The Jazz Correctly Protect The Rim With Under 1 Second Left | NBA Playbook

The Jazz Correctly Protect The Rim With Under 1 Second Left

It’s funny, after doing yesterday’s post about lob plays with 1 second or less on the clock, I thought we would have to wait a few weeks to see a situation like that again.  We didn’t even have to wait 24 hours.  With 0.4 seconds left in overtime, the Heat trailed the Utah Jazz by two points.

The Heat’s play to try and set up the lob for LeBron James involved a lot of the same principles we saw in the plays from yesterday.  As the play starts, it looks like the Jazz are going to stick with the man to man defense that has burned other teams in the past:

The Utah Jazz seem to playing man to man, with Francisco Elson covering the inbound pass.  The Heat start off by sending Dwyane Wade from the block to the three point line to clear the rim (step 1 in setting up a lob late).

As Wade clears out, Chris Bosh goes from the opposite elbow to the three point line to set a screen for Wade who is heading back to the opposite wing.  That action is just a decoy used to try and clear the paint for LeBron James.  Eddie House sets a backscreen for James who starts towards the rim looking for the lob (step 2).

The play looks like it is going to work (James’ man is trailing him on the play), however there is one problem.  Paul Millsap ignores Chris Bosh (the man he is covering), choosing to protect the paint instead.

With Millsap protecting the paint, the lob to LeBron isn’t there anymore and James Jones needs to inbounds the basketball to whoever he can get the ball to.  Jones gets the ball into Eddie House.

Eddie House fires up a rushed three point shot that doesn’t even draw iron.  Here is the play in real time.  Notice how Millsap leaves Chris Bosh wide open on the top of the key to protect the rim instead.  This is key, because if Millsap wasn’t there, the lob to LeBron would have worked:

When the play started, I thought that the Jazz were just going to play straight man to man and be the next team to fall victim to the late game lob.  Instead, the Jazz just provided other teams with a blueprint to stop these late game lobs.

10
Nov 2010
POSTED BY Sebastian Pruiti
POSTED IN Coaching Strategy Defense
DISCUSSION 44 Comments
TAGS

  • FromWayDowntown

    Finally. I guess we won't see much game-winning lobs this season anymore.

  • http://twitter.com/FromWayDowntown FromWayDowntown

    Finally. I guess we won’t see much game-winning lobs this season anymore.

  • http://twitter.com/Zeiramsy Fabian Nguyen

    This is double clever though because the Jazz strategy not only eliminates the lob as you showed yesterday but also most of the coaches concerns you talked about. They still had a large defender to trouble the inbounder, they still had the most dangerous perimeter options in check (Wade was chased through the blocks and House shot with a hand in the face) but made the one necessary change: leaving a big guy in the paint.

    Sloan is the man!

  • Luke

    Fabian is right, the Man+1 defense the Jazz broke out is sort of the best of both worlds. The man in the middle is just a sort of denial which forces the offense to do something else, and with this little time left that's usually a good roll for the D.

  • http://twitter.com/Zeiramsy Fabian Nguyen

    This is double clever though because the Jazz strategy not only eliminates the lob as you showed yesterday but also most of the coaches concerns you talked about. They still had a large defender to trouble the inbounder, they still had the most dangerous perimeter options in check (Wade was chased through the blocks and House shot with a hand in the face) but made the one necessary change: leaving a big guy in the paint.

    Sloan is the man!

  • stchoo

    It also helps that nobody respects Chris Bosh these days.

  • Dlewis9

    When I saw the highlights of the game, I immediately looked for how Utah played it after reading your post the other day. Utah made a great call there; I wonder if other coaches will pick up on it.

  • http://twitter.com/smk73 SMK

    By Millsap staying in the middle, his man is wide open at the top of the key. If Orlando runs something like that with Rashard Lewis setting the decoy screen, this defense is a lot more vulnerable.

