The Clipboard Awards: January 31st – Pacers, Nuggets, Heat | NBA Playbook

The Clipboard Awards: January 31st – Pacers, Nuggets, Heat

A team’s performance after a timeout may be the best way to judge a coach’s Xs & Os knowledge, and his ability to draw up plays.  The Clipboard Awards is a competition where I choose the top three post-timeout plays each night, adding up the scores over the course of the season.

Play #3 (1 point)- Erik Spoelstra/Miami Heat

Late against the Cavs, even with the game already decided, the Miami Heat ran a nice misdirection play out of a timeout that was able to free up Mike Miller for an open jumper.

The play starts with Mike Miller fending off his defender with his body and getting in position on the wing to get the basketball.

Once Wade makes the entry pass, he gets a backscreen set for him at the elbow from Juwan Howard.  After setting his screen, Howard flashes to the basketball, and he gets the pass.

After Wade comes off the backscreen, he continues his cut to the opposite wing, getting a screen from Joel Anthony.

Wade gets the ball passed to him, and it looks like the Heat were setting something up to ISO Wade on the wing.  However, once Wade makes the catch, the Heat are going to have Howard set a pindown screen for Mike Miller.

Miller comes off of the screen wide open, and he is able to knock down the jumper.  Here is the play in real time:

What I really love about this play is the way that Mike Miller sets up the final pindown screen. He fakes towards the baseline, the boom, flashes off of the pindown.

Play #2 (2 points)- George Karl/Denver Nuggets

With the Nuggets coming out of a timeout in the second quarter, they too were able to use a nice little misdirection play to get Nene the ball in the middle of the paint:

As Ty Lawson brings up the basketball, Kenyon Martin is setting a screen for Chauncey Billups in the corner.  On the opposite side, the it seems like Nene is getting in position to set the same type of screen as Martin.

Instead of curling to the wing, which is what the Nets might have expected, Billups cuts across the lane and gets in position to set a screen for Nene, who breaks off of the screen that he was going to set.

Billups gets a very good screen set and Nene uses it to get fantastic position in the lane as the ball goes to Kenyon Martin.

Martin dumps the ball to Nene who is sitting in the lane with Brook Lopez on his back.  This is the best place you can get a scoring center the basketball.

Nene is able to drop step and hit a nice lay-up over Lopez due to his position.  Here is the play in real time:

I think what makes this play work is the unexpectedness of it. Lopez is in position on Nene ready to help on the screen it looks like he is going to set, and the at the last moment, he gets screened.

Play #1 (3 points)- Frank Vogel/Indiana Pacers

The number one post-timeout play of the night goes to new head coach Frank Vogel, who uses, you guessed it, misdirection to get a wide open three for Mike Dunleavy Jr.:

The play starts with Roy Hibbert setting a pindown screen for Darren Collison, who gets the basketball as he clears Hibbert.

Granger was the man who inbounded the ball, and once he did that, he flashes to the opposite block as Roy Hibbert shows to the basketball.

Once Collison enters the ball to Hibbert, he cuts off of the big man and Josh McRoberts flashes out behind the three point line, getting in position to receive a pass from Hibbert.

When McRoberts makes the catch, Granger posts up his man.  After a few pump fakes, McRoberts finally gets it in to Granger in the post.  On the weakside, you can see the actual play developing as Hibbert and Collison get in position to set a screen.

Here, it looks like the play was designed to get Granger the ball in the post.  However, there is much more too it as Mike Dunleavy Jr. gets three screens as he flashes to the top of the key.

1-6

The result is a wide open jumper for Dunleavy Jr. at the top of the key as he comes off the screens.  Here is the play in real time:

While this play is a terrifically drawn up one from new coach Vogel.  But the real credit needs to go to the players here.  A few times, the Raptors threatened to break up the play by getting in position to take away passes.  However, the Pacers kept their cool and were able to execute the play as it was drawn up.

—

Updated Standings (Last Week)

  1. Erik Spoelstra – 4 points (1st)
  2. Frank Vogel – 3 points (NR)
  3. George Karl – 2 points (NR)
  4. Phil Jackson – 2 points (2nd)
  5. Keith Smart – 1 point (3rd)

New Pacers’ Interim Head Coach, Frank Vogel announced his arrival by picking up a 3-point play in his first game as a NBA Head Coach.  George Karl also got himself involved with his nice play to Nene last night.

