Amuseddaysleeper
05-09-2006, 06:55 PM
O'Brien: Hustle stats don't lieby: Jim O'Brien
posted: Tuesday, May 9, 2006 | Feedback
It is my contention that certain statistics rarely lie in an 82-game schedule. Or, for that matter, in the playoffs.
There are statistics like offensive and defensive field-goal percentage, rebounding, turnovers, etc., that are available to every fan watching a game on television, following a game on the Internet or reading the paper the day after a game. Commentators and fans talk about these statistics all game long and hash and rehash what happened after the game using these numbers.
There are also some stats that are not available to the everyday observer that different coaching staffs use to help keep track of how their teams are doing.
When I was on the sideline in Boston and Philadelphia, there were two statistics in particular that were of utmost importance. We called them "hustle" stats. They were a constant indicator of the effort our team was putting forth in the game we were playing. They were stats that we talked to our players about during every timeout, and these particular numbers never, ever lied.
There is a joke that says a camera only takes what it sees -- if you are ugly, you come out ugly. Well, if your team is deficient in these "hustle" stats, you are playing ugly basketball and you probably are going to lose.
The statistics are: deflections and challenged shots.
A deflection is any time a defensive player gets his hand on the ball defensively. It could be a tipped pass, a blocked shot, a steal or a grabbed loose ball. You could have a few deflections on any given possession.
A challenged shot is any time a defender goes after an opponent's shot and really tries to make it difficult for the shooter to get a free look at the basket.
To accumulate these stats, you have to be hustling and flat out getting after it on defense.
There is no better indicator of the importance of these stats than in the last possession of Game 1 between the Mavs and the Spurs.
Dirk Nowitzki got the ball and Bruce Bowen literally got under his chin. Bowen was all over him flicking at the ball so hard he made Nowitzki pick up the dribble. As soon as the ball got above Nowitzki's head so he could make a cross-court pass, Bowen tried to get a piece of the pass.
I do not have stop action on my television, but there is a chance that Bowen might have gotten a deflection or two guarding the ball. One thing for sure is if Nowitzki wanted to shoot, it would have been challenged hard by Bowen.
Because of Bowen's hustle, Nowitzki's pass was soft and Manu Ginobili was able to tip it twice (two deflections) before Jerry Stackhouse got the ball, and by that time Ginobili was belly to belly on him. With time running out, Stackhouse had to settle for a shot that was challenged as hard as a shot could be challenged.
Our staff has found over the years that if our team had 40 deflections in a game, chances are we would win 90 percent of our games. At the college level, the goal was 35 deflections.
We tracked every player's deflections over the entire game. When we got in the locker room at halftime we would list on the board how many deflections each player had. If Allen Iverson had six in the first two quarters and Chris Webber had none, it would be apparent who was hustling and who was not. It was not my opinion, it was fact.
Challenging shots in basketball is so critical to a team's success. We have kept these stats over the years and found a challenged jump shot goes in less than 35 percent of the time. If you give NBA players open, unchallenged shots, those attempts are going to go in on a regular basis. If you give them too many, you are going to lose.
Our goal was to challenge 35 percent of our opponent's shots. If we did, we would win most of these games.
As you observe the Spurs tonight, notice how active their hands are on defense. You can be sure this has been emphasized from the first day of training camp. No pass or shot will be conceded to the Mavericks.
posted: Tuesday, May 9, 2006 | Feedback
It is my contention that certain statistics rarely lie in an 82-game schedule. Or, for that matter, in the playoffs.
There are statistics like offensive and defensive field-goal percentage, rebounding, turnovers, etc., that are available to every fan watching a game on television, following a game on the Internet or reading the paper the day after a game. Commentators and fans talk about these statistics all game long and hash and rehash what happened after the game using these numbers.
There are also some stats that are not available to the everyday observer that different coaching staffs use to help keep track of how their teams are doing.
When I was on the sideline in Boston and Philadelphia, there were two statistics in particular that were of utmost importance. We called them "hustle" stats. They were a constant indicator of the effort our team was putting forth in the game we were playing. They were stats that we talked to our players about during every timeout, and these particular numbers never, ever lied.
There is a joke that says a camera only takes what it sees -- if you are ugly, you come out ugly. Well, if your team is deficient in these "hustle" stats, you are playing ugly basketball and you probably are going to lose.
The statistics are: deflections and challenged shots.
A deflection is any time a defensive player gets his hand on the ball defensively. It could be a tipped pass, a blocked shot, a steal or a grabbed loose ball. You could have a few deflections on any given possession.
A challenged shot is any time a defender goes after an opponent's shot and really tries to make it difficult for the shooter to get a free look at the basket.
To accumulate these stats, you have to be hustling and flat out getting after it on defense.
There is no better indicator of the importance of these stats than in the last possession of Game 1 between the Mavs and the Spurs.
Dirk Nowitzki got the ball and Bruce Bowen literally got under his chin. Bowen was all over him flicking at the ball so hard he made Nowitzki pick up the dribble. As soon as the ball got above Nowitzki's head so he could make a cross-court pass, Bowen tried to get a piece of the pass.
I do not have stop action on my television, but there is a chance that Bowen might have gotten a deflection or two guarding the ball. One thing for sure is if Nowitzki wanted to shoot, it would have been challenged hard by Bowen.
Because of Bowen's hustle, Nowitzki's pass was soft and Manu Ginobili was able to tip it twice (two deflections) before Jerry Stackhouse got the ball, and by that time Ginobili was belly to belly on him. With time running out, Stackhouse had to settle for a shot that was challenged as hard as a shot could be challenged.
Our staff has found over the years that if our team had 40 deflections in a game, chances are we would win 90 percent of our games. At the college level, the goal was 35 deflections.
We tracked every player's deflections over the entire game. When we got in the locker room at halftime we would list on the board how many deflections each player had. If Allen Iverson had six in the first two quarters and Chris Webber had none, it would be apparent who was hustling and who was not. It was not my opinion, it was fact.
Challenging shots in basketball is so critical to a team's success. We have kept these stats over the years and found a challenged jump shot goes in less than 35 percent of the time. If you give NBA players open, unchallenged shots, those attempts are going to go in on a regular basis. If you give them too many, you are going to lose.
Our goal was to challenge 35 percent of our opponent's shots. If we did, we would win most of these games.
As you observe the Spurs tonight, notice how active their hands are on defense. You can be sure this has been emphasized from the first day of training camp. No pass or shot will be conceded to the Mavericks.