2014 NBA PLAYOFFS: MOST IMPRESSIVE STATISTICS IN THE SECOND ROUND.

Most impressive "ATTACK / EFFICIENCY / DEFENSE" players’ statistics in the 2014 NBA PLAYOFFS: Second round.

A. ATTACK/EFFICIENCY.

The most exciting part of the year in “planet basket” has begun with the playoffs in NBA. Few days ago, we looked at the most impressive statistics in the first round (link to the article). Today, we screened data for the second round.

As usual, I began with my benchmark of "all around/versatile player" (a similar benchmark to the one used to determine my G.O.A.T/per decade, while less focused on defense and efficiency; see my article: What do the statistics say about who should be the Greatest Of All Time (G.O.A.T)? PART 1.).

A special mention must be made to 3 players in this second round.

Firstly, Tim Duncan continues to amass records while getting older. Thus, he is only the second player in history of playoffs (since 1985) to play a game (a) with at least 10 Pts, 6 Rbs, 3 Ast and 3 Blocks (the other being Kareem Abdul-Jabbar).

a. In multiple seasons, from 1985 to 2014, age 38 or older, in the playoffs, requiring Points >= 10 and Total Rebounds >= 6 and Assists >= 3 and Blocks >= 3, sorted by most games matching criteria.

Rk	Player	From	To	Count
1	Kareem Abdul-Jabbar	1985	1988	6
2	Tim Duncan	2014	2014	1

Secondly, two teammates, Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook (first time for the latest) were the only players to reach the following statistics: (b) at least 30 Pts, 10 Rbs, 5 Ast and a field goal % above 50%. By doing this, Kevin Durant reaches the top 10 of an illustrious list of players that did it in the playoffs since 1985 (among the best to ever play; data available only since 1985 for games).

b. From 1985 to 2014, in the playoffs, requiring Points >= 30 and Total Rebounds >= 10 and Assists >= 5 and Field Goal Pct >= 0.5, sorted by most games matching criteria (link to the full data).

Rk	Player	From	To	Count ▾
1	Charles Barkley	1986	1999	10
2	Shaquille O'Neal	1995	2006	10
3	Larry Bird	1985	1987	8
4	Michael Jordan	1989	1997	8
5	Tim Duncan	2002	2008	8
6	LeBron James	2009	2014	8
7	Hakeem Olajuwon	1987	1997	7
8	Karl Malone	1994	1998	6
9	Patrick Ewing	1990	1993	4
10	Kevin Durant	2012	2014	4
11	Dwyane Wade	2006	2011	3
12	Dirk Nowitzki	2006	2009	3
13	Carlos Boozer	2007	2010	3
14	Magic Johnson	1987	1991	2
15	Paul Pierce	2003	2010	2

Furthermore, Kevin Durant is only one of the four players in the history of playoffs to play a game with at least (c) at least 39 Pts, 16 Rbs, 5 Ast and a field goal % above 50% (since 1985).

c. In multiple seasons, from 1985 to 2014, in the playoffs, requiring Points >= 39 and Total Rebounds >= 16 and Assists >= 5 and Field Goal Pct >= 0.5, sorted by most games matching criteria.

Rk	Player	From ▾	To	Count
1	Kevin Durant	2014	2014	1
2	LeBron James	2012	2012	1
3	Shaquille O'Neal	2001	2001	1
4	Brad Daugherty	1992	1992	1

I then screened (d) the most efficient shooters in the conference semifinals (see my article on the best efficient shooters ever in NBA history in the regular season). 

d. In 2014, in the playoffs, round is Conference Semifinals, requiring 2-PT Field Goal Pct >= 0.5 and 3-Pt Field Goals >= 0.4 and Free Throw Pct >= 0.9 and Minutes Played >= 30, sorted by most games matching criteria.

Rk	Player	Count
1	Damian Lillard	2
2	Russell Westbrook	2
3	Trevor Ariza	1
4	Will Barton	1
5	Jamal Crawford	1
6	Kevin Durant	1
7	George Hill	1
8	LeBron James	1
9	Joe Johnson	1
10	Wesley Matthews	1
11	Tony Parker	1
12	Chris Paul	1
13	John Wall	1

B. DEFENSE.

On defense, I focused on 2 different sets of data. The first one (a) looks at player impact on opponents points (a global view of the impact of the defense), defensive player impact on opponents’ offensive rebounds (the fewer offensive rebounds, the less second chance points by opponents) and opponents' field goal % (a good defense imply a lower field goal %). Finally, I screened (b) individual statistics specific to defense (defensive rebounds, steals and blocks).

Marcin Gortat is the only player who appears in my 2 different sets of statistics.

a. Per 48 minutes, in 2013-14, in the playoffs, round is Conference Semifinals, requiring Opponent Offensive Rebounds <= 10 and Opponent Field Goal Pct <= 0.35 and Opponent Points <= 80 and Minutes Played >= 30, sorted by most games in season matching criteria.

Rk	Player	Season	Count
1	Trevor Ariza	2013-14	2
2	Marcin Gortat	2013-14	2
3	George Hill	2013-14	1
4	Lance Stephenson	2013-14	1
5	John Wall	2013-14	1

b. In 2014, in the playoffs, round is Conference Semifinals, requiring Defensive Rebounds >= 6 and Blocks >= 1 and Steals >= 1, sorted by most games matching criteria.

Rk	Player	Count
1	Kevin Durant	2
2	Blake Griffin	2
3	Steven Adams	1
4	LaMarcus Aldridge	1
5	Ray Allen	1
6	Nicolas Batum	1
7	Paul George	1
8	Marcin Gortat	1
9	Danny Green	1
10	Serge Ibaka	1
11	LeBron James	1
12	DeAndre Jordan	1
13	Kawhi Leonard	1
14	Robin Lopez	1
15	Wesley Matthews	1
16	Tiago Splitter	1
17	Dwyane Wade	1

Source: www.basketball-reference.com. 

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