Game-Related Statistics that Discriminate Playoffs Teams from the Rest of the Competition in Euroleague Basketball

The aim of the present study is to examine the differences in gamerelated statistics which distinguished play offs and non-play offs participating teams in Euroleague Basketball. The sample included 1514 games played in all phases of Euroleague competition in the seasons 2012-2013, 2013-2014 and 2014-2015. The game related statistics which were used in the analysis were: Assists,Defensive Rebounds, Offensive Rebounds, Turnovers, Steals, Offensive and Defensive Efficiency in the form of Points per Possession and Defensive Points per Possession respectively. Discriminant analysis was conducted to distinguish the variables that best discriminate the two groups.The results revealed that play offs participating teams differ from those that were disqualified in: Defensive Rebounds, Points per Possession, and Defensive Points per Possession, Assists and Turnovers. This cross validation analysis provided 80.6% of successful classification. Coaches and basketball professionals can use discriminant models in recruiting, roster formation and practice organization and orientation in game tactics.