Comments on: A Shot Chart is Worth a Thousand Words

By: mikrobass

mikrobass — Sun, 15 Nov 2009 15:49:34 +0000

going off topic a bit…i am a bit concerned about having our players work together as a team. right now it reminds me of the lakers roster with o’neal, malone, bryant and payton…loads of individual talent, still not much team cohesion. that will not win a championship. it’s not about having the best individual pieces but rather having the best team fit of the best pieces. pop has his work cut out for him this year…

By: SG

SG — Sun, 15 Nov 2009 02:51:31 +0000

Does anyone wonder why Pop’s line-ups have been so inconsistent? I think that it has been affecting the play of some key guys, including Roger Mason. I wish Pop went with a more traditional line-up (Duncan, McDyess, RJ, Bogans, Parker). Blair & Bonner should sub-in for Duncan/McDyess depending on offense/defense situations. Ginobli comes in for Bogans. Hill comes in for Parker. RJ should play 38 minutes with limited minutes given to Finley.

By: Nick (Italy)

Nick (Italy) — Sat, 14 Nov 2009 21:15:27 +0000

Graydon,

good point.

On the same note, I think it is also important to consider the difference in attempted corner threes (basically, three pointers from the long 2 range).

The Spurs took 14 of them, while the Mavs only took 6 of them. Probably it wasn’t a factor in this particular game, since most of ours went out, but taking & denying corner threes is a big big plus for any team.

Best,

Nick

By: BB

BB — Sat, 14 Nov 2009 05:22:53 +0000

Some Mav was playing pretty well on the left block. They should add a third symbol to the graphic to indicate fouled shot attempts. When Dirk can get the ball close to the basket, he’s at least probably going to the line. In the first half, it’s hard to say whether it was the Mavs’ gameplan or McDyess’ defense, but Dirk had to work his way in from that no man’s land on the right side of the basket. He’s used to the jab-step and pullback jumper out there, but Dice was having none of it. It looked like he forced him into a lot of contested, face-up jumpers that turned into those blue ‘x’s. I don’t know if it’s because he was putting a body on him way out there before he even got the ball or what, but I was impressed. Everyone else should take notes. I wasn’t as pleased by Bonner and Bogans; I think after a point Pop was just testing those matchups out for the next time we see Dallas. They have plenty to work on til then.

By: CGD

CGD — Sat, 14 Nov 2009 02:59:11 +0000

Could be, but it also looks like the Mavs just missed A LOT of interior shots on this particular night. By the looks of the graphic it appears they had just as many opportunities in the paint.

The problem with these charts is that they tells us little about the quality of the interior baskets scored (e.g., were they indeed lay-ups? Contested? Was the defending team executing especially crisp double teams down low?) This graphic however, illustrates the Mav’s longstanding lack of a dependable low post threat.

By: Sean C

Sean C — Sat, 14 Nov 2009 00:34:09 +0000

AP,
I’ve got a hunch that’s where Dirk likes to get the ball most of the time. Considering he went 9-27, i’m betting a lot of those clanks are his.

By: AP

AP — Sat, 14 Nov 2009 00:28:54 +0000

It looks like the Mavs attempted the majority of their midrange shots from the right side of the court. Is this just a coincidence? Or was it intentional?
If it was intentional, it because the Mavs wanted to shoot from the right, or because the Spurs D pushed them to shoot from there?

By: zack

zack — Sat, 14 Nov 2009 00:25:52 +0000

its so gorgeous, this belongs in basketball heaven

By: Wayne

Wayne — Fri, 13 Nov 2009 23:57:02 +0000

It’s funny to me that you chose this. I literally charted each Spurs shot by possession for this game and came away thinking they took a ton of shots from the perimeter. Obviously, the majority were 3-pointers. I didn’t compare it to the Mavs though.

What stands out to me on your chart is the number of misses by the Mavs in the paint.