[exogeny]

More than anything else, this article tells how smart the Rockets are and how dumb the Pacers are.

Also, FWIW, Sportradar tracks location with an iPad application that they either use in-arena via a trained scorer or inside of their HQ in Minnesota.

[philwelch]

I think the Pacers are just pursuing a contrarian strategy that works for them. All things being equal, threes are more efficient than midrange shots, which is why teams like Houston almost never take midrange shots. But wide-open midrange shots are more valuable than contested threes, and as more and more NBA defenses give up the open midrange shot in exchange for taking away threes and layups, it makes more and more sense to take those shots, only shooting enough threes to keep the defense honest.

[ssharp]

I can't wait to see how Houston's style holds up in the playoffs -- defenses will be less forgiving and 3 point shots are high variance. Their offensive rating took a clear dip in the playoffs last year and I suspect the same could happen this year, which would suggest their offensive style is not ideal.

[philwelch]

I think the addition of Chris Paul will make a big difference. You need more than one star to contend in the playoffs, especially in the West.

[paulcole]

> 3 point shots are high variance

Is there any research into whether this is true? This 538 article suggests it’s overblown.

https://fivethirtyeight.com/features/live-by-the-three-die-b...

[m_ke]

Probably just like the old Mike D'Antoni teams. It's interesting to see how much his 7 seconds offense changed basketball.

[yalogin]

I can see why the rockets are smart but why are the pacers dumb? They shoot a lot of midrange shots but they are a lot lot better than what people expected them to be. So why can’t we say they maximized their potential by playing to heir strengths?

[waterside81]

At first I was going to comment on how this is probably just teams playing to their strengths e.g. If Harden played for Indiana, their heat map would probably look different. But then I looked at the stats and Indiana's 3Pt% is slightly higher than Houston's, so you're right! Oladipo needs to jack more 3's.

[dasil003]

It's only that high because they take good shots. If Indiana starts jacking 3's I guarantee their percentage drops way below Houston's.

[dasil003]

Helps to have two elite point guards surrounded by an army of shooters.