Against the Memphis Grizzlies, the New Jersey Nets erased a 21 point 1st half lead and actually had the game pretty close towards the end of the third quarter.  The Nets ended up losing the game in part because of two mistakes I see NBA teams make a lot.  The first is not using the foul to give, or using it way too early.  The the is going for the steal in a situation where you need to foul.  Now these might seem like small mistakes that just happen, but if you make them in critical situations, then they can cost you the game.  Let’s use the Nets’ game as an example:

Now, the video starts when Devin Harris takes the foul to give with 6.9 seconds left in the third quarter.  This is after he hit a jumper to cut the Grizzlies lead down to two points (After they were down 16 to start the half).  The Grizzlies re-enter the ball, and end up scoring as time runs out.  Yes, the foul is early, but the biggest problem here is where the foul takes place, right around half court.  Mike Conley isn’t a threat out there, so if Devin Harris was to allow him to dribble it down to the three point line or deeper in, it could have taken another 2 to 3 seconds off the clock.  The mistake ended up giving the Grizzlies a two point lead and taking away all the momentum from New Jersey.  Memphis also scored the first basket of the fourth quarter, so you had a 2 point game quickly jump back up to a 6 point game because of the foul.

This is what leads us to the second play.  The Nets are down 5 points with 12.2 seconds left, and after Devin Harris hits a free-throw, it is obvious that the Nets are going to try and foul.

I know that most teams try and deny the inbounds pass, but I think that is the wrong play here.  In this situation, you want to get the foul as quickly as possible.  Sure a turnover is fine, but in most cases you aren’t going to be able to force one, so you should play behind your man, let him make the catch, and foul him before too much time runs off.  Instead, Terrence Williams gambles for the steal, allowing 5 seconds to run off of the clock.  The worst part is Terrence has no chance of making this steal, and even if he gets his hands on it, he is just going to be smacking it out of bounds.  The worst part is that Rudy Gay ended up missing one of two foul shots allowing for it to still be a two possession game, but with under 8 seconds left, all hope was basically lost.