Now I love it when a team runs the same play twice in a row or more. There is just something about it that says, “we are going to run this down your throat and it is up to you to stop it.” It is also fun to watch the defense try to adjust to stop the play getting run over and over. Late against the Blazers, the Suns ran a quick hitter to get Jason Richardson a good look at the rim. It worked so well that the Suns decided to run it again the next time down the court:
After getting the ball on the side, Nash quickly enters it to Amar’e Stoudemire on the elbow.
The Dallas Mavericks did all they could to get themselves back into Game 6 after they scored only eight points in the first quarter, and at one point in the fourth quarter, the Mavs were only down 2 points. The Spurs were able to pull away by getting a few key baskets.
The Run Starter
When the Mavs cut the lead to 2 points, the Spurs ran a pick and roll with Duncan and George Hill. However, neither one of them got the key bucket:
After working the ball around, it gets swung to George Hill. After making the pass, Tim Duncan comes over to set a screen for Hill.
The Hawks had a big lead last night, and they saw it disappear in part of the Bucks’ hustle and the Hawks’ lack of it. This really showed when it comes to offensive rebounding. The Bucks got themselves two key rebounds and it really gave the Bucks a big lift, propelling them to a lead late in the fourth quarter.
As Brandon Jennings sets up to shoot his second foul shot, you want to pay attention to Josh Smith and Ersan Ilyasova who are on the right side of the lane.
Ray Allen’s three point shooting was a very important aspect of the Heat-Celtics series that ended last night. This postseason, Allen is shooing 19-36 from the three point line (good for 52.8%). Allen is a tremendous outside shooter, and he is going to knock a few threes down, but the Heat were leaving him wide open on attempts, and that is a major factor in Allen shooting so good from deep. It happened again in Game 5, where the Heat fought all the way back to make this a close game, only to let Ray Allen shoot the Celtics to a win.
A couple things here. The rotation starts on Ray Allen’s initial drive, and the Heat do a great job of rotating and cutting off any penetration throughout the possession. However, when the pass gets made to Kevin Garnett, two defenders run at him, leaving Ray Allen open. At his age, Kevin Garnett isn’t a threat 1 step in from the three point line, but the Heat run at him like he is, and this allows for Garnett to toss it to Allen who knocks down the wide open three.
The Bulls were fighting for their playoff lives, and they were able to keep Game 5 close throughout the 4th quarter, but while the Bulls were working hard, it was really what the Cavs weren’t doing that kept the game close. For instance, up by 6 points LeBron James got the ball with Joakim Noah covering him on a switch:
The Bobcats fought and clawed against the Orlando Magic the entire series, but in game 4, the Magic showed why they are the better team. The Magic pulled away from the Bobcats using the three point shot, and they got their threes in different ways, and they showed how dangerous (and how hard to defend) they can be late.
On The Break
The Magic are real tough to stop on the break, because they force the defenders to make choices. The defense has to decide whether or not they want to defend the three or stop Dwight Howard. As you can see here, as Jameer Nelson brings the ball up, you have 3 other guys spotting up (including Jameer there is 4 three point shooters out there) at the three point line, with Dwight Howard sprinting straight to the rim.
The Hawks were trailing the Bucks all night last night, but in the 4th they were able to cut the lead down to 6 points with about 4 minutes left. If the Hawks would have been able to get one more stop, they really could have put the pressure on the Bucks, however a mistake defending a simple pick and roll cost them that opportunity.
As Brandon Jennings comes off of the Kurt Thomas screen, everything seems to be in order. It is a really good screen by Thomas, so Al Horford is probably going to be forced to switch, but that shouldn’t be a big deal.
In Game 3, the Dallas Mavericks used the 2-3 zone against the Spurs, and they really struggled with it. The Spurs didn’t get a lot of good looks when the Mavs used the zone, however they were still able to pull out the win. In Game 4, Dallas saved the zone for the 4th quarter hoping the Spurs would struggle with it yet again so they can get back in the game. Coach Popovich had his guys ready to attack the zone properly, and they were able to do it three different ways.
1) Crash The Boards
When teams play zone, you always hear about the defense really needing to concentrate on crashing the boards. This is because instead of covering a man, you are covering an area and it is harder to get a body on someone because of it. Playing zone also tends to lead to funny matchups when the ball is in the air.
The Mavs first show the zone down 7, and the Spurs recognize it and start sending the ball around the perimeter. Quick ball movement is another key to beating the zone. You get guys moving around, the zone starts to lose it’s shape.
A lot of people are talking about Dwyane Wade’s 4th quarter (as they should), but in my opinion the biggest play of the game wasn’t made by Wade, but by the much maligned Michael Beasley. The Heat’s offense really became stagnant in the final minutes of the 4th quarter as the Celtics tried to make their comeback. The Heat didn’t score a point for a good minute and a half of game time as the Celtics cut the lead to 4 points. With about 1:45 left, the Heat had the basketball, and again forced up another shot. However, the Celtics didn’t box out, and it allowed Beasley to make a fantastic play:
As the ball lands in Dorell Wright’s hands, take a look at the shot clock. There is only 7 seconds for him to work with, and the Heat’s offense is once again struggling. Udonis Haslem tries to salvage the possession by setting a screen for Wright and seeing if he can get to the lane.
Down by one, the Bobcats were taking the ball out on the side. To the surprise of everyone, they decided to go for the three pointer to take a 2 point lead. I only like going for a three in that situation if you can guarantee yourself getting a real good look. The Bobcats were able to get themselves that look:
As Larry Hughes gets the basketball to inbound, Boris Diaw quickly takes a step out to make himself available for the pass. Doing this presents a quick option for the inbounder, which helps when looking to avoid a 5 second call.
