NBA. The following data were obtained from the Fort Worth Star-Telegram and refer to the 2...

NBA. The following data were obtained from the Fort Worth Star-Telegram and refer to the 2002–2003 National Basketball Association (NBA) season. The data are included in a file on the CD named NBA4 for all29 NBA teams:

wins (WINS)

field goals attempted (FGA)

field goals made (FGM)

field goals attempted for opponents (FGAOP)

field goals made for opponents (FGMOP)

three-point field goals attempted (TFGA)

three-point field goals made (TFGM)

three-point field goals attempted for opponents (TFGAOP)

three-point field goals made for opponents (TFGMOP)

offensive rebounds (OFFREB)

total rebounds (TOTREB)

offensive rebounds for opponents (OFFREBOP)

total rebounds for opponents (TOTREBOP)

assists (ASST)

assists for opponents (ASSTOP)

steals (STL)

steals for opponents (STLOP)

blocked shots (BLK)

blocked shots for opponents (BLKOP)

The dependent variable is the number of wins (WINS) for the season. The other variables are to be considered possible explanatory variables.

You have been hired by your favorite NBA team to try and determine what factors might be important in helping to achieve a winning season. Using the available data, determine which combination of the variables provides the best explanation of what makes a winning team.

Write a report with your results. Your report should consist of a letter/executive summary of your results for team management and a technical section with a description and justification of your regression equation. In the technical section you will want to discuss aspects such as your regression equation, tl1e choice of variables, the strength of the relationship, and the practical usefulness of the results. What do your results tell you about winning teams?

(Source: Courtesy of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram.)