FOUL OR DEFEND? GIVE ME A T.O. BABY!

Since the beginning of the 2012-2013 basketball season I have been tracking the foul or defend situation at the NBA, college and high school levels.

301 late game situations have been analyzed since Nov. 1 where a team is up by three points, on defense with less than :07 to play.

Having talked to many coaches at all levels and watching a ton of games/highlights, and scanning websites for play-by-play, I have come away with some interesting and rather surprising numbers.

I have decided to use a “time out” and take a break from the study. I was thinking of picking it back up later in the season when we come down the stretch. Quite possibly for the conference tournaments and of course the NCAA tournament and the NBA playoffs. Just to see if anything changes in terms of numbers.

Here are the final numbers as of Jan. 12, 2013

301 total situations

On 30 possessions a team has fouled – 29 of those 30 have won the game without going to overtime. The only team that lost was Kent State. And that’s a story everyone needs to know. I’ll get to that later.

That leaves 271 defend situations: 48 times the team on offense made a three-point shot to tie the game and force overtime (17%).

I will have the results from overtime very soon. But as my guy Coach Lok likes to say, “results in OT are irrelevant, the decision was made…”

NBA Updated: (As of Jan. 12, 2013)

57  total situations

7 have fouled all 7 won the game (Celtics 3 x’s, Warriors 3 x’s and Blazers)

50 defended

10 gave up a three point make.

College:

201 total situations

13 fouled – 12 won the game

188 defended

28 gave up a three point make.

High School:

43 total situations

10 fouled – all 10 won the game

33 defended

10 gave up a three point make

-Coach Finamore

Hoops135@hotmail.com

Twitter: @CoachFinamore

THE NUMBERS GAME BY JOHN GROCE

Mark Tupper of the Herald & Review on John Groce and his passion for numbers.

Groce is a numbers freak. He has managers and assistant coaches charting everything from shots attempted and made to screens properly and improperly set. And those statistics are compiled and posted daily for every player to see.

“They’ll be posted on the locker room door each day and every player will know exactly where they stand,” Groce said. “I think players want that.”

Groce’s obsession with statistical data will please the sabermetricians who have rewritten the way we analyze Major League Baseball, but there’s an old school aspect to Groce’s approach that will please the old-schoolers.

“We chart everything,” he said. “But there are two parts to it. One is statistics. The other side is the coach’s feel for how tough you are, how together you are, body language, all of the things that don’t show up on the state sheet.”

HOOPS135@HOTMAIL.COM

TWITTER: @CoachFinamore

NUMBERS

Kraftwerk, an electronic musical group by way of Germany rocked a jam back in the 80′s titled, ‘Numbers’. Last night Lebron James talked about changing his jersey number from 23 to 6.  In honor of Michael Jordan.  Are you serious?

“I just think what Michael Jordan has done for the game has to be recognized some way soon,” James told The Cleveland Plains Dealer. “I feel like no N.B.A. player should wear 23. I’m starting a petition, and I’ve got to get everyone in the N.B.A. to sign it.”

Sure Jordan has done a lot for the league, but a team retiring a jersey number is more than enough.  Many players like to wear number 23 because of MJ so how can you tell someone they can’t wear it anymore.  Wearing 23 is a tribute to MJ in itself. Young kids, high school and college players snatch up 23 when uniform numbers are handed out before the season mostly because of Jordan. I think if NBA players stop wearing 23, it will be an insult to all players who are wearing it to honor MJ.

By the way, someone tell Lebron many players before Jordan have done a lot for the league.  Like #6, #32 and #33…

-Coach Finamore

Hoops135@hotmail.com

I’m on Facebook and you can follow me on Twitter: @CoachFinamore