How it works
The game
Each matchup puts two NBA seasons side by side. Pick the one you think was better.
Some matchups are blind: names, teams, years and photos stay hidden until you vote. Others are named. Comparing the two shows how much a famous name sways people.
After you vote, you see who it was, a few advanced metrics, and how everyone else voted.
The stats on the cards
Each card shows five stats, plus the team's record and the player's awards. The better number is red and underlined; style stats like usage aren't marked. Some matchups show stats per 36 minutes instead of per game.
- Points
- Points scored per game.
- Rebounds
- Rebounds per game, offensive and defensive.
- Rebound %
- Share of available rebounds the player grabbed while on the floor. Unlike rebounds per game, it accounts for pace and minutes.
- Assists
- Passes per game that led directly to a teammate's basket.
- Assist %
- Share of teammates' baskets this player assisted while on the floor.
- Steals
- Steals per game.
- Steal %
- Share of opponent possessions that ended in this player's steal while on the floor.
- Blocks
- Blocked shots per game.
- Block %
- Share of opponents' two-point shots this player blocked while on the floor.
- True shooting %
- Scoring efficiency that counts threes and free throws. League average is usually 53–58%; 60%+ is excellent.
- 3-point %
- Share of three-point attempts made.
- 3-point attempt rate
- Share of a player's shots that were threes. It describes style more than quality.
- Usage %
- Share of team plays the player finished (a shot, free throws or a turnover) while on the floor. It describes role more than quality.
- Turnover %
- Turnovers per 100 plays the player finished. Lower is better.
- Games
- Games played that season.
- Team
- The team's win–loss record and how far it went in the playoffs.
The advanced metrics
Shown after you vote, so they don't influence your pick.
- PER
- Player Efficiency Rating: a per-minute summary of the box score. League average is 15; 25+ is MVP level.
- Box Plus/Minus
- Points per 100 possessions a player added over an average player, estimated from the box score. 0 is average, +5 All-NBA level.
- VORP
- Value Over Replacement Player: Box Plus/Minus turned into a season total. It rewards playing a lot of minutes.
- Win Shares / 48
- Share of the team's wins credited to the player, per 48 minutes. About .100 is average; .200+ is elite.
The results
- Rankings: the crowd's ratings of seasons, built from every head-to-head vote.
- Name bias: how much more often the more famous player wins when names are shown, and which players gain or lose the most from their name.
- Crowd vs. numbers: how often voters agree with the advanced metrics.
- What wins votes: which stats make a season more likely to be picked.
- Toughest calls: the matchups that split voters, and the ones nobody argued about.
Each result appears once there are enough votes for it to mean something, and updates as more come in.