Quick Hitter: Lakers’ Triangle Beats The Zone | NBA Playbook

Quick Hitter: Lakers’ Triangle Beats The Zone

After a three pointer by Jason Terry, the Dallas Mavericks dropped back into their zone defense. The Lakers, a team that has struggled against the zone recently, decided to stick with their triangle offense. The result was an easy lay-up for Lamar Odom:

1

After getting the basketball to Lamar Odom on the wing, Steve Blake cuts through to the ball side corner.

2

Once Blake gets himself to the corner, the Lakers now have their triangle complete with Pau Gasol in the post. Odom enters the basketball to Gasol into the post.

3

Once Gasol gets the basketball, both Odom and Steve Blake cut off of Gasol. This is a standard Triangle play that the Lakers run for both Kobe and Gasol to set up ISO post situations.

4

However, with the Mavericks’ zone defense, J.J. Barea goes from defending Odom on his cut to trying to pass him off to another defender. Gasol, always keeping his head up, is able to find Odom wide open in the middle of the lane, as Barea tries to pass him off to another defender. Here is the play in real time:

This play is all Pau Gasol. If he doesn’t keep his head up, he doesn’t find Odom cutting through the lane. As for the Mavs’ zone, this is the one problem with it (the passing of off ball cutters between teammates), and the Lakers were able to take advantage.

20
Jan 2011
POSTED BY Sebastian Pruiti
POSTED IN Dallas Mavericks LA Lakers Quick Hitter Zone Defense
DISCUSSION 12 Comments
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  • http://twitter.com/polychester Chester Sexton

    Dirk has to come over and help off of Luke Walton to bump the cut of Lamar. You can't expect J.J. to follow Lamar in there and leave Shannon Brown open at the top. The defensive three seconds rule makes it difficult for Dirk to defend the cut, and for a 2-3 zone to be a successful at all.

  • http://twitter.com/polychester Chester Sexton

    Dirk has to come over and help off of Luke Walton to bump the cut of Lamar. You can’t expect J.J. to follow Lamar in there and leave Shannon Brown open at the top. The defensive three seconds rule makes it difficult for Dirk to defend the cut, and for a 2-3 zone to be a successful at all.

  • Kevn

    Lamar knew it, too. Look how quick he calls for the ball, before Barea even leaves him.

  • Kevn

    Lamar knew it, too. Look how quick he calls for the ball, before Barea even leaves him.

  • http://nba-point-forward.si.com/2011/01/20/court-vision-the-latest-around-the-league-40/ The Point Forward » Posts Court Vision: The latest around the league «

    [...] Watch the Lakers stay in their triangle offense and smoke the Dallas zone — on this possession, at [...]

  • http://cardinalpurpleandgold.wordpress.com Nate

    Pau truly is the key to the offense and such a special weapon because of his unique skill set for a big man. This is a great demonstration of what the Lakers can do to attack a zone defense. Once other teams start seeing that the Lakers know how to play against zones, they will no longer have much incentive to employ that strategy.

  • http://cardinalpurpleandgold.wordpress.com Nate

    Pau truly is the key to the offense and such a special weapon because of his unique skill set for a big man. This is a great demonstration of what the Lakers can do to attack a zone defense. Once other teams start seeing that the Lakers know how to play against zones, they will no longer have much incentive to employ that strategy.

  • JW

    I was unable to watch the entire game and was surprised to see that Dallas pulled out the win. This is one of many awful zone defensive clips from the Mavs in that game. Dallas' zone was brutal.

  • JW

    I was unable to watch the entire game and was surprised to see that Dallas pulled out the win. This is one of many awful zone defensive clips from the Mavs in that game. Dallas’ zone was brutal.

  • JW

    I was unable to watch the entire game and was surprised to see that Dallas pulled out the win. This is one of many awful zone defensive clips from the Mavs in that game. Dallas' zone was brutal.

  • http://nba-point-forward.si.com/2011/04/29/burning-questions-in-lakers-vs-mavericks/ The Point Forward » Posts Burning questions in Lakers vs. Mavericks «

    [...] Suns in last year’s playoffs and a few times earlier this season, but the triangle offense includes the sorts of north-south and east-west cuts that make the zone vulnerable. And if Dallas goes zone, it risks having one of the league’s [...]

  • http://hivvy.com/2011/05/derek-fisher-on-attacking-dallas-zone-defense-video/ hivvy.com » Derek Fisher on attacking Dallas’ zone defense (video)

    [...] roster of great passers in an offense demanding motion makes for plenty of ways to create looks closer to the rim, doing exactly what the Lakers try to do against a man-to-man. There is no need, Fisher said, to [...]