  • http://nelswadycki.com nelswadycki

    Yeah, who was inbounding there? It's almost like Bosh's own teammates down respect as evidenced by the decision to try to get it to House for the shot instead of the wide open Bosh.

  • Luke

    Fabian is right, the Man+1 defense the Jazz broke out is sort of the best of both worlds. The man in the middle is just a sort of denial which forces the offense to do something else, and with this little time left that’s usually a good roll for the D.

  • Anonymous

    It also helps that nobody respects Chris Bosh these days.

  • Dlewis9

    When I saw the highlights of the game, I immediately looked for how Utah played it after reading your post the other day. Utah made a great call there; I wonder if other coaches will pick up on it.

  • miko

    Chris shoulda take that shot, not Eddie :/

  • http://twitter.com/smk73 SMK

    By Millsap staying in the middle, his man is wide open at the top of the key. If Orlando runs something like that with Rashard Lewis setting the decoy screen, this defense is a lot more vulnerable.

  • http://nelswadycki.com nelswadycki

    Yeah, who was inbounding there? It’s almost like Bosh’s own teammates down respect as evidenced by the decision to try to get it to House for the shot instead of the wide open Bosh.

  • miko

    Chris shoulda take that shot, not Eddie :/

  • http://www.nbaplaybook.com Sebastian Pruiti

    Even if they are playing the Magic, there is only .4 seconds left…its going to be a rushed three, and I am going to let them take it every game…

  • http://www.nbaplaybook.com Sebastian Pruiti

    Even if they are playing the Magic, there is only .4 seconds left…its going to be a rushed three, and I am going to let them take it every game…

  • http://twitter.com/atom786 Atique Virani

    Yeah, as a Raps fan, i remember Bosh making a few clutch 3's, but with the time running down, he probably couldn't have got a shot off

  • http://twitter.com/UtesFan89 Sujal

    Exactly.
    With 0.4 seconds left, you let them take the jumper, not the inside lob.
    If they make the long jumper, then all the power to them.

  • AndK

    I dont think it s that. They had to follow the plan the coach made. The moment the lob was out of the picture he just had to pass to the first guy he saw. I think Bosh didnt get the ball just because they panicked when the plan didnt work.

  • http://nba-point-forward.si.com/2010/11/10/court-vision-the-latest-around-the-league-4/ The Point Forward » Posts Court Vision: The latest around the league «

    [...] I almost fell off my couch last night when Francisco Elson tried to miss a free throw with 0.4 seconds left and Utah up by one — and banked it in by mistake. And what did the Heat do? They set up a lob play for LeBron James. But Utah succeeded where Memphis failed. Guess which Jazz player made the correct read and kept the rim safe. [...]

  • http://twitter.com/upandatom786 Atique Virani

    Yeah, as a Raps fan, i remember Bosh making a few clutch 3′s, but with the time running down, he probably couldn’t have got a shot off

  • http://twitter.com/UtesFan89 Sujal

    Exactly.
    With 0.4 seconds left, you let them take the jumper, not the inside lob.
    If they make the long jumper, then all the power to them.

  • thedreamer4life

    Bad personnel choice by the heat for the designed play. If bosh wasn't the intended lob recipient or the decoy, he should of been the inbounder where james jones would have had the opp to get the shot from the top of the key. That makes sloans plan a little more vulnerable.

  • stchoo

    My point was more that Milsap didn't respect Bosh, so he was willing to let him get open so he could block off the lob.

  • AndK

    I dont think it s that. They had to follow the plan the coach made. The moment the lob was out of the picture he just had to pass to the first guy he saw. I think Bosh didnt get the ball just because they panicked when the plan didnt work.

  • thedreamer4life

    Bad personnel choice by the heat for the designed play. If bosh wasn’t the intended lob recipient or the decoy, he should of been the inbounder where james jones would have had the opp to get the shot from the top of the key. That makes sloans plan a little more vulnerable.

