It’s one of the perks of being a good defensive team: You get in the head of your opponents. Even when guys have room to get off a shot, they are so worried about someone closing out they rush just a little bit and miss.
That was part of Portland’s trouble in its five-game first-round loss to Memphis.
PBT has partnered with the fantastic NBASavant.com to break down the Sports VU Camera data and look more closely at the advanced stats of the NBA playoffs and what decided a series.
In this case, Portland shot just 34.1 percent on shots where there was no defender within four feet (an open look by NBA standards). They knocked down 42 percent of those in the regular season. It mattered.
