The Spurs lead the Heat in the NBA Finals thanks in large part to a game plan by the Spurs that has kept LeBron James from getting easy shots in the lane. But that has only been part of the story.
In the first chart below we can see that in the playoffs, LeBron was averaging 8.6 shots per game within ten feet of the basket before the Finals started. But in the Finals he is getting just 7.3 close shots per game. As a result, James is taking more shots farther away from the basket, especially in the worst area of the court, the zone just inside the three-point line.
But even worse than his shot selection is his accuracy. James is shooting less than 30% in all three zones away from the basket including just 13% in the 10-17 ft. range.
James can still be dangerous from outside, but he needs to rediscover his accuracy if the Heat are going to get back into this series...
