Bulls Don’t Get Back, Lose The Game | NBA Playbook

Bulls Don’t Get Back, Lose The Game

With about 5 minutes left, the Bulls and the Bucks were locked in a defensive battle where every basket was important.  Easy baskets were very hard to come by for the most part, but Chicago ended up giving the Bucks a lay-up.  The Bucks took advantage and kept the lead for the rest of the game.

As the Bulls start their possession, they run a side pick and roll involving Luol Deng and Derrick Rose.

As Rose comes off of the screen, Deng pops out to the top of the key.  Rose takes the ball into the block and this is where things get tricky.  The point guard is usually the man responsible for getting back on defense and preventing the fast break, however when he gets lower than the foul line, that responsibility is on another player.

As Deng takes the jumper, Ersan Ilyasova contests it and then leaks out.  So who on the Bulls is responsible for that?  It could be one of two players; either it is Luol Deng, who could drop back after letting the shot go or it’s Kirk Hinrich who could rotate back as the shot goes up.  In a situation like this, it would be really difficult for Deng to shoot, hold his form, and then sprint back so the best option is Hinrich rotating back (in my opinion).

Instead, Kirk Hinrich is sucked in my the long rebound and attempts to get it.

Hinrich doesn’t get the offensive board, and the ball ends up in Brandon Jennings hands.  Deng steps up to challenge Jennings as if he doesn’t know that there was someone who leaked behind him.

Jennings easily gets around Deng and throws the ball ahead to Ilyasova who finishes with the dunk.  The Bucks take the 2 point lead, and they don’t give it up the rest of the game.
07
Apr 2010
POSTED BY Sebastian Pruiti
POSTED IN 4th Quarters Chicago Bulls Coaching Strategy Milwaukee Bucks
DISCUSSION 7 Comments
TAGS

  • http://www.bucksketball.com/2010/04/you-know-what-this-is-bucks-79-bulls-74/ Bucksketball.com – TrueHoop Network Milwaukee Bucks Blog

    [...] (UPDATE:  Easy baskets were hard to come by in last night’s Bucks-Bulls game, so Sebastian Pruti of NBA Playbook takes a look at the play that swung the game in the Bucks favor.  A Brandon Jennings to Ersan Ilyasova fastbreak basket.) [...]

  • http://PistonPowered Dan Feldman

    I trust your opinion on this kind of stuff a lot more than my own, but I have a question. You wrote:

    “Deng steps up to challenge Jennings as if he doesn’t know that there was someone who leaked behind him.”

    To me, it looked like Deng stepped up to challenge Jennings *because* he knew there was someone who leaked behind him.

    Obviously, as you wrote, Deng can’t do anything about Ilyasova until he finishes his jumper. By that time, Ilyasova had already leaked behind him. Do you think Deng had a reasonable chance at catching him?

    I’d think getting in Jennings’ face and trying to slow the fastbreak or force a bad pass was Deng’s best option.

    I’m probably missing something, and I’d love to read what you think. Thanks.

  • Moni

    Derrick Rose is stupid fast.

  • http://khandorssportsblog.com/wordpress khandor

    Dan Feldman,

    The Bulls’ player responsibility for allowing this uncontested layup by Ilyasova is Luol Deng.

    In this sequence, Deng is playing as the Bulls #4/PF, positioned at the top of the key with his 4 teammates all below the FT Line.

    The way Rose and Hinrich react immediately to the missed shot, it would not appear to be the case that Chicago is employing a “designated player number takes the defensive safety position on all missed shot attempts”, in a check-off system [i.e. PG-first, OG-second, SF-third, PF-fourth and C-fifth]. Instead, what the Bulls are using is a “closest player to the safety position” system that would require Deng to have the responsibility of defending the basket, first and foremost, in the event of any missed shot attempt by Chicago.

    In this case, Deng’s chief responsibility would have been to:

    1. Complete his follow through;
    2. Land on the ground;
    3. Visually locate the Bucks’ player who is furthest up the floor [i.e. closest to the Bulls' basket]; and,
    4. Sprint like heck to get back on defense in order to protect against the uncontested layup.

    PF’s who shoot the ball at the top of the key, in this exact situation, are required to forego their customary offensive rebounding responsibility in favour of their defensive safety responsiblity while their teammates try to secure the ball for another possession.

    All too frequently, however, individual players who find themselves in the situation Deng is here … decide to BAIL OUT on their teammates and forego their responsibility as the defensive safety by “trying to make a play on the ball” themselves.

    I like Luol Deng a great deal as a solid NBA player, but … in this instance … he simply messed up, and the Bulls payed the price.

  • Mark

    I agree with Dan Feldman. There is no way in heck Deng can land, turn and from a standstill catch the leaked out player. He could have tried to foul Jennings to prevent the runout but what he did was force Jennings to weave to get a passing angle and almost gave Rose enough time to challenge the shot. I thought Deng played it well. I put this one on Heinrich for getting too deep.

  • Philw

    Go to 14secs on the vid. Deng has landed and he and Ilyasova are both watching the ball, but as you play from there Ersan leaks past and Deng just ignores him. There is plenty of time for him to get back with him if he had paid him any attention.

  • http://PistonPowered Dan Feldman

    Thanks for the explanation, Khandor.

    One thing I realized, Mark: Deng is the only Bull with a chance to catch up to Ilyasova. Someone else could’ve tried to slow Jennings in the backcourt.