01
Feb 2011
POSTED BY Sebastian Pruiti
POSTED IN Clipboard Awards Denver Nuggets Indiana Pacers Miami Heat
DISCUSSION 16 Comments
TAGS

  • Cujo

    Not so sure what was so nice about any of these. In the first one, Miller's defender is basically napping and bites hard on a Miller's cut.

    For Nene, his defender is out of position when the screen is set and Billup's defender is oblivious that Nene has the ball right next to him.

    Finally, in Dunleavy's case, his defender was about as far away as he could get from him, was seemingly playing him for a lob, and made a half-hearted effort to get to him when Dunleavy made his half-speed jog to the top of the key to receive the pass.

    These weren't good plays, so much as awful defense.

  • http://twitter.com/bodie32 Andrew Bodenbach

    The good thing about the Heat play is that it also has the option of Wade trying to use the screen to get his own shot. He had it if he wanted it.

  • Cujo

    Not so sure what was so nice about any of these. In the first one, Miller’s defender is basically napping and bites hard on a Miller’s cut.

    For Nene, his defender is out of position when the screen is set and Billup’s defender is oblivious that Nene has the ball right next to him.

    Finally, in Dunleavy’s case, his defender was about as far away as he could get from him, was seemingly playing him for a lob, and made a half-hearted effort to get to him when Dunleavy made his half-speed jog to the top of the key to receive the pass.

    These weren’t good plays, so much as awful defense.

  • http://twitter.com/bodie32 Andrew Bodenbach

    The good thing about the Heat play is that it also has the option of Wade trying to use the screen to get his own shot. He had it if he wanted it.

  • 49982072

    Do you know what a misdirection play is? The whole idea is that you lull the defense into thinking the play is elsewhere. Your comment is really a testament to how well these plays were run.

  • 49982072

    Do you know what a misdirection play is? The whole idea is that you lull the defense into thinking the play is elsewhere. Your comment is really a testament to how well these plays were run.

  • Cujo

    Not really. A misdirection play confuses the defense in such a way that they don't know which way to commit.

    In the first play, Miller's defender is just asleep and falls hard on Miller's jab step.

    On the second, Nene's defender is out of position from the start and that is really the problem that leads to the success of the play. You can claim misdirection worked on Billup's man, but he just had his head turned away from all the action and flat out missed the play.

    On the third play, Dunleavy's defender is playing him so far off that Dunleavy casually jog to the top of the key and his defender is so far away and makes a pitiful half effort to get to him, it is a no contest.

    None of those events are use of misdirection. All terrible defensive efforts from their defenders.

  • Cujo

    Not really. A misdirection play confuses the defense in such a way that they don’t know which way to commit.

    In the first play, Miller’s defender is just asleep and falls hard on Miller’s jab step.

    On the second, Nene’s defender is out of position from the start and that is really the problem that leads to the success of the play. You can claim misdirection worked on Billup’s man, but he just had his head turned away from all the action and flat out missed the play.

    On the third play, Dunleavy’s defender is playing him so far off that Dunleavy casually jog to the top of the key and his defender is so far away and makes a pitiful half effort to get to him, it is a no contest.

    None of those events are use of misdirection. All terrible defensive efforts from their defenders.

  • bisita

    yeah. and i like the fact that eddie house is also open at the baseline

  • bisita

    in the miami and indiana plays, the defenders of miller and dunleavy were paying more attention to the ball handlers. because the play was set up so that it would seem as if the ball handlers (wade and granger), who are not bad basketball players by the way, were going to take their defenders one-on-one, the other defenders are waiting to see if they should be helping.

    as to nene's defender, it was explained that he was in position to help on the screen that nene appeared to be setting.

    maybe i don't know what i'm talking about but it seems the defenders were misdirected (to the wade iso, nene screen and granger post up).

  • bisita

    yeah. and i like the fact that eddie house is also open at the baseline

  • bisita

    in the miami and indiana plays, the defenders of miller and dunleavy were paying more attention to the ball handlers. because the play was set up so that it would seem as if the ball handlers (wade and granger), who are not bad basketball players by the way, were going to take their defenders one-on-one, the other defenders are waiting to see if they should be helping.

    as to nene’s defender, it was explained that he was in position to help on the screen that nene appeared to be setting.

    maybe i don’t know what i’m talking about but it seems the defenders were misdirected (to the wade iso, nene screen and granger post up).

