NBA Finals: Shane Battier supports Miami’s Big Three with big threes
Shane Battier (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
Sports Stats ‘on Tapp’ is a sport statistics blog published daily that focuses on stats that go beyond the numbers.
A lot of experts figured that the NBA Finals would come down to a battle between the Big Three for each team, Miami’s LeBron James, Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh vs. the Thunder’s Kevin Durant, Russell Westbrook and James Harden. In the first three games, each of these players has had their moments.
But one of the biggest surprises of the series has been the play (or should I say, the shooting) of the Heat’s Shane Battier. Through the first three games, Battier is averaging 14.3 PPG and has made 11 of 15 three-point shots. It’s the three-point shooting that has elevated Battier’s game in this series.
For the 2011-12 season, Battier made 62 three-pointers in 65 contests. In the ’12 playoffs, however, Battier has made 38 threes in 21 games, almost doubling his output in that category in the playoffs.
In Sunday’s game, Battier became the 32nd player in NBA history to make 11 or more three-pointers in an NBA Finals series. And with at least two more games on the docket for this series (and maybe more if the Thunder have anything to say about it), Battier could make a run at the NBA record for most threes in a finals series.
Boston’s Ray Allen holds the record with 22 three-pointers made in the 2008 NBA Finals series when his Celtics defeated the L.A. Lakers for the title. The players with the most three-pointers in a finals series:
Three-point shots made in an NBA Finals, Player, Year
22: Ray Allen, 2008
17: Derek Harper, 1994; Dan Majerle, 1993
16: John Starks, 1994; Rashard Lewis, 2009
15: Kobe Bryant, 2010; Reggie Miller, 2000; Robert Horry, 2005; Bryon Russell, 1997
14: Michael Cooper, 1987; Mario Chalmers, 2011
Battier has not only has made 11 threes in this series, but his accuracy has been at an all-time high, for him and in the history of the finals. Battier is 11-for-15 from beyond the three-point, a .733 percentage. Battier currently has the best three-point shooting percentage of any player in the NBA Finals in NBA history (minimum of 11 three-point shots made to qualify for the list). Whether or not he can keep his percentage over .700 for the series will obviously play out over the next few games.
Here are the players with the best three-point shooting percentage in a finals series (minimum of 11 three-point shots made to qualify)
3-point pct, Player, Year
.733 Shane Battier, 2012
.688 Isiah Thomas, 1990
.632 Glen Rice, 2000
.609 Michael Cooper, 1987
.565 DeShawn Stevenson, 2011
.524 Ray Allen, 2008
.500 James Posey, 2008
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Conference Finals Game 7: 10 stats you need to know!
(Photo credit: Wikipedia)
Sports Stats ‘on Tapp’ is a sports statistics blog published daily that focuses on stats that go beyond the numbers.
Miami vs. Boston in Miami… Game 7! A trip to the NBA Finals is the reward for the winner.
Tonight is the first Conference Finals Game 7 since 2005 when the Detroit Pistons defeated the Miami Heat in the Eastern Conference Finals.
What stats could play a major role in tonight’s game? Over the past 25 NBA seasons there have been 12 Game Sevens in the conference finals. Following is a look at 10 stats that shaped the past conference finals Game 7s since 1987.
(Conference Finals Game 7= CFG7)
1. Home Team: The home team has won 10 of the last 12 CFG7. In the last two CFG7s (2005, Detroit-Miami and 2002, L.A. Lakers-Sacramento) the away team has won Game Seven.
2. The team that won Game 6 in the series: The team that won Game 6 in the series went on to win Game 7 in only three of the 12 CFG7s since 1987.
3. Score: The average margin of victory has been just under 10 points in the last 12 CFG7s. In seven of the 12 games the margin of victory was six points or less. In the other five games, the teams won by 13 or more points. Five of the last six CFG7 games have been decided by six points or less.
