The styles of play are as intriguing as the competitiveness of the NBA conference finals. Here is one data point to monitor for each of the last four teams standing.
The Oklahoma City Thunder had possession of the ball, down two points late in the fourth quarter of Game 1 of the Western Conference finals Monday night.
It was easy to argue whether they would take a 2- or a 3-point attempt against the San Antonio Spurs.
The Thunder could take the shorter 2-point attempt and try to force overtime. However, the probability of hitting a 3 – roughly 35% this postseason – was higher than the chance of hitting the 2 and winning in overtime (26.3%, if you assume they had a 50% chance of winning in overtime).
Yeah, decisions, decisions.
Ultimately, the Thunder took the closer shot, sank it and went into overtime … only to fall short in two OTs.
WEMBY HITS. SHAI HITS.SPURS-THUNDER GAME 1 IS ALL-TIME. AND WE GET OVERTIME.GIVE US 7 GAMES. NOW. pic.twitter.com/weXjQuwqzv
— br_betting (@br_betting) May 19, 2026All this is to say that data is what ultimately defines the outcome of sports.
In the NBA playoffs, so much is occurring from a tactical perspective that it can be overwhelming. However, we can often use stats to explain why all the different pieces are moving the way they are.
As we dig deep into the data of the NBA conference finals, here’s one data point to monitor for each of the last four teams standing.
Cleveland Cavaliers
Key Stat to Monitor: Donovan Mitchell’s Points Per Game
The theory behind this Cavaliers team as a potential title contender is that shooting guard Donovan Mitchell is a great playoff performer – he’s seventh all time in playoff points per game – and he has the power to go blow-for-blow with any heavyweight in the NBA.
For Mitchell’s lofty standards, it’s been a down postseason, as his 25.6-point average is over two points below his career mark. More than that, he’s been wildly inconsistent – looking like one of the best players in the world one night, only to look like a poser the next (when he scores over 25 points, the Cavs are 5-1; when he doesn’t reach that threshold, they’re 3-5).
Their next opponent – the New York Knicks in the Eastern Conference finals – is even more formidable than the Detroit Pistons’ team that took the Cavaliers to a second consecutive seven-game series in the playoffs. It’s going to take the best version of Mitchell for the Cavs to pull off their second straight series upset.
Bonus stats to monitor: Dean Wade’s 3-point shooting and rebounding numbers. Wade has been one of the NBA’s best defenders against Knicks scorer Jalen Brunson this season. But for the Cavs to keep Wade on the court, he needs to hit open 3s, cause problems for the Knicks on the offensive glass, and keep them from creating second chances on the other end of the floor.
New York Knicks
Key Stat to Monitor: Karl-Anthony Towns’ Assists Per Game
The Knicks have been a different team while winning their last seven games against the Atlanta Hawks or Philadelphia 76ers by an average margin of victory of 26.4 points.
A big reason for this renaissance has been the decision to initiate more of their offense through delay actions with center Karl-Anthony Towns as the primary facilitator.
There are many reasons why this type of offense works so well, but the main ingredients are: Towns is a better passer at a standstill than while on the move, he’s too good of a shooter to leave open on the perimeter, too big and strong to be guarded by non-centers (meaning there’s no paint protector to anchor the middle), and the players who are usually involved in the off-ball sets they run around him (usually Brunson and one of the Knicks forwards) aren’t guarded by defenders who can switch without conceding a serious mismatch.
Delay Rip – Playoff Playbookplayoffs: 17 plays 1.58 PPP+ season: 61 plays 1.17 PPPPart of the new action cycle Brown and staff added in March, increasing Towns' passing usage, and overall half-court touches + space leverage pic.twitter.com/OYNvd8UI4b
— Shax (@ShaxNBA) May 6, 2026This postseason, the Knicks are 7-0 when Towns posts at least six assists and have an offensive rating of 130.5 in those games, which is over seven points per 100 possessions higher than the next-best team in the playoffs.
