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"ROLAND PHYSICALITY RATINGS"

Revolutionary tracking of what EVERYONE is talking about -- the PHYSICALITY in the NBA Playoff games. Tracking over forty types of contact, aggression, and resilience to produce groundbreaking new stats and ratings!

NBA CONFERENCE FINALS
We will be covering both IND-NYK and MIN-OKC for Physicality and other new features!

- IND 130, NYK 121 - Game 4 Physicality Report
Another close contest in physicality wins, but Indiana's sheer volume told the story. The Pacers logged 83 more physicality plays and edged New York 138-133 in physicality wins, riding a tidal wave of collisions, boxouts, chucks, and vertical challenges to take a commanding 3-1 series lead.

IND-NYK SERIES ..."physicality suffered"

Player
xRPR*
Plays
Agn
Wins
Agn
L2+
Agn
Falls
Brunson
460.5
522
137
39
34
Haliburton
256.8
305
76
23
11

Our series long theme -- the Knicks have not put enough "physicality suffered" on Haliburton -- played out with Tyrese posting a 32 Pts, 15 Ast, 12 Reb, 4 Stl, 0 T/O masterpiece. Brunson rates #1 in most physicality suffered among all players, Haliburton ranks #7. Does it help to get through a game/series without a lot of punishing hits? YOU decide...



- NYK 106, IND 100 - Game 3 Physicality Report
Game three delivered on every front - physicality, intensity, and turning points that swung with every possession. Neither team blinked, and by the end, the numbers told the story: 126-124 in physicality wins, nearly identical RPR ratings, and a near dead heat in Level 2+ Force plays. For the second time in the series, it was a draw in the physicality war, but the Knicks got the win and game four looms...

NEW YORK KNICKS

Player
RPR*
Plays
Wins
L
L2+
Falls
KD
Towns
82.0
98
25
7
15
2
6

Karl-Anthony Towns had the huge fourth quarter (11 wins), but was also making things happen in Q2 (7 wins), as he went on to the lead the team in all physicality categories as predicted in the bounceback from the poor game two. He remains the king of the "Level 2+ Force play" as well.


- IND 114, NYK 109 - Game 2 Physicality Report
Signature moments told the tale. Siakam absorbed punishment and kept attacking, leading both in RPR and falls suffered. Jalen Brunson, battered again, gave New York a fighting chance through sheer will. Mitch Robinson's early-quarter dominance clashed beautifully with Tony Bradley's unlikely second-unit answer -- a low-key Game 2 hero for Indiana. And amidst the chaos, Tyrese Haliburton's light physical toll stands out in stark contrast to Brunson's beatings.

INDIANA PACERS

Player
RPR*
Plays
Wins
L
L2+
Falls
KD
Siakam
91.8
111
30
4
9
12
2

Pascal Siakam Once again the star player on offense for the Pacers was the star on physicality too. Funny how that works! Siakam has led in RPR for Indiana both games and had game high wins while enduring the most 'level 2+ force plays' on physicality suffered (and 12 falls). Brilliant game for Pascal to help IND get up 2-0.


- IND 138, NYK 135 - Game 1 Physicality Report
This was quite the opening game of what may be a long series. Physicality high (although not as rough in the high force moments as NYK-BOS game 5), Indiana's intensity almost never seems to drop...

INDIANA PACERS

Player
RPR*
Plays
Wins
L
L2+
Falls
KD
Nesmith
71.2
119
21
5
3
16
8

Aaron Nesmith Must be considered the player of the game for his incredible shooting late to get the Pacers back within striking distance. The physicality side though also positions him as the star, leading all players in 'physical plays' while enduring collosal physicality suffered (and a game high 16 falls), and expending immense energy putting physical wear on Brunson in particular, which may pay dividends as the series progresses.


- OKC 114, MIN 88 - Game 1 Physicality Report
"Yes the shotmaking was a big factor (MIN 29% on 3s, OKC 52%), as perhaps were referee effects (14 FTs for Shai with foul trouble on McDaniels), but OKC also won the physicality. When you have all three of those working, you won't lose."





KNICKS/CELTICS Game 5 Notes
Another thrilling game! Extremely physical until it was out of hand, and BOSTON once again the physicality winner on the night. One player shone above the rest...

