The newest SAP line of business focuses on sports and entertainment so I thought I would highlight one of SAP’s new partnerships with the NBA through the lens of statistics in the NBA Finals.
Here is a quick recap of what happened in Game 1.
On Thursday night the Heat looked very good, for three quarters. The problem was the game lasted four, and James’ supporting cast went into hiding in the last period. Below are some of the most telling fourth quarter numbers from Thursday night’s game.
Dwyane Wade in the 4th quarter Thursday
Minutes Played | Points | FG% | Assists | Rebounds |
7.8 | 0 | 0-2 (0%) | 0 | 0 |
Chris Bosh in the 4th quarter Thursday
Minutes Played | Points | FG% | Assists | Rebounds |
9.9 | 2 | 1-5 (20%) | 0 | 1 |
Each of the tables throughout this post are culled from the stats.NBA.com page powered by SAP.
Game 2
Meanwhile, the first half of Game 2 has started out with a few interesting plot turns on the Game 1 story lines. In the most bizarre twist, the Heat supporting cast is doing much of the heavy lifting here in Game 2. After the first quarter the score was tied and LeBron James had zero points. (Yes, no shots made) He didn’t in fact score until minutes into the second quarter. Below is a screenshot of the numbers from the first and second quarter, respectively.
Follow the game stats in real time with the NBA TV Companion page.
As you can see three point shooting has been the name of the game for the Spurs, allowing them to gain an early lead in the first quarter. Danny Green has been shooting extremely well in these first two games, slowly becoming the three-point shooter most NBA Finals champions always seem to have. He scored 9 of the Spurs first 11 points tonight and has made four straight 3-pointers tonight. Last night he hit multiple key shots down the stretch on his way to 12 points, all on threes. The team as a whole has shot a white hot 70 percent from beyond the arc tonight.
The Heat’s balanced scoring attack is what has allowed them to go into the half up five, even while their best scorer has struggled to score tonight.
Turnovers hurt the Spurs early. They had more in the first quarter than all of their Game 1 victory. By turning the ball over so much they are giving the Heat more possessions to score.
Spurs turnovers
Season average | Game 1 of Finals | Tonight (On Pace for) |
14.7 | 4 | 16 (8 in the first half) |
The game has been close, exciting, and unexpected so far. Stats can be an added bonus to the fan experience, allowing fans more context through which to watch the game's biggest moments. Thanks and stay tuned for a post-game review blog after the final whistle blows.
- SAP Managed Tags:
