The National Basketball Association (NBA) holds an annual championship series called the NBA Finals between late May and June. These matches are crucial as they determine which team will become the next league champion.
In order to predict who the next league champion might be, many industry experts, analysts and sports fans turn to data. Many online sportsbooks, such as DraftKings’ NBA championship odds, provide valuable data to help their clients place their bets. Â
But how do the NBA finals work? How do basketball players impact the games and the data collected by analysts?
What is the most useful and interesting data about the NBA finals that you absolutely need to know?
This article will answer these questions and provide some important data on NBA Finals.
How do the NBA finals work?Â
Before sharing data on the sports event, it is worth reminding ourselves how the NBA Finals actually work.
The NBA Finals are only accessible to champions of the Eastern and Western Conferences. The Eastern and Western Conferences are both part of the NBA.
Both of these conferences are made up of 15 teams each. The 15 teams are then further divided into three subdivisions within each conference.
The divisional alignment within a conference can change over time. The Western Conference’s current one was agreed upon back in 2004-2005.
To get to the NBA playoffs, a basketball team must be in the top six of the Eastern or Western Conference. Teams are ranked by their winning percentage which means the more games they win, the higher their percentage will be.
The NBA Finals refer to the final round of the NBA playoffs. By that point, most teams will have been eliminated, leaving only two teams: one from the Western Conference and the other from the Eastern Conference.
Both teams will then compete against each other for the season’s NBA Championship title.
This sports event has become one of the biggest events in the sports world. Millions of individuals watch the NBA Finals each year to see their favorite players compete against other sports giants.
The NBA Finals has become a cultural event, as well as sports event, with famous singers and musicians performing the national anthem before the match. World-renowned, international celebrities are also known to attend NBA Finals.
Useful data on the NBA FinalsÂ
Now that we’ve discussed what the NBA Finals actually are and how finalists are selected, let’s discuss some interesting data around the famous sports event.
This data is important because it helps experts, analysts and fans predict winners and other likely outcomes from the NBA finals.
This data is particularly useful for those placing bets. It can help bettors predict the probability of certain events happening such as chances of scoring when the buzzer goes off, having their favorite team make it to the finals, and more.
- The Los Angeles Lakers are NBA Finals regulars
The Los Angeles Lakers are the basketball team with the highest number of NBA Finals appearances. They made it to the NBA Finals 32 times and won 17 times.
- The Los Angeles Lakers and the Boston Celtics are the top NBA teams
The Los Angeles Lakers and the Boston Celtics have each won 17 NBA Finals. No other team has ever won more titles than these two.
Because they have the exact same number of titles, both of them are currently tied for first place in most NBA rankings.
- All-star players understand their playing environment better than non-all-star players
A study found that all-star players are able to process their environment better than non-all-star players. They understand the court and have the capacity to quickly adapt to their playing environment in order to increase their chances of winning.Â
This considerably increases their chances of winning.
- All-star players dribble more before shooting than non-all-star players
The same study found that because they understand their environment better, many all-star players are able to gain control of the court. They make sure to get to a good position before attempting to score.
This translates as more dribble actions near the basket.
In other words, the data collected from all-star players show that they dribble more before shooting than non-all-star players.
- Highest-scoring player in an NBA Finals Game
According to one study, the player who scored the most in an NBA Finals game is Elgin Baylor who played for the Los Angeles Lakers against the Boston Celtics in 1962.Â
He scored a total of 61 points during the game.
In the second position, we find legendary player Michael Jordan with 55 points during the 1993 NBA Finals game. Jordan is tied with Rick Barry who also scored 55 points during a 1967 NBA Finals game.Â
The most recent accomplishment was by Giannis Antetokounmpo who scored 50 points during the 2021 NBA Finals game against the Phoenix Suns. The basketballer plays for the Milwaukee Bucks.