  • Anonymous

    My point was more that Milsap didn’t respect Bosh, so he was willing to let him get open so he could block off the lob.

  • Rhetttss

    fabulous defense. the switch off bosh and following wade was without question and flawless. I feel that Wade should have been in House's position (if House was the all-else-fails-dump-to-me) and I feel Bosh should have came out to the 3p line, but come back in to the foul line for a high % shot. Thus, it is clear this play a drawn up for James because all other players were in poor offensive positions.

  • Rhetttss

    fabulous defense. the switch off bosh and following wade was without question and flawless. I feel that Wade should have been in House’s position (if House was the all-else-fails-dump-to-me) and I feel Bosh should have came out to the 3p line, but come back in to the foul line for a high % shot. Thus, it is clear this play a drawn up for James because all other players were in poor offensive positions.

  • bean of joy

    unfortunately for the Magic it takes Rashard Lewis 19 seconds to wind up that jump shot

  • Arnav Jain

    bosh was open!

    ok he is at the 3

    bt i think i'd rather have bosh taking an open 3

    than house putting up a prayer

  • bean of joy

    unfortunately for the Magic it takes Rashard Lewis 19 seconds to wind up that jump shot

  • Arnav Jain

    bosh was open!
    ok he is at the 3
    bt i think i’d rather have bosh taking an open 3
    than house putting up a prayer

  • http://wehoopecono.wordpress.com/2010/11/11/sixers-showing-signs-of-life/ Sixers Showing Signs of Life « We Hoop Econo

    [...] up a lob dunk off an out-of-bounds play with 1 second on the shotclock – I guess Doug Collins doesn’t read NBA playbook. They left Evan Turner on his own to guard Durant for the clinching hoop, and Brand didn’t [...]

  • Danm

    Bosh was not at the 3 point line, rather a couple feet behind it.

  • Danm

    Bosh was not at the 3 point line, rather a couple feet behind it.

  • http://nbaplaybook.com/2010/12/09/indiana-doesnt-protect-the-rim-gives-up-the-game-winner-with-0-5-left/ NBA Playbook – A Look At The Playcalling In The NBA Through Videos, Pictures, & Words » Indiana Doesn’t Protect The Rim, Gives Up The Game Winner With 0.5 Left

    [...] (including myself) to say “why don’t teams just zone that final possession?  Then Jerry Sloan did do that and the issue kind of went away, because let’s face it, how many times is this situation [...]

  • http://nbaplaybook.com/2010/12/16/the-issue-of-protecting-the-rim-late-revisited-again/ NBA Playbook – A Look At The Playcalling In The NBA Through Videos, Pictures, & Words » The Issue Of Protecting The Rim Late Revisited…Again

    [...] it is to get a catch and shoot attempt off cleanly with under a second left.  When we looked at Miami’s play against Utah, a number of commenters mentioned that Chris Bosh was wide open and he could have gotten a shot off [...]

  • Avi Sinha

    But it's still better than Eddie House putting up a prayer. It has a much higher chance of going in, if you haven't noticed most of Chris Bosh's last second 3s are killer shots.

  • Avi Sinha

    But it’s still better than Eddie House putting up a prayer. It has a much higher chance of going in, if you haven’t noticed most of Chris Bosh’s last second 3s are killer shots.

  • Avi Sinha

    But it's still better than Eddie House putting up a prayer. It has a much higher chance of going in, if you haven't noticed most of Chris Bosh's last second 3s are killer shots.

  • http://chicagonow.beta.tribapps.com/load-o-bull/2010/11/09/catch-n-shoot-november-10-2010/ Catch n' Shoot: November 10, 2010 | Load O' Bull

    [...] Less than one second left in a two point or less game. The question most frequently is who gets the ball, but the better question is: why don't coaches call the 2-3 zone to defend against the obvious lob play, which is completely dependent on screens to offset pressure? In their 116-114 OT win against the Heat (5-3), the Jazz (4-3) did just that and shut 'em down. [...]