NBA playoff preview

The NBA playoffs start tomorrow, but that has nothing to do with Craig Biggio getting hit by pitches. Or does it?

Since 1989, the first year Craig Biggio got hit by a pitch, there have been 670 Astros games on dates when there have been NBA playoff games, and Craig Biggio has been hit by a pitch 82 times in 76 of those games. 29% of Biggio plunks have come on days when the NBA playoffs were being played. On days of NBA playoff games, Craig Biggio has been plunked once per 35 plate appearances, but only once per 45.4 plate appearances on days when there are no playoff games. That is, he gets hit 29.7% more often on days when there's an NBA playoff game.

Biggio has been hit by a pitch 14 times on days when Houston's NBA team, the Rockets, have had a playoff game, but he's been hit the most times - 28 - on days of Lakers playoff games. Unfortunately, the Rockets are only 6-8 in playoff games on days when Biggio has been plunked, so while his ability to get plunked helps the Astros win, it doesn't appear to help the Rockets. The Rockets are 3-3 in the first round when Biggio gets hit by a pitch, 1-4 in the 2nd round, and 0-1 in the conference finals. But when they make it to the NBA Finals, they are 2-0 in games on days when Biggio has been hit. The Sacramento Kings have the best record in the playoffs on Biggio's plunk days, going 7-1, while Biggio seems to have jinxed the Milwaukee Bucks to an 0-7 record on dates of his HBPs.

Perhaps most amazingly, of the 30 current NBA franchises, all but 2 of them have played at least 1 playoff game on a day when Craig Biggio was plunked. The only two who haven't are the most recently added - the Charlotte Bobcats, and the Golden State Warriors who are returning to the playoffs for the first time since 1994 this year.

Here are the playoff records of every NBA team on days when Craig Biggio has been hit by a pitch:

Team	Wins	Losses	Win Pct.
Kings	7	1	0.875
Suns	9	4	0.692
Pacers	13	7	0.650
Lakers	16	9	0.640
Celtics	5	3	0.625
76ers	5	3	0.625
Bulls	12	8	0.600
Pistons	6	4	0.600
Nets	4	3	0.571
Hornets	6	5	0.545
Heat	6	6	0.500
T-wolves	4	4	0.500
Magic	4	4	0.500
Cavs	1	1	0.500
Raptors	1	1	0.500
Blazers	5	6	0.455
Spurs	9	12	0.429
Rockets	6	8	0.429
Hawks	3	4	0.429
Sonics	7	10	0.412
Jazz	6	10	0.375
Mavericks	2	4	0.333
Nuggets	1	2	0.333
Knicks	5	12	0.294
Clippers	0	1	0
Grizzlies	0	1	0
Wizards/Bullets	0	3	0
Bucks	0	7	0
Warriors	0	0	n/a
Bobcats	0	0	n/a
Total	143	143

nba draft review

When Brandon Roy was drafted by the Minnesota Timberwolves last night (before being traded), that marked the 4th consecutive year, and the 13th overall, in which their was an NBA 1st round pick with the same name as someone who plunked Craig Biggio that same year. Brandon Claussen plunked Biggio on April 28th.
There has never been an NBA first round draft pick during Biggio's career with the same full name (first and last) as any of the pitchers who hit him with a pitch, but there have been 34 plunks thrown by 24 pitchers with the same last name as someone drafted by the NBA in the first round between 1988 and 2006, and 179 plunks thrown by 134 pitchers with the same 1st name as a 1st round NBA pick in that span.

Only 4 pitchers plunked Biggio in the same year someone with their last name was a 1st round NBA pick - Michael Jackson plunked Biggio in 1992, when Jimmy Jackson was drafted 4th overall by Dallas, David Williams hit Biggio with a pitch in 2002 when Jay Williams and Frank Williams were taken 2nd and 25th in the NBA draft, Aaron Cook plunked Craig Biggio in 2003 when Brian Cook was drafted by the Lakers, and Jamey Wright plunked Biggio last year when Antoine Wright was drafted by the New Jersey Nets.

There have been 26 plunks thrown by 21 pitchers whose first name matched an NBA 1st round pick from the same year. Twice there were two different pitchers with the same first name, also coincident with a first round NBA pick, to plunk Biggio. Chris Hammond and Chris Carpenter plunked Biggio last year, while Chris Paul was selected to the NBA, and Brian Anderson and Brian Meadows both plunked Biggio in the year Brian Skinner was drafted in the 1st round. Greg Maddux plunked Biggio in two different seasons ('93 and '94) in which there was an NBA 1st round pick named Greg (Greg Graham in '93 and Greg Minor in '94).

In the past 18 NBA drafts there have been 12 1st round picks named Chris and 8 name Jason (more than any other first name), but there were none name Chris or Jason in 2006. There was only one Craig drafted in that span, but he usually goes by the nickname "Speedy" (Claxton). Since 1988, there have been 14 1st round picks named Williams, including 3 in 2006, and 10 named Smith. Those are the top 2 last names drafted in those years. Not a single Biggio.