Since I started analysing box scores regularly for FB in 2004 I was surprised how often unique stat-lines occurred and it’s a series designed to celebrate that fact. The rules are simple: it has to be something that never happened in the last 20 playoffs [over 1500 games] and less than 25 times during last 25 regular season games [there were over 55000]. Incidentally it’s a tribute to Basketball-Reference.com for great tools.
In Game 5 of NBA Finals http://www.basketball-reference.com/boxscores/201106090DAL.html
Miami lost even though they shot very well [FG%>51%, 3P%=40%, FT%>80%] and had 25 assists.
It happened 71 times in the playoffs since 1991 but only 4 of them to a team which lost a game!
The reason for such result was very simple, Mavs shot ever better!
Dallas was smoking hot with FG%>56,5%, 13 threes and 3P%>68%.
It happened 14 times in the last 25 regular seasons… but that was probably the best timing of all of them ;-)
Also ‘Jet’ finally showed up and he did it with a bang:
Jason Terry had 21 points, 3 threes, 4 rebounds, 6 assists AS A RESERVE in 30 minutes.
It happened 15 times during last 25 RS and now his tattoo with a championship trophy is slightly less disturbing and questionable ;-)
Surprisingly LeBron James’ triple-double with 17 points, 10 rebounds and 10 assists was not as unique as you may think: it happened 46 other times in the playoffs since 1991 although only of 7 them happened in June…
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Meanwhile in Game 4 of NBA Finals http://www.basketball-reference.com/boxscores/201106070DAL.html
Mavs found themselves on a very unusual side of coin AGAIN:
Dallas won even though they had FG%<40%, 3P%<22% and only 13 assists.
It happened 56 times in the playoffs since 1991 but only 6 of them to a team which won a game!
In other unique news from this game…
LeBron James was like Scottie Pippen with 9 rebounds, 7 assists, 2 steals, 0 threes and 8 points although in this game he probably would like to be more similar to Jordan…
Jason Kidd with 3 assists, 3 steals and 0 points in over 38 minutes played… was pretty much himself ;-)
Surprisingly Tyson Chandler’s explosion with 16 rebounds [9 offensive] and 0 turnovers was not as unique as you may think: it happened 5 other times in the playoffs since 1991…
Obviously Ben Wallace and Dennis Rodman ruined that kind of trivia ;-)
Weak Side Awareness 