NBA's Portland Trail Blazers use Apple's iPad in-game to make real-time adjustments

Portland Trail Blazers shooting guard Wesley Matthews. | Source: NBA.com

In their 102-91 victory over the New York Knicks on Monday, the Portland Trail Blazers were seen using iPads on the bench to study in-game footage, which players say helped carry the team to its eleventh consecutive win.

According to a report from Blazer's Edge, multiple players on the team are spending their time on the bench reviewing game tape on Apple's iPad as they look to get a leg up on opponents.

The publication notes Damian Lillard, Wesley Matthews, Nicolas Batum and LaMarcus Aldridge all use iPads during games to study film and make quick adjustments.

"It does [help] because you get to see it [again], and in the game everything happens so fast," Matthews said. "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 — off a flare screen, when Nic [Batum] passes over the top — [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?"

Matthews went on to say that the iPad allows him to study both aspects of his game. On offense, the shooting guard looks at his form and whether there were options he didn't see on court. On defense, he studies his stance, positioning on opponents and how players get in scores.

It is unclear what app the Blazers are using to review footage, but the system is apparently near real-time. Starting players can watch clips from their first rotation by the time they hit the bench, shaving minutes off adjustments normally made during halftime.

Players are also using Apple's tablet to review footage post-game, where a more thorough analysis can be rendered, to be put into action at the next game.