The Suns Get Jason Richardson Open For The Dagger | NBA Playbook

The Suns Get Jason Richardson Open For The Dagger

The Suns-Spurs game last night was a pretty good one as the Suns pulled out to a decent lead early, but the Spurs kept crawling back in it.  The final time was in the 4th quarter when the Spurs got the lead down to three points with about three minutes left.  After an Amar’e bucket that stretched the lead to 5, the Suns went cold (by there standards) not scoring for a good minute and a half.  That is when they decided to run one of their go to plays called “short.”

The play starts with Stoudemire setting a screen for Steve Nash.  Usually when a screen is set for Nash, the goal is to get Nash into the lane to create.  Not on this play though, here the screen and roll is used primarily as a decoy.  As the screen takes place, Grant Hill flashes to the ball side elbow while Jason Richardson fades from the corner to the weak-side wing.

The beauty of this play is the quick little pass to Grant Hill on the elbow.  This is really what sucks in the defense.  Look where Manu Ginobili is playing his help defense.  Even though Tim Duncan did a great job defending the roll (and he is in position to continue to defend it), Ginobili is all the way on the low block.  This is because he needs to be in a help position in case Hill tries to penetrate to the basket.

Hill isn’t penetrating though.  Grant makes the catch and quickly kicks it out to a open Jason Richardson on the wing.  Look at how much ground Ginobili has to cover because he was on the low block in help position.  If Steve Nash makes that pass directly without kicking it in to Ginobili would be in better position to close out.

Also, the pass into Hill creates a great passing lane.  Grant Hill has a great lane to throw a snap pass to Richardson.  The quick pass is another thing that keeps Ginobili from closing out on time.  Again, if Nash throws that pass, it would probably have to be a lob pass (to get it over George Hill – Nash’s defender), and that would allow time for Ginobli to close out effectively.

Richardson makes the catch, rises, and fires before Ginobili can get a hand in his face.  Richardson knocks down the shot, effectively ending any hopes the Spurs had to come back.  Here it is in real time (and at half speed):
04
May 2010
POSTED BY Sebastian Pruiti
POSTED IN 2010 Playoffs 4th Quarters Phoenix Suns San Antonio Spurs
DISCUSSION 6 Comments
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  • Mark

    Beautifully run there. I would say defensively that Richard Jefferson could have tried to deny Hill a little better at the elbow. That was too easy for Hill to flash and catch.

    But Phoenix does a really good job of spacing you out in general. And this is a pretty good example of it.

  • David

    Jefferson was probably more concerned with the pick n roll to think about denying Hill. You can see he hesitates for a second because of Amare’s cut to the basket.

    Great play

  • Joe

    Ginobili was probably more concerned with a pass over Duncan to Stoudemire cutting to the basket, rather than Hill driving. But it’s hard to tell – he seems to be just waiting to see how all this action in and around the paint is going to play out, and then he realizes what’s going on too late.

    Nice post, as always!

  • Henry Steele

    Just a little FYI…

    If the Suns are using the same naming system as during the D’Antoni era, that play is actually called “Fist Up Short.” “Fist Up” being a high 1/5 pick and roll, “short” referring to the area that the 4 man is supposed to cut from and move up the lane from… the short corner. The 4 man (Hill) usually cuts under the basket and then moves up to approximately the mid-post, timing his cut as Nash comes off the high screen. Grant Hill took a more direct route and ended up higher at the elbow spot. The play is then designed for Grant Hill to make a quick shovel pass to a diving Amare Stoudemire. Think Diaw to Stoudemire in an earlier incarnation. But with Ginobili moving quickly on the weakside to the block to take away Stoudemire’s roll (not Hill’s penetration), Grant Hill makes the correct pass to J Rich in the slot, who correctly has moved up from the corner. On a normal P/R, Richardson’s move up to the wing would be called the “back.”

    Thank you for your posts. Overall, you do a very nice job.

  • fstevy

    I think Ginobili should have been higher. He is too low.

  • Mark

    @Henry Steele – nice analysis. I recall those Diaw to Stoudemire short shovel passes. The really good teams turn basketball into an “if-then” game. If the defense does this, then you do this. Grant Hill read it perfectly, the Suns spaced it perfectly and got a perfect look out of it.

    People who don’t like the NBA for its supposed reliance on 1 on 1 play, don’t pay attention to these naunces and the subtleties of the game. Of course, with just 24 seconds to shoot, at some point teams will have to go 1 on 1. But the really good, well coached teams can get a great look at the rim using solid fundamentals (solid screens with proper angles), proper spacing (when to break into an open area, finding the proper open area, etc) and shot-making.

    Fun to watch…