstring injury, the team's performance, led by Brandon Ingram, earned them a position in the play-in tournament. Fans express positive sentiments on Twitter, with discussions revolving around playoff scenarios involving the Lakers, Clippers, and Timberwolves. Professional opinions highlight the excitement brought by the NBA's play-in tournament and the tight MVP race between Nikola Jokic, Joel Embiid, and Giannis Antetokounmpo.
LA Clippers: Fans on Twitter are buzzing with excitement over impressive playoff performances, potential LA derby matchups, and buying/selling tickets for the Clippers vs. Trail Blazers game. The NBA play-in tournament has ramped up enthusiasm as teams fight for playoff spots, with Eastern Conference teams Chicago Bulls vs. Toronto Raptors and Atlanta Hawks vs. Miami Heat, and Western Conference teams Oklahoma City Thunder vs. Minnesota Timberwolves and New Orleans Pelicans vs. LA Lakers projected to play.\n\nAs of April 7, the LA Lakers lost against the Clippers, but still have a chance at capturing the No. 6 seed if they score 2-0 against the Phoenix Suns and Utah Jazz. Kawhi Leonard's impressive performance helped the Clippers secure their victory, tying with the Golden State Warriors for the fifth spot in the Western Conference playoff standings. Meanwhile, the MVP race between Nikola Jokic, Joel Embiid, and Giannis Antetokounmpo continues to heat up, with postseason standings remaining uncertain. The Lakers have secured a play-in spot and could finish as high as No. 5, depending on the final outcomes of their games. Both professional and fan opinions highlight the intensity and excitement of the NBA's final week and the upcoming play-in tournament.
Los Angeles Lakers: Recent tweets show mixed feelings towards the Lakers, with positive comments about players like LeBron James, Austin Reaves, and Carmelo Anthony, but also negative and neutral discussions about the team's overall performance. The Lakers have managed to secure a winning record after a slow start, with LeBron James and Anthony Davis praising the new teammates that spurred the post All-Star break surge. The NBA's play-in tournament for the 2022-23 season is generating excitement, despite LeBron's disapproval of the format. The Portland Trail Blazers' Damian Lillard affirms his loyalty, and Philadelphia 76ers' coach Doc Rivers claims the MVP race is over after Joel Embiid's 52-point performance.
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Minnesota Timberwolves: NBA fans on Twitter express positive sentiment and anticipation for the upcoming match between the San Antonio Spurs and Minnesota Timberwolves. The NBA play-in tournament is adding excitement to the end of the regular season, with matchups including Eastern Conference and Western Conference teams. The MVP race is tight between Nikola Jokic, Joel Embiid, and Giannis Antetokounmpo. Team rankings place the Milwaukee Bucks at the top, followed by the Boston Celtics and Denver Nuggets. The Western Conference playoff and play-in tournament races intensify, with eight teams still in contention for the play-in tournament. Lastly, the Portland Trail Blazers achieved the largest NBA upset in 30 years by defeating the Minnesota Timberwolves as 19.5-point underdogs.
While all of these could be further improved, these are alright! It is also interesting to notice how the quality of the summaries seems correlated to the market size of the team. The Timberwolves have fewer articles, and fewer tweets written about them, and therefore have the most generic summary, while the Lakers have a fairly complex summary specific to them. This observation is anecdotal though, this could just be specific to the time and date this summary was created -- mid day Saturday, April 8th!
To dive into a little more detail of what's happening under the hood:
Just like that, we can retrieve the latest information about a team since each time this is run, a fresh set of results are retrieved and get a concise summary of what's going on.
While this is a nifty demo, that's all it is. The underlying system, however, is highly customizable and can be used for many different use cases. That's what I am building my business around. So, if you're curious to try this out, check out ndricks.com for more details!
Here are the summaries today, interesting to see the difference!
Golden State Warriors: Today, 04/11/2023, fans express positive sentiments on Twitter, supporting the Golden State Warriors and discussing their successful playoff performances. In other NBA news, the Houston Rockets interview Kenny Atkinson and Kevin Young as potential coaching replacements, while 20 teams are competing in the 2023 NBA playoffs. ESPN experts predict the Heat, Raptors, Lakers, and Pelicans to advance in their respective play-in games. The Milwaukee Bucks and Denver Nuggets hold the top seeds, with the Warriors and Celtics returning in pursuit of the championship. As the playoffs unfold, teams need to adapt to new lineups and overcome challenges to secure the title.
New Orleans Pelicans: On April 11, 2023, mixed sentiments surround the upcoming game between the New Orleans Pelicans and the Oklahoma City Thunder due to injuries. Zion Williamson remains sidelined due to a hamstring strain, while Jose Alvarado is not cleared for game action. DeMarcus Cousins has joined the Guaynabo Mets to reignite his NBA career, and the 2023 NBA playoffs have commenced, with experts predicting the Heat, Raptors, Lakers, and Pelicans to advance in play-in games. The New Orleans Pelicans hope to make the postseason despite challenges, but their executive VP announced that Williamson will not participate in play-in tournament games. Fans share concerns about the team's performance without their star players.
LA Clippers: The NBA playoffs kicked off on April 9, 2023, with 20 teams vying for the championship. The play-in tournament featured matchups such as the Timberwolves vs. Lakers, Thunder vs. Pelicans, Hawks vs. Heat, and Bulls vs. Raptors. The Bucks, Nuggets, defending champions Warriors, and Celtics headlined the playoffs, with the Cavaliers and Kings coming in as dark horses. ESPN experts favor the Heat, Raptors, Lakers, and Pelicans to advance. During the Suns-Clippers game, a disagreement between Plumlee and Hyland occurred but was resolved. The Clippers now face the Suns, sans Paul George, in the first round starting Sunday. As things progress, teams must adapt to changing lineups and matchups. Fan tweets reflected mixed sentiment, discussing game positions, support for both the Suns and Clippers, as well as concerns about the Clippers' owner's alleged racist remarks. Phoenix Beer Company also celebrated with a limited edition IPA for the Suns.
Los Angeles Lakers: The neutral sentiment of tweets regarding the Los Angeles Lakers includes game highlights, betting odds, and player updates, with mixed fan opinions. DeMarcus Cousins has joined the Guaynabo Mets of the Puerto Rican basketball league, hoping to return to the NBA next season. The 2023 NBA playoffs have begun, featuring play-in games between the Timberwolves and Lakers, Thunder and Pelicans, Hawks and Heat, and Bulls and Raptors. ESPN experts predict the Heat, Raptors, Lakers, and Pelicans to advance. The Lakers are considered to have the best chance of a first-round upset if LeBron James and Anthony Davis remain healthy. Overall, both professional and fan opinions indicate the future of the Lakers depends on various factors such as player health and performances in the playoffs.
Minnesota Timberwolves: On April 11, 2023, the NBA playoffs and play-in tournaments have begun, with the sentiment from the given set of processed tweets about the NBA being mostly neutral with some positive tweets. Discussions center around the game between the Los Angeles Lakers and Minnesota Timberwolves, player performance expectations, injuries, and betting predictions. ESPN experts predict the Heat, Raptors, Lakers, and Pelicans to advance in their respective games. A recent incident saw the Timberwolves suspend Rudy Gobert due to a physical altercation with teammate Kyle Anderson, while Jaden McDaniels and Naz Reid are also absent due to injuries. NBA insiders predict that the Lakers have the best shot at pulling off an upset if LeBron James and Anthony Davis stay healthy.
Software Engineer @ LinkedIn
1 年Such a brilliant idea! Want to try something out as well!