From now until the start of the NBA season later this month, we are going to be running our season previews. Each day, we are going to look at two teams and talk about one thing they did well last year and one thing that they did poorly last year. Then, we are going to talk about the chances of maintaining what they did well/changing what they did poorly. In this edition we will look at the Cleveland Cavaliers.
One Thing They Did Well
Using Off Ball Screens
The Cleveland Cavs were incredibly efficient on offense, and a lot of it had to do with LeBron James. The Cavs were most effective were when they were using off the ball screens. According to Synergy, the Cavs were 2nd in the NBA in terms of PPP when working off of screens while shooting 43.2% from three.
The main reason why the Cavs were so effective in this area was LeBron James, even though he wasn’t the one doing a bulk of the scoring off of screens. However, he was the one setting everything up. In the above clip, every defender has their eyes focused on LeBron, this allows for the screener to get into position, getting a solid one set for Anthony Parker.
From now until the start of the NBA season later this month, we are going to be running our season previews. Each day, we are going to look at two teams and talk about one thing they did well last year and one thing that they did poorly last year. Then, we are going to talk about the chances of maintaining what they did well/changing what they did poorly. In this edition we will look at the Chicago Bulls.
One Thing They Did Well
Defend The Post
Last season, the Chicago Bulls were one of the best teams in the NBA when it came to defending the post. This was interesting because of who their big men are. Sure Joakim Noah is a strong post defender, but he tends to be undersized. They you have Taj Gibson and Brad Miller. So what the Bulls like to do is send double teams, and their timing of these doubles is why they succeeded.
The Bulls never came right on the catch, where a big man could kick the ball out. They always seemed to time their double when the big man seemed committed to making a move to the hoop, or where a kick out pass was impossible:
From now until the start of the NBA season later this month, we are going to be running our season previews. Each day, we are going to look at two teams and talk about one thing they did well last year and one thing that they did poorly last year. Then, we are going to talk about the chances of maintaining what they did well/changing what they did poorly. In this edition we will look at the Charlotte Bobcats.
One Thing They Did Well
Closing Out On Shooters
The Charlotte Bobcats were one of the best defensive team’s in the NBA no matter how you define “best.” According to Synergy, they were tied for 1st (with Boston) in opposing points per possession, and Hoopdata.com has them tied (with Orlando) for first with a 100.2. The Bobcats really excelled holding opponents to low shooting percentage, especially from the three point line. The Bobcats were 6th in opponent shooting percentage (holding teams to 44.8% shooting),and 2nd in opponent three point shooting percentage (holding teams to33.8% shooting from behind the three point line).
The main reason behind their success in this area was the fact that they close out on shooters very well. In my opinion, the best way to determine how a team closes out is to look how teams defend spot up jumpers. According to Synergy, the Bobcats were the best team in the league when it came to “Spot Up” situations, holding opponents to .93 points per possession on just 36.7% shooting (and just 34.8% from the three point line). Part of the reason they are able to close out well is that they have a lot of long armed athletes on their roster:
From now until the start of the NBA season later this month, we are going to be running our season previews. Each day, we are going to look at two teams and talk about one thing they did well last year and one thing that they did poorly last year. Then, we are going to talk about the chances of maintaining what they did well/changing what they did poorly. Today we are going to be looking at the Boston Celtics.
One Thing They Did Well
Trusting Each Other On The Defensive End
According to Synergy’s points per possession system, the Boston Celtics were the best defense in the entire NBA last year, allowing just 0.87 points per possession. A lot of this comes down to trust on that end of the court. Trust is incredibly important on the defensive end of the court especially when it comes to knowing where everyone is on the court. Knowing where the help is during ISO situations is important because it allows for increased ball pressure:
In the above clip, Paul Pierce (who isn’t really noted for his foot speed) is able to pressure up on the man he is covering, Carmelo Anthony, because he trusts that his teammates will be in perfect help position (which they are). Anthony picks up his dribble, and Paul Pierce is able to force the turnover.
So why is that trust there? Because when Celtic defenders do get beat off the dribble, the help seems to always be there:
Here, Nate Robinson is beat off the dribble by Deron Williams, but the Celtics are still able to force the turnover when the help defense steps in to take the charge.
From now until the start of the NBA season later this month, we are going to be running our season previews. Each day, we are going to look at two teams and talk about one thing they did well last year and one thing that they did poorly last year. Then, we are going to talk about the chances of maintaining what they did well/changing what they did poorly. To start the series, we are going to look at the Atlanta Hawks.
One Thing They Did Well
Offensive Efficiency
According to Hoopdata.com, the Atlanta Hawks were the third best team in the NBA in terms of offensive efficiency. The Hawks scored 108.9 points per every 100 possessions (for what it is worth, Basketball-Reference has the Hawks ranked 2nd scoring 111.9 points per every 100 possessions), and the reason behind this is the fact that they took care of the basketball. The Hawks simply did not turn the basketball over much during the 2009-2010 season, posting a turnover rate of 11.36, lowest in the NBA. Less turnovers means more shot opportunities for the offense, and more shots means more chances to score.
Where the Hawks were at their best (at least in my opinion) were when they were running their offense that involved screens off of the basketball. Atlanta ran 419 plays that involved screens off the basketball (that ended with a shot, free throws, or turnover), and they were able to post a .93 PPP which ranked them 5th in the NBA. They were able to get a look of open looks and open lanes for passes, which resulted in a low amount of turnovers (3.8% of possessions ended in turnovers):
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