SPELLS ALL-STAR 'C-H-O-O-C-H'
The 76ers tied a franchise record by committing just four turnovers in their 95-90 victory over the Lakers Monday. They also had four turnovers — to go along with six technical fouls — in a 117-116 overtime loss to the Knicks in New York on Jan. 21, 1991.
The NBA single-game record for fewest turnovers (a statistic that has been kept only since 1970-71) is two, set by the Bucks against the Pacers in 2006 and tied by the Cavaliers in an overtime game with the Trail Blazers in 2009.
The Sixers are averaging 10.68 turnovers a game, which is a full three less per game than any other NBA team and would be an NBA record for a whole season. This season's leaders and the NBA's all-time best are below.
One more non-related turnover note: While browsing through the NBA Record Book, we noticed that the Sixers set the record (since tied) for most turnovers by two teams in one game when they and the Spurs combined for 73 on Oct. 22, 1976. And if that date sounds familiar, it should ... it was Julius Erving's 76er debut.
| 2011-12 FEWEST TO/GAME | ||||
| Team | G | TO | Avg. | Record |
| Sixers | 25 | 267 | 10.68 | 18- 7 |
| Jazz | 23 | 316 | 13.74 | 13-10 |
| Spurs | 26 | 360 | 13.85 | 17- 9 |
| Hawks | 25 | 348 | 13.92 | 16- 9 |
| ALL-TIME FEWEST TO/GAME | |||||
| Team | Season | G | TO | Avg. | Record |
| Pistons | 2005-06 | 82 | 931 | 11.35 | 64-18 |
| Mavericks | 2002-03 | 82 | 949 | 11.57 | 60-22 |
| Pistons | 2007-08 | 82 | 956 | 11.66 | 59-23 |
| Raptors | 2007-08 | 82 | 959 | 11.70 | 41-41 |
| Spurs | 2008-09 | 82 | 963 | 11.74 | 54-28 |
Boop – who goes by Bob Vetrone Jr. when he is undercover or paying bills – has been at the Daily News since 1982, after working for five years at the Philadelphia Bulletin up to its closing. Along with helping to build the sports scoreboards most nights, he has had great input into the papers’ special sports pullouts – March Madness, Broad Street Run, Record Breakers, Greatest Moments – as well as its day-to-day, award-winning event coverage.
A 1980 graduate of North Catholic, he took some evening college courses. Those lasted right up until the first conflict with a Big 5 doubleheader.
His favorite books growing up were the NBA Guide and the Baseball Encyclopedia, which was, for all intents and purposes, the Internet before there was an Internet.
He has been immersed in sports statistics since the early 70s, when his father (long-time sports writer, broadcaster and the Daily News’ Buck The Bartender), would take him into the Bulletin newsroom overnight in the summer and let him update the Phillies statistics in a little, black spiral notebook. But things have changed tremendously in the decades since … He now uses a big, black spiral notebook. Email him at vetronb@phillynews.com.
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