Miscommunication By Houston Leads To A Game Clinching Three | NBA Playbook

Miscommunication By Houston Leads To A Game Clinching Three

Against the Minnesota Timberwolves, the Houston Rockets trailed by two points with about 50 seconds left.  The Timberwolves had the basketball, and if the Rockets were able to get a stop, they would be able to have a chance to win/tie the game.  Unfortunately for them, that didn’t happen.  The Rockets’ defenders got mixed up when defending a pick and pop and it left Kevin Love wide open for the three:

1

The play starts with Kevin Love trying to set a screen for his point guard, Jonny Flynn.  Flynn however does a terrible job of using the screen, leaving way too much space between his man and the screener (in addition to hesitating for 5 seconds or so).  Love doesn’t set the strongest screen either.

2

Love pops out, to complete the pick and pop and this is where the Rockets’ communication fails them.  Chuck Hayes assumes that he is switching the screen (which is what most teams do late).  However, since Kyle Lowry was able to get through the screen, he sticks with his man.

3

With both defenders now trying to cover Flynn, Kevin Love is wide open at the top of the key and Flynn does a good job of hitting him with the pass.

4

Nobody gets to Love in time to bother his shot, so he is able to knock it down, clinching the game.  Here is the play in real time:

Hayes and Lowry don’t communicate with each other here, and that is what hurts them on this play.  One of two things needed to happen here.  Either Hayes should have let Lowry know he was switching or Lowry should have let Hayes know that he got through the screen and no switch was needed.  Instead, one defender does one thing while the other does something else, leaving Love wide open.

09
Feb 2011
POSTED BY Sebastian Pruiti
POSTED IN 4th Quarters Defense Houston Rockets Minnesota Timberwolves
DISCUSSION 7 Comments
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  • Kamron

    The screen may not have been very good, but Lowry was on Flynn's back- if Hayes recovered to Love before the pass, Flynn gets into the lane. And Flynn kinda fouled Lowry, holding his arm out to keep him on his backside a little longer.

    Flynn is not exactly a dangerous outside shooter, so Im wondering about the virtues of going under the screen, esp when it's run in a N-S direction like this & gets the defender stuck on his back. ld also fault Lowry for not even getting a hand up to bother the pass. But I don't see a thing Hayes couldve done, unless he failed to communicate something.

  • Kamron

    The screen may not have been very good, but Lowry was on Flynn’s back- if Hayes recovered to Love before the pass, Flynn gets into the lane. And Flynn kinda fouled Lowry, holding his arm out to keep him on his backside a little longer.

    Flynn is not exactly a dangerous outside shooter, so Im wondering about the virtues of going under the screen, esp when it’s run in a N-S direction like this & gets the defender stuck on his back. ld also fault Lowry for not even getting a hand up to bother the pass. But I don’t see a thing Hayes couldve done, unless he failed to communicate something.

  • Patrick

    Last paragraph… “no” should've been “know”.

    Maybe I'm just pissy because the Rockets lost to the Timberwolves at home.

  • Anonymous

    Last paragraph… “no” should’ve been “know”.

    Maybe I’m just pissy because the Rockets lost to the Timberwolves at home.

  • Guest

    Battier should have rotated on to Love. Not that it's primarily Battier's fault, but that was the right defensive play to make after the initial breakdown.

  • Guest

    Battier should have rotated on to Love. Not that it’s primarily Battier’s fault, but that was the right defensive play to make after the initial breakdown.

  • Guest

    Battier should have rotated on to Love. Not that it's primarily Battier's fault, but that was the right defensive play to make after the initial breakdown.