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.

Note: With the Super Bowl fast approaching later today, I am just posting the video clips of these plays with a short summary.  No extensive breakdowns today.

Play #3 (1 point)- George Karl/Denver Nuggets

We have seen the Nuggets set up in this formation before coming out of a timeout, and again, they come out running the same action out of it.  The only different?  The use of Carmelo Anthony as the screener.  It is a nice little switch, because nobody is ever going to leave Anthony, even if they should to hedge the screen.  That is what happens to Corey Brewer, he is forced to decide to stay with Anthony or hedge off of him.  Brewer stays, and Nene gets a wide open look out of it.

Play #2 (2 point)- Rick Adelman/Houston Rockets

On this possession, you have a nice set that gets Kevin Martin the ball in position to score.  Here, you have a pick and roll ran for Kyle Lowry.  It quickly turns into a dribble handoff for Kevin Martin, and that turns into a pick and roll involving Martin and Luis Scola.  What I really like about this play is that it gets the ball to Houston’s best offensive player the ball when the defense isn’t prepared for it.  If the Rockets had Martin run a simple pick and roll, the defense would be able to load up on him.  Here, the defense has to worry about the initial pick and roll first and that puts them out of position to defend Martin coming off of his own screen.

Play #1 (3 point)- Monty Williams/New Orleans Hornets

Here, we have another screen the screener set coming out of a timeout.  What makes this play work is the curl coming off of West’s screen.  Pau Gasol (West’s defender) has to sink deep in the paint to help on the curl, and that is what opens up the West pop off the screen.

Updated Standings (Previous)

1. Erik Spoelstra – 9 points (1st)
2. Doc Rivers – 5 points (2nd)
3. Rick Adelman – 5 points (5th)
4. Gregg Popovich – 4 points (3rd)
5. Jerry Sloan 3 Points (4th)
6. George Karl – 3 points (7th)
7. Monty Williams – 3 points (NR)
8. Frank Vogel – 3 points (6th)
9. Phil Jackson – 2 points (8th)
10. Byron Scott – 2 points (9th)
11. Stan Van Gundy – 1 point (10th)
12. John Kuester – 1 point (11th)
13. Keith Smart – 1 point (12th)

Monty Williams is the latest coach to join the Clipboard Award rankings and Rick Adelman is able to hop in the top three.  With the Heat and Celtics inactive, the top two remain unchanged.