Space protection dynamics in basketball: Validation and application to the evaluation of offense-defense patterns

Abstract

Abstract-The aims of this study were twofold: i) to validate classes of defensive actions (i.e., space protection dynamics -SPDs) for containing offense in basketball; and ii) to propose a novel approach to analyze matches based on the interaction of a space creation dynamic (SCD) and a respective SPD. Kappa statistics revealed high intra-and inter-raters values, supporting the reliability of the defined SPDs. Six matches of the Spanish professional basketball finals were analyzed to achieve the second purpose…