4. Halftime Lead: The team that won Game 7 was leading at half in eight of the 12 games.
5. Lead going into the 4th quarter: The team that won Game 7 was leading going into the fourth quarter in eight of the 12 games.
6. Bench Scoring: Not a factor in Game 7s. Only two of the 12 teams that won Game 7 saw their bench outscore their opponents reserves in the game. What was significant was that the team whose starting five outscored the other team’s starting five won 11 of the 12 games.
7. Rebounding: The team that won Game 7 out-rebounded their opponents in 10 of the 12 games and tied for rebound totals in one game.
8. Turnovers: The winning team had fewer turnovers in six of the 12 games; in two games the two teams had the same number of turnovers.
9. Assists: The winning team had more assists in seven of the 12 games; in one game the two teams had the same number of assists. While the turnover and assist totals didn’t seem to make a significant difference, if you figure out the assist-to-turnover ratio, an interesting stat develops. The team that had a higher assist-to-turnover ratio in the 12 CFG7 games won 10 and lost only two.
10. Three-point field goals made: The team that made more three-point shots in the game won six times; the two teams had the same number of three-point shots made in three games.
Did you know? Five teams that won Game 7 of the Conference Final since 1987 won the NBA title that season. Seven of the teams that won Game 7 of the Conference Finals lost the NBA Finals that year.
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NBA Conference Finals Playoffs: Celtics can’t hold halftime lead in Game 2
(Photo credit: Wikipedia)
Sports Stats ‘on Tapp’ is a sports statistics blog published daily that focuses on stats that go beyond the numbers.
It appeared that the Boston Celtics had the Miami Heat right where they wanted them in Game 2 of their Eastern Conference Finals series… a 15-point lead in the second quarter, and a seven-point lead at halftime.
But the Heat overcame the largest deficit in their playoff history and took the Celtics into overtime to secure a victory in Game Two and take a 2-0 lead in their Eastern Conference Finals series.
Since 2003, there have been 106 conference finals games played. In 76 of those games the team that won either led at halftime or was tied for the lead at half, a .717 winning percentage. In the last three postseasons (2010-2012), there have been 26 conference finals games (through games of May 30, 2012). The winning team has led at half or were tied for the lead in 20 of those 26 games, a .769 winning percentage.
Miami overcoming a seven-point deficit in yesterday’s game ranks as one of the best 11 halftime comebacks in the last 10 years in conference finals play. Topping the list are the Orlando Magic which overcame a 15-point halftime deficit in Game 1 of their Eastern Conference Final series against the Cleveland Cavaliers.
Following are the teams that overcame the largest halftime deficits to win a Conference Final playoff game since 2003.
Halftime Deficit, Team, Playoff Year, Game, Opponent
15: Orlando, 2009, Game 1 vs. Cleveland
12: Detroit, 2007, Game 2 vs. Cleveland
12: Dallas, 2006, Game 6 vs. Phoenix
11: Dallas, 2003, Game 5 vs. San Antonio
9: Dallas, 2003, Game 1 vs. San Antonio
8: Orlando, 2009, Game 4 vs. Cleveland
8: L.A. Lakers, 2008, Game 1 vs. San Antonio
8: San Antonio, 2003, Game 3 vs. Dallas
7: Miami, 2011, Game 5 vs. Chicago
7: Phoenix, 2005, Game 4 vs. San Antonio
7: Miami, 2012, Game 2 vs. Boston
Note: Thirty teams have lost conference finals games since 2003 after leading at halftime. Of the teams that lost those halftime leads in the conference finals, the San Antonio Spurs lost six games when they were leading at halftime. Following are the teams that lost the most conference finals games since 2003 when they had the lead at halftime.
Games Lost When They Had Halftime Lead in Conference Finals (since 2003), Teams
6: San Antonio
5: Phoenix
4: Cleveland
3: Oklahoma City, Dallas
2: Chicago, Detroit, Indiana
1: Boston, L.A. Lakers, Denver
Did you know? In the 2010 conference finals (Boston vs. Orlando and the Lakers vs. Phoenix) the team that led at halftime won all six games in both series.
