For the sake of bball talk, I want to throw on the table a discussion about efficiency. My opinion, and I want to hear other's, is that points per minute played is a useless stat...certainly cannot be used for or against either sets of players. So many things can change when benchers are used/lineups change. If a coach goes with a smaller, quicker lineup, how can it be disputed that they are going to score at a faster pace? Does that mean that they are a better 5 and all of them should be the starters?
If anyone is going to compare lineups, I would prefer these comparisons:
Points per possession
Defensive points allowed per possession
In other words, efficiency stats (miles per gallon) > power stats (miles per hour)