Where the Heat and the Thunder Hit Their Shots
UPDATED June 12, 2012
N.B.A. FINALS
Where the Heat and the Thunder Hit Their Shots
The shooting patterns for the players on the Miami Heat and the Oklahoma City Thunder reveal where they are most dangerous on the court. Below, compare each player’s strengths using court maps and analysis by Kirk Goldsberry, a geography professor at Michigan State. Related Article »
All Shots
3-Pointers
Midrange
Close Range
Miami Heat
Points per attempt
2
Number of attempts
1
Total points
2
Miami Heat TOTAL SHOTS5,209 POINTS PER SHOT1.01 F.G. PERCENT47%
The Heat rely on player positioning to create isolation plays for LeBron James and Dwyane Wade, often on the left side. The Heat take many fewer 3-point shots than the Thunder.
Oklahoma City Thunder TOTAL SHOTS5,228 POINTS PER SHOT1.03 F.G. PERCENT47.1%
The Thunder are effective from almost any area on the court and shoot many more 3-point shots than the league average. Kevin Durant and James Harden are potent from the top of the arc.
LeBron JamesVIEW:PHOTOGRAPHTOTAL SHOTS1,169 POINTS PER SHOT1.1 F.G. PERCENT53.1%
His athleticism and ball-handling create a lot of high-percentage shots near the basket. He prefers the wing locations beyond the 3-point line. His midrange game is his weakest.
Kevin DurantVIEW:PHOTOGRAPHTOTAL SHOTS1,296 POINTS PER SHOT1.09 F.G. PERCENT49.6%
Despite his size, he is a very effective midrange shooter, taking nearly half his shots from that zone and another 25 percent from beyond the 3-point arc.
Dwyane WadeVIEW:PHOTOGRAPHTOTAL SHOTS837 POINTS PER SHOT1.01 F.G. PERCENT49.7%
This season, he is more of a post player and nearly half of his shots occur near the basket. He shoots a higher percentage of close-range shots than both Chris Bosh and James.
Russell WestbrookVIEW:PHOTOGRAPHTOTAL SHOTS1,266 POINTS PER SHOT0.92 F.G. PERCENT45.7%
Like most point guards, he has success going to the basket. As a 3-point shooter, he is most accurate on the wings. Near the free-throw line he gets jump shots off pick-and-rolls.
Chris BoshVIEW:PHOTOGRAPHTOTAL SHOTS807 POINTS PER SHOT0.99 F.G. PERCENT48.7%
Bosh fills a critical spatial niche for the Heat. He can score efficiently in the midrange, which forces the opposition to defend him away from the rim, freeing up more close-range opportunities for James and Wade.
James HardenVIEW:PHOTOGRAPHTOTAL SHOTS629 POINTS PER SHOT1.16 F.G. PERCENT49.1%
Harden is an effective 3-point shooter and also very good near the basket. However, he has virtually no midrange game; a vast majority of his shot attempts occur at the rim or beyond the arc, not many occur in between.
Mario ChalmersVIEW:PHOTOGRAPHTOTAL SHOTS498 POINTS PER SHOT1.1 F.G. PERCENT44.8%
Chalmers is one of Miami's most skilled jump shooters. Most of his shots occur beyond the 3-point arc, but he also can score effectively in the midrange and at the rim.
Serge IbakaVIEW:PHOTOGRAPHTOTAL SHOTS490 POINTS PER SHOT1.07 F.G. PERCENT53.4%
Ibaka's field-goal attempts are split fairly evenly between midrange and close-range. He is a very good midrange shooter, which is unusual for a young shot-blocking big man.
Udonis HaslemVIEW:PHOTOGRAPHTOTAL SHOTS357 POINTS PER SHOT0.85 F.G. PERCENT42.3%
Haslem does not shoot 3-point baskets. His shooting occurs entirely within the midrange and close range areas. He is a below average shooter over all, but does have a few midrange spots where is an above average shooter.
Kendrick PerkinsVIEW:PHOTOGRAPHTOTAL SHOTS262 POINTS PER SHOT0.98 F.G. PERCENT48.9%
Perkins is a traditional big man. A vast majority of his shots occur near the rim in post-up or put-back situations.
Shane BattierVIEW:PHOTOGRAPHTOTAL SHOTS292 POINTS PER SHOT0.97 F.G. PERCENT38.7%
Battier is commonly referred to as one of the smartest players in the N.B.A. He has a knack for getting open shots from both corners, where he is a very effective shooter.
//www.nytimes.com/interactive/2012/06/11/sports/basketball/nba-shot-analysis.html
Thabo SefoloshaVIEW:PHOTOGRAPHTOTAL SHOTS155 POINTS PER SHOT1.06 F.G. PERCENT43.2%
Sefolosha is mostly a 3-point shooter for the Thunder. Just under half of all of his shot attempts this season have been 3-point attempts. He is particularly fond of shooting from the corners and the wings.
//www.nytimes.com/interactive/2012/06/11/sports/basketball/nba-shot-analysis.html