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Can the Heat break NBA record of most consecutive wins by 10 points or more?
Sports Stats ‘on Tapp’ is a biweekly blog published every Wednesday and Sunday with a bonus “SIX STATS…” posting every Friday.
Miami's Dwyane Wade... Image via Wikipedia
The Miami Heat went into the All-Star break with an eight-game winning streak. That streak, however, was also colored with eight victories that were each won by 10 points or more. The eight straight wins by 10 points or more by the Heat made them the 14th team in NBA history to accomplish this feat.
So the question becomes, can LeBron, Dwyane and the Miami gang break the record for most consecutive wins by 10 points or more… 10 straight games? To do it, they will have to win three straight games by double-figures on the road. After the break they face Portland on March 1, travel the next night to take on the Utah Jazz, and, if they win both of those games by 10 points or more, go for the record against the Lakers in Los Angeles.
Following are the teams which have won the most consecutive games by 10 points or more. In addition, I’ve also listed those teams which have won the most consecutive games by 15 or more points, 20 or more points, and 25 or more points.
Consecutive wins by 10+ points, Teams, Year
10: Washington, 1946… New Jersey, 2004… Houston, 2008.
9: Boston, 2007… Cleveland, 2008… Miami, 2010
8: NY Knicks, 1969… Milwaukee, 1971… Portland, 1990… LA Lakers, 1990… Chicago, 1996 (twice that year)… Detroit, 2004… Miami, 2012
Consecutive wins by 15+ points, Teams, Year
8: Detroit, 2004
6: Cleveland, 1989…. Phoenix, 1990
Consecutive wins by 20+ points, Teams, Year
5: Milwaukee, 1970… Portland, 1978
Consecutive wins by 25+ points, Teams, Year
4: Houston, 1993
SIX STATS you might not know about… 1972 Miami Dolphins
Larry Csonka & Jim Kiick... Image via Wikipedia
“SIX STATS…” is a bonus feature of Sports Stats ‘on Tapp’ and is published every Friday.
With the Green Bay Packers sitting atop the NFL kingdom with a 9-0 record, more and more conversation about their season will include references to the 1972 Miami Dolphins and their perfect season that year when they went 14-0 in the regular season and won three playoff games enroute to a 17-0 season. Here are a few stats from that ‘72 Dolphins team.
1. The Dolphins topped the NFL that season with 385 points scored; they also topped the league with fewest points allowed, 171.
2. Of their 14 regular season wins, only three were by seven points or less. Interestingly enough, their three playoff wins were all by seven points or less. They gave up 20 points or more in only three games. Their lowest scoring game of the season was the 14 they scored in their Super Bowl win over the Washington Redskins.
3. The Dolphins had two running backs who finished the season with 1,000 or more yards rushing: Larry Csonka (1,117) and Mercury Morris (1,000). It was the first time teammates had rushed for 1,000 or more yards in the same season. A third running back, Jim Kiick, gave Miami three running backs who each had 135 or more rushing attempts that season.
4. Miami scored first in 11 of the 14 regular season games; they led at halftime in 11 of the 14 games; and they led at the end of the third quarter in 12 of the 14 games.
5. Some people have noted that Miami did not play a very strong schedule in their perfect season. The aggregate winning percentage of their opponents in 1972 was .396. Only two of the teams they played that year ended the season with a winning record: Kansas City (8-6) and the New York Giants (8-6). Eight of their wins came against divisions foes… the New Jets ended up 7-7; Baltimore Colts (5-9); Buffalo (4-9-1) and New England (3-11).
6. Miami ended the 1971 season with a 10-3-1 record and eventually lost to the Dallas Cowboys in the Super Bowl. In their season after the perfect 17-0 year, the Dolphins posted a 12-2 record and repeated as Super Bowl champions.
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