BOSTON CELTICS Player Physicality Stats

Player
RPR*
Plays
Wins
L/D
L2+
Falls
KD
Brown
102.2
109
30
2
15
11
6

  • Jaylen Brown with the INSANE physicality game! A triple digit RPR with over 100 physical plays, 30 physicality wins and led both teams in every positive category. At the same time he was subjected to an ENORMOUS physicality suffered score. Look no further for the toughest, highest physicality Celtic! We could fill up the whole Signature Moments with Brown clips...

...the "Signature Physicality Moment" play of the game!
  • Q3 (10:43) Brown with a Physicality, Playing Hard, and High IQ play all in one
    Brunson pushes off to get space for catch Hart misses on screen Brown fights back in front of Brunson bumps him hard ball loose Brunson falls Brown going for loose ball bumped by Brunson full out dive to save back inbounds to Kornet. Brown then gets up and draws the fastbreak shooting foul on Brunson at the other end.



DEN-OKC Game Five Team Physicality 4th Quarter Summary

Winner: Oklahoma City

NUGGETS/THUNDER Game Five 4th Quarter Notes
The physicality was quite close for the quarter, largely because Jokic was EXTREMELY PHYSICAL, but the Thunder had more physicality wins, more level 2+ force plays, and a more balanced physicality profile across their players.

DENVER NUGGETS

Player
RPR*
Plays
Wins
L/D
L2+
Falls
K/D
Jokic
43.0
48
13
1
5
0
3

  • Nikola Jokic played the whole second half, showing signs of exhaustion by the end, but still performing amazing feats. HUGE single quarter numbers for physicality, and doling out much more than he received, with 13 physicality wins, 5 level 2+ force plays, and 3 knockdowns.



KNICKS/CELTICS Game 4 Notes
Another thrilling game! What do the physicality numbers say? They say that NEW YORK was the clear cut physicality winner in this one, setting a tone right from the first possession that this wouldn't be a repeat of game three...

Team
RPR*
Pts
Wins
L/D
L2+
Falls
K/D
Boston
288.5
328
100
21
25
21
26
New York
381.5
383
138
24
35
26
21

Header notes:
RPR = "Roland Physicality Rating" (in development)
Plays = Physicality Plays (adjusted by level of force)
Wins = a Physicality play that is deemed a 'win'
L/D = Losses/Defeats (non-intentional fouls and soft plays)
L2+ = level 2 or higher force physicality plays
Falls = player hits the ground
KD = Knockdowns: causes opponent to hit the ground
Net Pts = 'results over process' calculation


...a sample "Signature Physicality Moment"

  • Q2 (8:55) Intense physicality both ways
    Payne grabs Jrue, Horford sets long duration screen in return, but Payne fights to get his hand on the ball, Kornet hard screen on Bridges, Mitch bumps Brown to derail his drive, Towns gives a shoulder to Kornet as he moves down the lane, but then Kornet screens Towns and Horford drains the open three.



Jalen Brunson boston new york KNICKS/CELTICS Game TWO
Another thrilling game! What do the physicality numbers say? Click the header above for the full story.

Physicality MVP: JOSH HART

When the game turned tense, Josh Hart turned relentless. In the final five minutes of regulation, Hart led all players in RPR (19.0) and delivered 7 clutch-time physicality wins -- more than any Celtic. He had 3 falls, knocked down an opponent, and tallied 14 contact plays.


...a sample "Signature Physicality Moment"

  • Q4 (10:25) Bridges is awakened and unleashes fury
    Mikal gets banged dribbling by Tatum, no call and is visibly upset with refs as the Celtics runout for an open 3pt fastbreak make... and an angry Bridges, who subsequently begins his offensive assault (14 Q4 points scored).



Jalen Brunson boston new york KNICKS/CELTICS Game ONE

The "Physicality Wins" leaders are below...

