“I have no clue how we’re going to be re-energized [for Game 7],” Ginobili said after the game. “I’m devastated. … It’s a tough moment. We were a few seconds away from winning the championship and we let it go.”
Simply average games from Green and Ginobili would have given San Antonio the title.
4. Miami needs to play its spacers over Wade. Take a second to digest this stat from TrueHoop’s Jared Dubin: While on the floor with Dwyane Wade this series, LeBron James’ offensive rating is 100.8 and his defensive rating is 112.7. Without Wade? LeBron’s offensive rating spikes to 131.7 and his defensive rating greatly improves to an 89.5. That’s a colossal difference.
Take another Dubin-provided LeBron-Wade stat in StatBox (trademark pending) form:
| LeBron | Minutes | FG % | Plus-Minus |
| With Wade | 194 | 38.9 | -56 |
| Without Wade | 62 | 54.1 | 48 |
So James shoots 16 percent worse with Wade on the floor and Miami performs way better when James is out there without him. This is likely because James has had more space to roam, attract double-teams and kick the ball out to Mario Chalmers (who has teamed up with James quite nicely in the screen-and-roll game), Mike Miller and Game 6 hero Ray Allen.
It will be difficult to not have Wade in for Game 7, but statistics show that James has been much better with his lead sidekick on the bench.
5. Tim Duncan disappeared in the second half. As dominant as Duncan was in the first half – 11-for-13 shooting with 25 points – he was that disappointing in the second half and overtime. Over the game’s final 21:30, Duncan was 2-for-8 from the floor for five points, and his poor second half may have cost his team a championship. Duncan’s consistency is so important to the Spurs, and he needs to lead the charge in Game 7 because of how hot and cold the Spurs stars have been in this series.
6. Much-maligned Chris Bosh came through. He was bashed for his defense on Duncan in the first half and his tentative, timid play on offense. But in the waning moments of the game, Bosh helped save Miami’s season. His offensive rebound and quick pass set up Allen’s three that sent the game into overtime, and his two blocked shots in the game’s final seconds in OT sealed the win and ensured a Game 7, which we obviously cannot wait for.
Shlomo Sprung loves advanced statistics and the way they explain what happens on the court. He is also the web editor of the Brooklyn Daily Eagle. A 2011 graduate of Columbia University’s Journalism School, he has previously worked for the New York Knicks, The Sporting News, Business Insider and other publications. His website is SprungOnSports.com. You can follow him on Twitter.
Perfect example of people just concerned about the analytics and being stuck living inside their vapid bubble. You go with what got your there, especially when there is a long track record. Ginobili has had a lot of games where he sucked, but still came through when it mattered. If he’d made even one more shot, you wouldn’t have written even one word about Ginobili. This despite that one shot wouldn’t have made even a slight bit of difference in your underlying analytics.