When the Dallas Mavericks broke out their staggered ball screens in game two, it game the Miami Heat a world of trouble, as they were able to score 8 points in 4 possessions on 75% shooting.  While we didn’t really see the play in game three, the Dallas Mavericks used it again in game four, and it is obvious that the play is still giving the Heat trouble.  In my post about Dallas’ pick and roll adjustment, we saw that the Mavericks ran their double staggered ball screens twice, scoring 5 points.  When rewatching the possessions, you can see that Miami is still searching for a way to stop this set:

The play starts with Dirk Nowitzki and Tyson Chandler setting screens for J.J. Barea.  On this particular possession, the Miami Heat try to hedge off of the second screener (Nowitzki in this case) as Barea’s man (Mario Chalmers) fights over the staggered ball screens.  The problem with hedging off of Nowitzki is that you don’t want to leave him and give him too much space.  So instead of the hard hedges you normally see from Joel Anthony and the Miami Heat, Anthony just steps out in the hopes of keeping Barea from getting around him.

Barea is too quick and he is able to get by Anthony and then in position to attack the paint.  With Barea attacking the rim, Chris Bosh (the man defending Tyson Chandler) is forced to step up and take away the dribble penetration.  With Mike Miller now forced to defend both Chandler and DeShawn Stevenson, Chandler is able to step in and set a screen on Miller.

Barea does a great job of spotting the open man and hitting Stevenson with the pass.  Stevenson makes the catch and knocks down the open three.  Here is the play in real time:

Anthony’s hesitation to leave Dirk Nowitzki open really puts the defense at a disadvantage here.  His hedge is completely ineffective and it allows Barea to get in the lane and draw help defense.

After getting a three point shot in the second quarter, the Mavericks put their staggered ball screen in their pocket and didn’t break it out again until the 4th quarter:

On this staggered ball screen, Dirk is now setting the first screen for Jason Terry as Tyson Chandler is the second screener.  Once again, the Miami Heat try to hedge off of Dirk Nowitzki, this time sending Udonis Haslem out to put pressure on the basketball.  Nowitzki quickly reads it and releases to the corner, essentially slipping the screen.

Now, look at the situation we now have here.  You have 7 of the ten players on the court above the free throw line (and 5 of the 10 players above the three point line).  The result is Dwyane Wade is now stuck in the middle trying to defend two players at the same time.  With DeShawn Steveson shooting the basketball well, Wade is a little hesitant to leave him to shade over towards Dirk Nowitzki.

Wade commits to Nowitzki as soon as he makes the catch, but by then it is too late and Wade can’t get to Nowitzki before he gets airborne.

The contact in the air leads to the ref calling a foul on Wade and Nowitzki hits both free throws.  Here is the play in real time:

You can see the situation that Wade is put in here.  He doesn’t want to leave Stevenson, but he wants to help on Dirk.  In the end, he hesitates so much that he can’t get to Nowitzki in time, leading to the foul.

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You can expect to see the Mavericks continue to run this play until Miami can prove they can stop it.  One way they can start is by not hedging with Nowitzki’s man.  When they do that, they seem to put themselves at a disadvantage right off the bat.