Unlike the Knicks’ earlier playoff opponents, the Cavaliers can play two effective bigs at once – Evan Mobley and Jarrett Allen – so they have a chance to slow down a Towns-centric attack. This idea is only theoretical, as we haven’t seen them do it yet.
Can Cleveland actually slow down New York’s new offense? And if the Cavs do, what happens to the Knicks’ overall offense?
Oklahoma City Thunder
Key Stat to Monitor: 3-Point Percentage
The notion that the NBA is a make-or-miss league has never been more true than it is right now for the Thunder.
In the opener of the Western Conference finals, the Spurs made it a point to take away the paint at all costs. As a result, Oklahoma City scored just 38 points there, or nearly 12 points below their postseason average in the paint (48.9, per NBA.com).
Notice the words “at all costs.” That’s because there’s no such thing as a perfect defense, and every time a team decides to take something away, it comes with a tradeoff. For the Spurs, they are sacrificing defense near the 3-point line to lay down the law at the rim (it’s also something the Thunder have been doing all season with their defense).
In Game 1, OKC shot a good, but not great 17 of 45 (37.8%) on 3s, and that included Alex Caruso’s unsustainable 8 for 14 from downtown. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Ajay Mitchell, Jalen Williams, and Chet Holmgren – four of the Thunder’s five best players in offensive DRIP – and trade acquisition Jared McCain were a combined 6 for 18 on 3s (33.3%).
The Spurs are up 1-0 in the series, but it’s going to take a lights-out performance to beat the defending NBA champion Thunder.
San Antonio Spurs
Key Stat to Monitor: Turnover Percentage
The Thunder were No. 1 in the league in our defensive TRACR this season. A team doesn’t get to that level by being a one-hit wonder.
The Spurs have multiple strengths. They keep the ball in front of them (second in opponent effective field goal percentage). They keep opponents out of the paint (second in opponent points per game). Most of all, they speed up the opposing offense, forcing it to give up the ball before taking a shot (second in opponent turnover rate).
One of the main reasons the Spurs played them so well in the regular season – going 4-1 in those matchups – is their ability to maintain possession of the ball (fifth in turnover rate). The rate against the Thunder (13.5%) was basically the same as their season rate (13.3%).
In Game 1 of the Western Conference finals, the Spurs turned the ball over 21 times. They ended up winning 122-115 in two overtimes, but it took another incredible performance by Victor Wembanyama (41 points, including a Steph Curry-esque 3-pointer late in the first OT, and 24 rebounds) to do it.
Quite simply, the Spurs can’t keep giving the ball away if they’re going to win this series. (See our win probabilities that update throughout the NBA playoffs)
Victor Wembanyama is the second NBA player age 22 or younger with 40+ points and 20+ rebounds in a playoff game.He joins Kareem Abdul-Jabbar in Game 5 of the 1970 Eastern Division Semifinals. pic.twitter.com/7S9v2PWpQO
— OptaSTATS (@OptaSTATS) May 19, 2026Guard De’Aaron Fox, who’s nursing an ankle injury, didn’t play in Game 1, and it doesn’t seem like the injury will sideline him long-term. His return would give the Spurs their most battle-tested ball handler again, as he boasts six more years of NBA experience (nine) than Stephon Castle and Dylan Harper combined (three).
Enjoy this look at the NBA conference finals? For more coverage, follow on social media at Instagram, Bluesky, Facebook and X.
A Difference-Maker: One Key Stat For Each Team in the NBA Conference Finals Opta Analyst.
Hence then, the article about a difference maker one key stat for each team in the nba conference finals was published today ( ) and is available on The Analyst ( Middle East ) The editorial team at PressBee has edited and verified it, and it may have been modified, fully republished, or quoted. You can read and follow the updates of this news or article from its original source.
Read More Details
Finally We wish PressBee provided you with enough information of ( A Difference-Maker: One Key Stat For Each Team in the NBA Conference Finals )
Also on site :