New York Boston
25 - Jalen Brunson
23 - Josh Hart
19 - Karl Anthony Towns
12 - OG Anunoby
10 - Mikal Bridges
19 - Jrue Holiday
19 - Al Horford
14 - Payton Pritchard
14 - Jaylen Brown
13 - Jayson Tatum

...a sample "Signature Physicality Moment"

  • Q3 (7:07) Jrue Holiday draws angry Towns charge:
    Towns, already frustrated by a no call when he was hacked on a drive by Horford on the previous possession, winds up with the free throw line post mismatch on Jrue, who on the second overly physical bump by angry KAT, falls and draws the charge. (Towns' 4th foul)

Click the headline for Full Game One NEW YORK vs BOSTON player stats. What were the top Signature Physicality Plays? Who was the Physicality MVP? Which team had the Physicality edge and what was the difference in physicalty between the first and second half? the answers are here...



NBA physicality now vs then NBA Physicality: Now vs Then
To try and understand how the game may have changed through the years we recently charted twenty playoff games from the 1990's for the same falls and knockdowns data we compiled for the complete 2024 playoffs...



2024 NBA Playoffs "Falls & Knockdowns"
Our game charting team has collectively watched all the playoff games, recording such novel data points as Player Falls and Knockdowns, along with relevant context and nuance. A clean, relatively objective physicality rating can be constructed with Falls+Knockdowns per 36 Minutes...

Most Physical Least Physical
12.3 - Daniel Gafford
12.0 - Lu Dort
11.9 - Joel Embiid
11.8 - Devin Booker
11.4 - Kyle Lowry
11.1 - Jalen Suggs
10.7 - Aaron Nesmith
 9.7 - Khris Middleton
 9.6 - Tyrese Maxey
 8.9 - Isaiah Hartenstein
 		1.8 - D'Angelo Russell
1.8 - Tobias Harris
1.9 - Sam Hauser
2.0 - Rui Hachimura
2.9 - Cason Wallace
3.0 - Tim Hardaway Jr.
3.0 - Aaron Gordon
3.0 - Austin Reaves
3.0 - Christian Braun
3.1 - Ben Sheppard

See the full stats for every player, the top ten leaderboards in a variety of categories, and more in this groundbreaking series. Which player gets a foul call the most when he falls? the answer is...


“I thought their physicality and their pressure stood out, especially early,” Oklahoma City head coach Mark Daigneault said. “They definitely threw the first punch of the game, and that had a lot to do with it. Schematically, they were a little different, but not a ton. They were more forceful on the offensive end and defensive end of the floor, and that was a tough combination for us.

Chet Holmgren on the physicality these playoffs: "It feels like how we used to play at the park. There's no playing for a foul out there. You gotta play for a bucket. If you played to get a foul at the park, someone would just take the ball and go home."

"I thought the game was reffed very physically," Adelman says. "I thought we joined the party late." DA says when you join the party late, refs see the physicality as reactionary"

"This is how we've played all year," Magic guard Anthony Black said about the physicality of the series vs. Boston. "We like to touch people on defense, we're into the ball, we pick up. That's just the style of basketball we play."

Jaylen Brown said a fight might break out because the games have been so physical. He said if the Magic want to do that, they can fight it out for the right to get to the second round.

Luka Doncic: "Going into Minnesota will be a war. ... We can't panic"

"Toughness and physicality is the staple of the city and the staple of the team. It's something that we need to embrace." Scotty Pippen Jr.

"If you look around the playoffs right now, it's super physical," Finch told reporters. "To me, they've gone way too far on the physicality."

The Warriors made it a point not to complain about Houston's physicality postgame...understanding that this series will need to be won in a rugged environment when it restarts in San Francisco. "

TJ McConnell: "he's like, 'You're going to pick everyone up full court, and that's what you're going to hang your hat on.' And it's something that I've created an identity about."

Kevon Looney on physicality: "It's the playoffs, I'm gonna grab and push until they call it'"

I didn't see the flagrant," Mosley said, "Two guys were going for the block and I think it was just the fall [that] was probably what set it off more than anything."

Aaron Gordon was pretty critical of the whistle. Says the Thunder are fouling every possession and refs are often calling the second foul

"They do a lot of fouling, shoving, holding, pushing and tackling Rudy," Finch said after practice Wednesday. "That's clear. We sent a bunch of those clips into the league. In fact, I'm not sure I know another player in the league with Rudy's pedigree that is allowed to be physically beaten on the way he is. And so we've got to address that one way or another."

"I was upset the first 10 minutes of the game. It was just like Houston all over again," Kerr said of Game 1. "They were bear-hugging Steph (Curry), and they could have called six fouls."