WARRIORS WIN WITH DATA
Winning in professional sports, we’ve long been told, is a result of talent and hard work. Lately, it also requires information technology.
Nobody knows this better than the NBA’s Golden State Warriors, who’ve used advanced analytics to pull themselves up from near the league cellar in the 2009-2010 season, when they finished in 13th place in the Western Conference. Last year, the Warriors posted a blistering 67 wins in the regular season, and went on to win the World Championship. This year, they won a record 73 games in the regular season, eclipsing the previous record (72) set by the Chicago Bulls in 1996. They have stormed through the playoffs, and are heavy favorites to win their second straight title.
The dramatic reversal of Golden State’s fortunes began in 2010, when Joe Lacob, a venture capitalist, and Peter Gruber, a Hollywood producer, bought the team. At the time, the NBA had just begun experimenting with analytics, much as professional baseball had been doing.
The team installed SportVU, a six-camera motion-sensing system, which could track each player’s movements 25 times per second. It enabled tracking and analysis of each player’s shots, passes, dribbling, defensive moves, speed, distance between players, and distance run during the game.
The Warriors were slow to figure out how to wring victories out of the data. In the 2010-2011 and 2011-2012 seasons, they won fewer than half of their games, and failed to qualify for the playoffs. Eventually, though, they learned how to use the data to improve training and game strategy. For the 2013-2014 season, they won 57% of their regular season games. The following year they won 62%. In the 2014-2015 season, they won 82%, and this year they won an eye-popping 89%.
The Warriors are noted for unselfish play. The team’s use of video, electronic sensors, and analytics have been instrumental in enhancing its style and its performance on the court.. Marc Spears, a senior NBA writer for ESPN, said, “In some shape or fashion, every team has become heavy on using tech. But the Warriors are having tremendous success with it.”
Coaches and team managers need to monitor every player’s level of fatigue and potential for injury. To get this information, they have the players wear small sensors that track their movements during practice. The monitors, worn between the shoulders under compression shirts, sense pressure on ankles and knees, and whether the players are moving at normal levels of fitness. Klay Thompson, a shooting guard, said, “Back in the day, we were just able to say, ‘He’s breathing hard; he might need to rest.’ Now they (the coaches) can actually see if you need a day of rest, or if you need to go harder.”
Golden State coaches believe brain function is as important as physical condition. With this is mind, their have players fitted with electrodes on their faces and hands. The electrodes measure neuron activity in the brain– data that’s critical in measuring physical and mental fatigue, which the players themselves might not recognize.
The team constantly explores any electronic technology that might provide a competitive advantage. This includes sleep masks that combat jet lag; smart clothing that measures breathing, heart rate, and muscle use; and head phones that improve muscle memory by transmitting electrical signals to the brain.
Golden State’s minor league team, the Santa Cruz Warriors, is often a guinea pig for new technologies, and it, too, benefits from the data. Last year, the Santa Cruz Warriors won the championship for their league.
To win in life, you also need data. If your internet service isn’t keeping up, talk to us. We can help.
(Editor’s note: As we post this, the Golden State Warriors are ahead 3-1 in the NBA Championship Series. With one more win, they can take their second straight title.)