NBA ANALYSIS // OCT 12
The Death of the Mid-Range is Exaggerated
Why elite playoff offenses still rely on inefficient shots when defenses compress in the fourth quarter.
The Game
Beyond
The Box Score
We strip away the noise. Rigorous analytics, brutal honesty, and the strategic deep dives that television networks refuse to air.
LIVE DATA FEED // 2024
xG: 2.45
Expected Goals per Match
PER: 31.2
Player Efficiency Rating
Why We Exist
The average sports broadcast treats you like an idiot. They feed you meaningless counting stats, cliché narratives, and manufactured drama.
SportXFan was built for the obsessive. We care about expected points added (EPA), defensive win shares, true shooting percentage, and the underlying math that dictates who wins championships.
No fluff. Just the numbers.
MLB 0.320 BABIP AVG
NBA 115.3 OFF RTG
NFL 0.12 EPA/PLAY
EPL 1.45 xG/90
Deep Dives
View AllEPL TACTICS // OCT 10
Inverting the Fullback: A Statistical Review
Analyzing the correlation between inverted fullbacks and central progression metrics across Europe's top five leagues.
Run The Numbers Yourself
Don't take our word for it. Use our open-source, client-side tools to calculate the metrics that matter.
The
Curriculum
Stop relying on gut feeling. Learn the statistical foundation of modern sports analysis through our rigorous guides.
DATAVIZ SPOTLIGHT
The Evolution of the NBA Shot Chart (2000-2024)
[INTERACTIVE D3.JS SCATTERPLOT RENDERS HERE]
Term of the Week
VORP
/vɔːrp/ • Value Over Replacement Player
An estimate of the points per 100 TEAM possessions that a player contributed above a replacement-level (-2.0) player, translated to an average team and prorated to an 82-game season.
View Full GlossaryTop VORP (2023-24)
- 1. N. Jokic 10.6
- 2. S. Gilgeous-Alexander 7.4
- 3. L. Doncic 7.3
- 4. G. Antetokounmpo 6.5
- 5. J. Brunson 5.8
Required Reading
Moneyball
Michael Lewis
The book that brought sabermetrics to the mainstream. Essential history for any sports analyst.
Sprawlball
Kirk Goldsberry
A visual mapping of how the three-point line fundamentally broke and remade basketball geometry.
The Expected Goals Philosophy
James Tippett
A comprehensive breakdown of how xG transformed football tactics and betting markets.
Get The Math.
Join 15,000+ analysts who receive our weekly breakdown of the most significant statistical anomalies in global sports.
No spam. Just spreadsheets.
Our Methodology
We use a combination of open-source datasets (like MLB's Lahman Database), public APIs, and proprietary scraping models. For European football, we derive our own xG models based on historical shot location data spanning the last decade.
Mainstream networks often simplify metrics for mass consumption (e.g., QBR). We use raw, transparent formulas. If we publish a stat, we publish the formula alongside it so you can verify the math yourself.
Yes. All 15+ interactive tools run entirely in your browser using JavaScript, meaning no server lag and absolute privacy for your custom scenarios. They also gracefully degrade with detailed fallback explanations if JS is disabled.
def calculate_epa(ep_pre, ep_post, turnover, score_diff):
"""
Calculate Expected Points Added.
"""
if turnover:
return -ep_pre - ep_post_opp
raw_epa = ep_post - ep_pre
# Garbage time adjustment
if abs(score_diff) > 16 and time_remaining < 300:
return raw_epa * 0.1
return raw_epa
Open Source Models
We don't hide behind black boxes. Every metric we publish is backed by public models hosted on our GitHub. Transparency is the only way to build trust in sports analytics.
- → NFL Expected Points Model v2.4
- → NBA Spatial Shot Value Engine
- → EPL Pitch Control Voronoi Generator
The Audio Breakdown
Long-form interviews with data scientists, front-office personnel, and the quants changing the game.
EPISODE 42 • 58 MINS
Moneyball in the Premier League
How Brighton & Hove Albion use proprietary data to exploit the transfer market.
EPISODE 41 • 65 MINS
The Death of the Running Back
A statistical autopsy of why NFL rushing value plummeted over the last decade.
EPISODE 40 • 45 MINS
Fixing Baseball's Action Problem
Analyzing the immediate impact of the pitch clock and shift bans on BABIP.
Live Trackers
Highest Offensive Rating (NBA 23-24)
| 1 | Boston Celtics | 123.2 |
| 2 | Indiana Pacers | 121.0 |
| 3 | Oklahoma City Thunder | 119.5 |
| 4 | Los Angeles Clippers | 118.8 |
Total EPA (NFL 2023)
| 1 | Brock Purdy (SF) | +168.3 |
| 2 | Dak Prescott (DAL) | +154.2 |
| 3 | Josh Allen (BUF) | +148.9 |
| 4 | Patrick Mahomes (KC) | +132.5 |
Meet the Quants
Sarah Jenkins
HEAD OF MLB ANALYTICS
Former data engineer for a AL East front office. Specializes in pitch-tracking data and biomechanical efficiency.
Marcus Thorne
DIRECTOR OF FOOTBALL EPA
Creator of the open-source GridironModels library. Focuses on offensive line win rates and defensive spacing.
Elena Rostova
LEAD SOCCER QUANT
Pioneer in non-shot expected threat (xT) models. Covers European top five leagues and international tournaments.
David Chen
NBA SYSTEMS ARCHITECT
Builds spatial models tracking off-ball gravity and defensive rotation timing using optical tracking data.