Table of Contents
Overview: What Makes This Different
Traditional box scores tell you what happened in a game—points, rebounds, assists. Visual Boxscores show you how and when it happened, possession by possession.
Each visualization has three main sections stacked vertically:
- Efficiency Chart (Stairclimber Chart) — The flow of the game, showing how each team performed over time
- Player Timelines — When each player was on the court, what they did, and how they did
- Enhanced Box Score — Traditional stats plus advanced metrics
The Key Metric: Points Minus Possessions (pMp)
The most important concept in these visualizations is Points Minus Possessions (pMp).
What is pMp?
pMp = Points Scored − Possessions Used
Think of it this way: if you have 50 possessions and score 50 points, your pMp is 0. That's average (1 point per possession). If you score 55 points on those 50 possessions, your pMp is +5—you're beating expectations.
After 30 possessions, a team has scored 35 points.
pMp = 35 − 30 = +5
This team is playing 5 points better than average efficiency.
Why use pMp instead of just points?
Points alone don't tell you about efficiency. A team might have 60 points because they're scoring well, OR because they've just had more possessions. pMp separates efficiency from volume.
Section 1: Efficiency Chart
The top chart shows how the game unfolded. The X-axis is possession number (not time), and the Y-axis is pMp and margin.
The Lines
| Line | What It Shows |
|---|---|
| Red Line | Away team's pMp — Their cumulative points minus possessions throughout the game |
| Blue Line | Home team's pMp — Same metric for the home team |
| Green Line | Home margin — The score difference divided by 3, shown in "possession units" for easy comparison |
| Orange Highlight | Clutch time — Final 5 minutes when margin is within 5 points |
Shot Markers
Every shot attempt appears as a marker on the team's pMp line:
| Symbol | Shot Type |
|---|---|
| ● | Close shot (within 5 feet) — layups, dunks, tip-ins |
| ■ | Mid-range shot (5+ feet, inside the arc) |
| ▲ | Three-pointer |
| / | Free throw |
The Legend Boxes
The legend on the left shows team totals for each category. The format is typically:
[made]-[attempted]; [points per shot] PPS → [total points]
Away 3PT
9-32; 0.84 PPS → 27 pts
This means: 9 made out of 32 three-point attempts, averaging 0.84 points per shot, totaling 27 points.
Section 2: Player Timelines
The middle section shows Gantt-style charts for each team—one row per player, showing when they were on the court and how they performed.
The Bars
| Bar Color | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Gray | Player is on the bench |
| Green | Player is on court with positive plus/minus during this stint |
| Red | Player is on court with negative plus/minus during this stint |
Darker colors = larger plus/minus (good or bad). The number at the end of each stint shows the exact plus/minus for that stretch.
Player Labels
Each row is labeled: Player Name, Height: +/- for game
Players are sorted by height (tallest at top).
Shot and Play Markers
Symbols on each player's row show their individual contributions:
Made Shots (solid symbols)
| ● | Made close shot |
| ■ | Made mid-range shot |
| ▲ | Made three-pointer |
| / | Made free throw |
Missed Shots
| + | Missed close shot |
| ✕ | Missed mid-range shot |
| Y | Missed three-pointer |
| — | Missed free throw |
Other Plays
| ○ | Assist given / Shot was assisted (circle around made shot) |
| □ | Offensive rebound (at center) or Defensive rebound (lower) |
| ✗ | Turnover (open) or Steal (filled, shown lower) |
| | | Block (shown lower, defensive play) |
Section 3: Enhanced Box Score
The bottom tables look like traditional box scores but pack much more information into each column.
Column Guide
| Column | Format | Explanation |
|---|---|---|
| MIN | minutes | Minutes played |
| POSS/USED/% | poss / used / % | Possessions played / Possessions used (shots, turnovers, FTs) / Usage rate |
| PTS/PPP | pts / ppp | Points scored / Points per possession |
| CLS/PPS | made-att / pps | Close shots (made-attempted) / Points per shot |
| MID/PPS | made-att / pps | Mid-range shots / Points per shot |
| 3PT/PPS | made-att / pps | Three-pointers / Points per shot |
| FT/PPT | made-att / ppt | Free throws / Points per trip |
| TOV/%/Pts | tov / % / pts | Turnovers / Turnover rate / Points scored by opponent off those turnovers |
| AST/%/Pts | ast / % / pts | Assists / Assist rate / Points generated from those assists |
| ORB/%/Pts | orb / % / pts | Offensive rebounds / ORB rate / Points scored on possessions with those ORBs |
| DRB/% | drb / % | Defensive rebounds / DRB rate |
| TRB/% | trb / % | Total rebounds / TRB rate |
| STL/%/Pts | stl / % / pts | Steals / Steal rate / Points scored off those steals |
| BLK/% | blk / % | Blocks / Block rate |
| PF/%/Pts | pf / % / pts | Personal fouls / Foul rate / Points scored by opponent from those fouls |
| GmSc/mGmSc | gmsc / mgmsc | GameScore / Modified GameScore (see below) |
GameScore vs Modified GameScore
GameScore (GmSc) is John Hollinger's formula that tries to capture a player's total contribution in a single number. It weights scoring, efficiency, rebounds, assists, steals, blocks, turnovers, and fouls.
Modified GameScore (mGmSc) is a custom metric that incorporates outcomes—not just counting stats, but what those stats actually led to. For example:
- A steal that leads to a fast-break dunk is worth more than a steal that leads to a turnover
- A turnover that the opponent scores off of is worse than one where they miss
- An offensive rebound that leads to points is worth more than one that leads to a miss
Quick Reference Glossary
| Term | Definition |
|---|---|
| pMp | Points Minus Possessions — measures offensive efficiency relative to average |
| PPS | Points Per Shot — efficiency on field goal attempts |
| PPP | Points Per Possession — overall offensive efficiency |
| Usage % | Percentage of team possessions a player "uses" (shot, turnover, or FTs) |
| Clutch | Final 5 minutes of game when margin is within 5 points |
| Stint | A continuous stretch of time a player is on the court |
| Plus/Minus | Point differential while a player is on the court |