NBA publishes reviews of officiated events that occurred in the last 120 seconds of games which were within five points at the two minute mark. The data includes all calls (whistles) and notable non-calls and it is a big step towards transparency in the league. However, by analysing the dataset we can also find out how a certain team performs under pressure in the nerve wracking endgame. Is it always the best team that can turn a close game into their favour?
Fans know it best when their team is not performing as expected, complaining about players and the coaching staff. But most of the fuss is usually made about the referees, their decisions and whether they favour “big market” teams over others. With the analysis we can explore how much referee protection each team enjoys.
The chart visualises team statistic for incorrect calls which were made in favour and against a team. The amount of these is visualised in the timeline in 5 seconds intervals, showing exactly at which point in the last 120 mistakes happen.