If teams are having success scoring in the post, one way defenses try to stop them is by double teaming the post.  Double teams are the most effective way to keep someone from scoring in the post because you have two defenders now covering one.  If the double team is effective, it can take a decent passer and turn him into a below average one.  However, if a team knows how to handle a double team, they are able to take advantage of the defense’s willingness to have two players covering one.

Handling double teams is really a team effort.  Not only does the man getting double teamed need to be able to make a good pass under duress, but his teammates need to provide him with a passing lane.  In my opinion, the two teams that handle double teams very well are the San Antonio Spurs and the Orlando Magic.  Both teams have very good big men (in Tim Duncan and Dwight Howard), so they see (and beat) plenty of double teams.  Despite both teams being very successful, the Spurs and the Magic handle double teams in very different ways:

San Antonio Spurs:  Cut On The Double

Whenever Tim Duncan gets double teamed, the Spurs like to send a cutter diving through the lane.  In theory, it makes sense, because when a double team takes place, most teams are worried about rotating on the perimeter, so when a cut happens, it is hard to adjust to.  They are able to be successful with this because they have a big man who is willing to let the double team come and make a pass over it.  Also important is his teammate’s ability to time their cuts just right.

Here, Duncan makes the catch in the post, and the Nets are going to send a double team from the man closest to the basketball.  As that happens, Richard Jefferson’s man is going to come over and zone an area between both Jefferson and McDyess.

The Nets (and other teams) choose to leave the skip pass open because not only is that a hard pass to make, but a pass like that allows for the defense to get back.  The Spurs know that, and take advantage by sending Jefferson cutting through the lane.  Here it is live:

When defenses send a double team, they basically have to concede a passing lane. Most teams do what the Nets did here, give up the hardest and longest pass to make, knowing that if thrown they will have time to recover. Sending a cutter like the Spurs do blows everything up.

In addition to sending the man left open cutting through the lane, the Spurs also like to have a cutter cut right off the back of the man sending the double team:

Here, the ball gets entered into the post, and Jefferson’s man is the one double teaming. The minute his man commits to the double, Jefferson cuts through the lane. The reason something like this works is that the man doubling down usually has his back facing his man, and that means he doesn’t know where his man is, leaving an opening for a cut (you notice Jefferson’s man tries to return to where he is, but he’s not there).

The final way the Spurs beat a double team with a cutter is by sending the passer through the lane. There are teams who like to send a quick double with the passer’s defender as soon as the pass is made. The hope is that the quick double will force the ball out of Duncan’s hands and have him send it back out towards the perimeter. It doesn’t work though, because the Spurs’ passers are so good at paying attention, seeing a double team, and cutting that they end up wide open in the middle of the lane:

Here, Garrett Temple makes an entry pass into Duncan and looks to be cutting towards the perimeter.  However, as soon as he sees Steve Nash doubling Duncan, he dives to the middle of the lane and gets the pass for an easy finish.

Here, Tony Parker makes an entry pass and cuts through towards the opposite corner.  Deron Williams thinks that since Parker is going towards the corner, he can sneak a quick double team in.  Parker has his head up though and as soon as Williams leaves for the double team, Parker cuts back to the rim and gets the pass for the easy finish.

The last two clips shows you what kind of team effort it takes to be able to beat a double team.  In both instances, the play isn’t designed for them to cut to the rim, but the second they see their man leave them, the adjust and make themselves available for Duncan, and Duncan usually finds them more times than not.

Orlando Magic: Spotting Up On The Outside

The Orlando Magic do the exact opposite of the San Antonio Spurs, and with their roster being built the way it is, they are just as effective at beating double teams.  What the Magic like to do is spot up on the perimeter when teams double Dwight Howard:

Here, the ball gets entered into Dwight Howard, and after making the pass, Rashard Lewis cuts through the lane. Because Lewis’ man is the one doubling, the defense rotates to cover him, leaving Vince Carter wide open at the three point line. Dwight gets him the ball and Carter knocks it down.

Here is another example, Dwight makes the catch and he waits for a double team to come. Eventually Ryan Anderson’s man comes down, and he spots up for the open three. Simple right? Well, there is a little more to it. As the ball gets entered, Ryan Anderson floats to the top of the key, as if he is trying to bait his man into a double team. The second that his man turns his back, Anderson sprints towards the wing to give Howard an easy passing lane. Howard makes the pass and Anderson knocks down the three.

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Despite the fact that the Magic and the Spurs do things very differently when faced with a double team, all of the same parts are there. You have a big man who is willing to let the double come and make a strong pass in the face of it. You also have teammates who stay aware and are willing to cut to the open area when they see their defender making the double team. Those two things are the recipe for beating a double.