Though, if the statistics in question are those concerning the 2012-13 Los Angeles Lakers, then the only lies involved are those that the players, coaches and fans still tell themselves about the team's chances of bringing another Larry O'Brien Trophy back to the Staples Center in June.
The causes for the collapse from preseason title contender to eighth-seed scrapper extend well beyond anything that even a handful of numbers could describe with any accuracy. Injuries, personnel turnover, poor team chemistry and turmoil in the upper crust of the organization all contributed to what's arguably been the most disappointing season in franchise history, if not in all of professional team sports.
That being said, there are a few stats in particular that help to tell the story of how the Lakers became less of a star-studded championship threat than an uber-expensive Schadenfreude spectacular.
Dwight at the Line
You don't have to be a stats whiz to figure out that Dwight Howard has been nothing short of awful at the free-throw line this season. Howard's 9.4 free-throw attempts per game are second only to James Harden's 10.1 and his 646 total free throws rank behind Harden's 716 and Kevin Durant's 700, but well ahead of Kobe Bryant's 563.
But of Dwight's 646 attempts, only 314 have found the bottom of the net. Astonishingly, that's still good enough to place Howard ninth in total makes and makes per game (4.6).
Even though Howard's percentage (.486) is dead-last among those who've stepped to the line often enough to qualify for the free-throw crown.
That clip doubles as the lowest of Dwight's career. He hit his free throws at a 49.1-percent rate in 2011-12. Howard was hardly a free-throw-shooting savant prior to his final season ...
Article Source: Bleacher Report - Los Angeles Lakers
