[NBA.com] Q&A: Talking numbers with Heat coach Erik Spoelstra

Very interesting, thanks for posting. Spoelstra sounds like a smart guy.


This part on plus-minus statistics caught my attention the most:

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NBA.com: Do players understand plus-minus?

E.S.: I think now they do, because it's much more prevalent than it was a few years ago. You see it on everybody's website. Journalists now talk about it more.

You can argue all you want about this or that, but at the end of the day, the most important statistic is the result on the scoreboard when you're on the floor. I think that resonates with players, so we challenge our guys all the time. Make your minutes a positive. Whatever minutes you're out there, don't let the score go the other way.

After each game, I have a big printout, about 30 pages, of different statistics. I don't look through all the pages, but there are some that I immediately look at. I'll always look at the plus-minus of individual players to start, but I think that can be deceptive. From there, you have to look at the combinations.

NBA.com: Plus-minus should never be dismissed, but it always has to be taken in context.

E.S.: Absolutely. So I never look at just the player. I look at different combinations and all different layers. I probably learned that from Pat and Stan more than anything. You take all the data and you'll gain a lot more information than you had before. But ultimately, the most important thing it will do is get you to ask more questions and seek different answers.

So I think that's sparked more creativity with our staff, to not just be complacent with the status quo, but to search for other things that might be better. And numbers have been a big part of that thinking process for us.
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