  • Cujo

    I guess I'm reading the players differently from everyone else, but I still don't see it.

    In the Miami situation, Miller's defender is definitely not paying attention to Wade so the idea that the threat of Wade doing something interesting was not on this guy's mind.

    As for Nene's defender, you don't help on a screen by standing in what is essentially no-man's land. He isn't in position to bump the cutter, and he's in terrible position to play weak-side defense (which is my initial point). He's just flat out of position.

    As for Granger being a threat, I agree that Dunleavy's defender appears to be enamored with what Granger might do, but he isn't the help defender in that case! Hibbert's man has already committed to help, and he's in much better position to do so. So, yes, he was “misdirected”, but this wasn't a misdirection play. The play worked despite being poorly run by Dunleavy because the defender was in such bad position. The way this was supposed to work, was Dunleavy was supposed to remain below the wing (which he does) until his screeners got in position after the pass to Granger. That would assure that his defender would also be closer to the baseline and he could run off the screen for the catch at the top of the key. I suppose you can call that misdirection.

    In stead of that happening though Dunleavy half-assed the play by walk jogging to the top of the key and made is easily defended. The saving grace for the Pacers was that the defender was guarding absolutely no one.

    My point is that these plays were not well executed offensive plays against good defensive efforts. These were primarily plays that worked because the defenders were so so bad.

  • Cujo

    I guess I’m reading the players differently from everyone else, but I still don’t see it.

    In the Miami situation, Miller’s defender is definitely not paying attention to Wade so the idea that the threat of Wade doing something interesting was not on this guy’s mind.

    As for Nene’s defender, you don’t help on a screen by standing in what is essentially no-man’s land. He isn’t in position to bump the cutter, and he’s in terrible position to play weak-side defense (which is my initial point). He’s just flat out of position.

    As for Granger being a threat, I agree that Dunleavy’s defender appears to be enamored with what Granger might do, but he isn’t the help defender in that case! Hibbert’s man has already committed to help, and he’s in much better position to do so. So, yes, he was “misdirected”, but this wasn’t a misdirection play. The play worked despite being poorly run by Dunleavy because the defender was in such bad position. The way this was supposed to work, was Dunleavy was supposed to remain below the wing (which he does) until his screeners got in position after the pass to Granger. That would assure that his defender would also be closer to the baseline and he could run off the screen for the catch at the top of the key. I suppose you can call that misdirection.

    In stead of that happening though Dunleavy half-assed the play by walk jogging to the top of the key and made is easily defended. The saving grace for the Pacers was that the defender was guarding absolutely no one.

    My point is that these plays were not well executed offensive plays against good defensive efforts. These were primarily plays that worked because the defenders were so so bad.

  • Cujo

    I guess I'm reading the players differently from everyone else, but I still don't see it.

    In the Miami situation, Miller's defender is definitely not paying attention to Wade so the idea that the threat of Wade doing something interesting was not on this guy's mind.

    As for Nene's defender, you don't help on a screen by standing in what is essentially no-man's land. He isn't in position to bump the cutter, and he's in terrible position to play weak-side defense (which is my initial point). He's just flat out of position.

    As for Granger being a threat, I agree that Dunleavy's defender appears to be enamored with what Granger might do, but he isn't the help defender in that case! Hibbert's man has already committed to help, and he's in much better position to do so. So, yes, he was “misdirected”, but this wasn't a misdirection play. The play worked despite being poorly run by Dunleavy because the defender was in such bad position. The way this was supposed to work, was Dunleavy was supposed to remain below the wing (which he does) until his screeners got in position after the pass to Granger. That would assure that his defender would also be closer to the baseline and he could run off the screen for the catch at the top of the key. I suppose you can call that misdirection.

    In stead of that happening though Dunleavy half-assed the play by walk jogging to the top of the key and made is easily defended. The saving grace for the Pacers was that the defender was guarding absolutely no one.

    My point is that these plays were not well executed offensive plays against good defensive efforts. These were primarily plays that worked because the defenders were so so bad.

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