Blazers players using iPads to watch footage and make adjustments during games

The Portland Trailblazers are currently on an 11 game win streak. One of the best starts in Blazers history. Some of their success this season might be attributed to Apple’s iPad. The team has been using iPads during games to look at plays and make adjustments during time outs as the game progresses.

A quick survey of Portland’s key players on this subject produced some interesting results. Lillard, Matthews, Batum and LaMarcus Aldridge all said that they are using iPads for help during games. Interestingly, they are pursuing individual approaches when it comes to what footage they want to watch, and they also have personal preferences about when and how they view the on-demand footage.

…Aldridge, by contrast, does not look at Portland’s defensive possessions, instead reviewing the opposition’s defensive coverages when he has the ball in the block or in isolation. Where are the double teams coming from? When do they come? Which of Portland’s shooters are opponents choosing to leave open? What are his passing options?

Instant film playback session. The players love it because it allows them to make adjustments without over emphasizing mental mistakes.

it does [help] because you get to see it [again], and in the game everything happens so fast. “You ask yourself, ‘Did I rush it? I felt like I rushed it.’ [The video can tell me] when I’m in that same situation… [if] I have more time to get the shot off or [if] I have to shoot it at that speed again. Or, could I have driven it?”

Technology take over!