NBA Playbook – A Look At The Playcalling In The NBA Through Videos, Pictures, & Words » The Bobcats Pull Away For Good Using A Timeout

Home > 4th Quarters, Charlotte Bobcats, OKC Thunder, Xs & Os > The Bobcats Pull Away For Good Using A Timeout

The Bobcats Pull Away For Good Using A Timeout

March 18th, 2010 Sebastian Pruiti Leave a comment Go to comments

After Russell Westbrook hit a jumper with 3:22 left in the fourth quarter, he was able to cut the Bobcats lead to 4 points. Larry Brown took a timeout, and the possession following it was a pretty important one. If the Bobcats score, they can extend the lead to 6 with about 3 minutes left. If the Bobcats don’t score, the Thunder can cut the lead to 2 or 1 points, and who knows what will happen then. As it turns out, the Bobcats run a beautiful set out of the timeout and push their lead to 6, and the Thunder don’t come closer than that the rest of the ballgame:

Boris Diaw comes to the top of the key and receives the inbounds pass. The beauty of using Diaw (who himself is a pretty good passer for his size) is that you are pulling a front court defender away from the basket, clearing the lane for the potential lob. After Stephen Jackson makes the pass, he cuts through the middle of the lane, using a Tyrus Thomas screen. Over on the far side, Raymond Felton comes up off of a screen set by Stephen Graham. Nothing really important going on over there, as you can tell by the two players jogging through the motions.

As Jackson completes his cut in the middle of the lane, he pops back out towards the three point line, once again a using Tyrus Thomas screen. The way this play is being set up, it seems like the Bobcats are going to try and free up Jackson for the jumper.

You know that is what Nenad Krstic is thinking as he starts to lean forward, getting ready to help on Jackson. All that Tyrus Thomas needs is that little lean, and he slips the screen. This was the designed play from the start, because Diaw is letting this pass go before Thomas even makes his cut. Like I said earlier, with Diaw making the pass, that is a big body on defense not clogging the lane. Also, the defensive three second rules can’t come off any further and help.

Though you would like to see him try to get in the way of the pass, but that isn’t much of an error. That is how awesome this play was, all it took was Nenad Krstic leaning the wrong way for a second for the Bobcats to get a wide open dunk, and effectively put the game away. Here it is in real time:

Categories: 4th Quarters, Charlotte Bobcats, OKC Thunder, Xs & Os Tags:

Nels

Definitely agree with JW on Nenad's IQ here. It looks like Green is actually doing a pretty decent job, wherein if Jackson does get the ball for a jumper, it will at least be contested. Because of that Nenad needed to focus on containing Tyrus. If Green were more out of position, sure I can see how Nenad would want to help, but Green is at least in a position to make it difficult for Jackson to get a good shot.

Also, with Nenad being so badly out of position, even if Jackson does get the ball, he's also got a fairly easy lob in to TT. It's almost like he doesn't realize how big and slow he is while getting himself out of position.
JW

Great execution by Charlotte....simple ATO Zipper set w/weakside pindown....Jeff Green needs to get onto Jackson's hip and direct him toward the direction that he desires. As the defensive player guarding an opponent trying to come off screens, Green needs to be the aggressor and set the tone. Kristic is stuck in a bad spot trying to help off the screen for the count and not get burned by a lob or simple slip to the rim.

teams that employ floppy action are so tough...anytime you get to run floppy with the curl into the pain (ie Rip Hamilton w/detroit) it is so hard to guard. Defensively, you must account for Hamilton's ability to catch and shoot in the lane and if the defensive big helps too far then all Hamilton has to do is make the catch and make a quick drop-down pass to his big for an uncontested dunk. The play happens so quickly it's almost impossible for the weakside help defenders to rotate quick enough into the paint.

it kills me to see a good defensive team like OKC get beat down the stretch on this type of action....Kristc's slow feet and IQ here put OKC behind the eight ball to say the least.

On this play, Kristic needs to know the personnel and think the game here and the situation, but Green needs to do a better job of directing Jackson and fighting through screens...well executed by the Bobcats. Collison needs to do a better job of jamming the passer (diaw)..notice how he is playing with his hands down...no active hands....Diaw isn't going to take that shot or take Collison off the dribble...no ball pressure.