Torrid. Unconscious. Hot. All words that could be used to describe the Heat’s shooting performance in against the Spurs last night. Miami rained down hellfire from everywhere on the court to the tune of a 71-35 second half throttling that left San Antonio shell-shocked. However, lost in that offensive eruption was another sterling effort by the Heat defense.

Perhaps embarrassed by allowing 63 points in the first half, Miami put on a defensive display in the third quarter that, in combination with their torrid shooting, engineered a 27 point swing. In a period very similar to one we wrote on a few weeks back, they allowed a mere 12 points and forced a gaggle of turnovers. As we’ll soon see, the Heat had stretches where they made it difficult for the Spurs to even get a shot off, much less make one.

In perhaps an ominous start, the very first possession of the quarter ends in a turnover. Tony Parker runs off a double stagger set by DeJuan Blair and Richard Jefferson. As Parker curls, Chris Bosh is forced to show high to contest a quick mid-range shot, this leaves Blair open momentarily. Before Parker can deliver the pass, not one, but two Heat defenders rotate onto Blair and end up tipping the ball back to Bosh for a steal.

Just a few trips later, a poor pass from LeBron leads to a quick run-out by San Antonio. Parker pushes hard but is cut off and forced to dribble back outside the arc in a great effort by Bosh. However, due to the quick transition push, Bosh is forced to stay matched up with Parker. The first thing you’ll notice is the subtle positioning of Mario Chalmers on the play.

Chalmers basically switches assignments with Bosh and covers one of the bigs (Blair first, then Tim Duncan). Due to Blair/Duncan’s inability to stretch the floor from 3, Chalmers slides across the paint and sits in help on the strongside block, discouraging Parker from attacking Bosh on the isolated side of the floor. Parker is forced to try and reverse the ball only to receive it back and try to take on Bosh near the end of the shot clock. The result is a contested long-two that draws only back iron.

The next play is an absolutely perfect rotation by Miami on a dangerous screening action involving Gary Neal. Neal receives screens from both Duncan and Blair along the baseline as he heads toward the ballside corner. Whether due to great scouting or great focus (or a combination of both), the Heat shut this play down without a hitch.

Anthony, guarding Duncan, kicks out to the corner to contest Neal’s shot attempt while his defender, James Jones, fights through the screens. Bosh, guarding Blair on the opposite block, rushes over to defend Duncan and take away a quick dump-in and finish. James then crashes down hard on Blair while Chalmers fills the middle of the paint as the shot goes up. Due to a bad miss, the ball bounces long and the Spurs get the offensive rebound, but it doesn’t take away from a perfectly executed defensive rotation.

With Miami fully engaged on the defensive end of the floor, the beginning turning up the heat on the Spurs (bad pun intended). At this point, San Antonio is still clinging to a four point lead as Duncan hits Parker with a pass on the right wing. He chases his pass with a ball screen that Anthony and Chalmers string out. Chalmers does a great job of getting his hands on an attempted throw back pass.
That deflection leaves rookie Kawhi Leonard with the ball 35 feet from the basket with only seven seconds left on the shot clock. Leonard passes to Blair who forces up a wild shot that doesn’t draw iron (thus being a shot-clock violation), but due to an error on the reset, the Spurs get the ball back after an ensuing scramble with the shot clock at 2.7 seconds. The result ends up being same the same as Miami forces Neal into a wild floater that hits nothing but backboard. Here is the play:

A few possessions after that excellent defensive stand, James nails a 3 that put Miami ahead 69-68, a lead they would never relinquish. In the next video, you’ll see that three out of the next five San Antonio possessions ended in turnovers. An Anthony steal, a Jones steal and finally, a flustered Duncan simply throws the ball away on a simple reversal pass. The Spurs body language walking back toward the bench at the timeout says it all.

The Heat’s offensive fireworks will get all the headlines today, but it is important to note that it was the defensive effort that got things started. Unlike last night’s shooting bonanza, Miami’s defensive performance is repeatable. After all, this isn’t the only time this season they have thoroughly dismantled a team on that end of the floor. So while Miami currently sits at seventh in Hollinger’s defensive efficiency rankings, it is quarters like the third last night that frighten rival GMs and coaches around the league most. Wade or no Wade, if Miami can bring this type of sustained effort on the defensive end on a consistent basis, the Larry O’Brien trophy will be taking its talents to South Beach this June.

Follow @BKoremenos

Here’s a look at what the Grizzlies game showed us about the improving Knicks defense.

LeBron and the Heat’s gaudy offensive numbers may get all the headlines, but the Heat defense is beginning to operate with devastating efficiency. Even without Dwyane Wade, the Heat, thanks to their defense, still had no problems defeating one of the East’s better teams at home last night. While this season’s Pacers aren’t exactly the second-coming of the 2005 Suns, the real story of the previous night’s tilt was how Miami’s D simply dismantled the Pacers’ offense in the second quarter.

Much of the Heat’s defensive success is attributed to their athleticism, as it should be given Wade and James are two of the most athletic players in the league. Mario Chalmers and Chris Bosh certainly rank near the top of that category for their respective positions as well. However, not enough credit is given to the intelligence, activity and grit the rest of this current Heat roster shows, especially with Shane Battier on board and Udonis Haslem healthy. That combination, under the guidance of head coach Erik Spoelstra, should have the Heat challenging for the title of “Best Defensive Team” come year’s end. While taking a look at last night’s second quarter, we’ll see they are well on their way.

With James on the bench to start the quarter, the Miami has a lineup of Bosh, Haslem, Battier, Jones, and rookie Norris Cole on the floor. The first play we’ll see starts with a high, flat ball screen between George Hill and Tyler Hansbrough. The Heat defend it by corralling (basically a soft trap-like action) Hill with the screener’s defender (Haslem) and the on-ball defender (Cole).

Behind the play, Bosh rotates off Lou Amundson and picks up Hansbrough as he slides toward the paint after screening. The other two Heat defenders of the floor (Battier and James Jones) zone up on the three Pacers on the weakside (Battier dropping low on Amundson in the short corner to prevent an easy look at the rim with Jones playing between two Pacers spotting up on the perimeter).

Hill looks to defeat the trap by passing over the top of it to Hansbrough. Thanks to Bosh’s quick rotation, Hansbrough can’t make an immediate attack on the rim and instead looks to move the ball opposite. Jones, playing the role of free safety to perfection, positions himself between his two offensive threats and denies an obvious passing lane. Battier sits on Amundson near the block until Haslem, switching assignments with Bosh, who was originally guarding Amundson, recovers back to him.

The end result of all this defensive activity is the ball being forced back out top and the Pacers essentially having to restart their offense with nine seconds on the shot clock. After a deflection on a skip toward the weakside, Shane Battier’s on-ball defense results in a travel from Lance Stephenson. After all that exhaustive mental imagery, here is a visual of the play:

The next clip is perhaps the Heat’s finest defensive possession of the game. For starters, both Battier and Cole do an impressive job guarding the ball. Battier recovers nicely through a ballscreen while Cole takes away a middle penetration on a difficult closeout against Hill filling behind the Amundson’s roll toward the hoop.

The final thing to notice is Haslem’s activity on the play. On the second pick and roll, he rotates across the lane to pick up the dive man (Amundson) then sprints back across the court to get into a position to contain dribble penetration off a third Pacer ballscreen. Battier finishes off the play by switching onto the roll man (David West) and forcing him into a tough, contested shot. Here is the video:

While not every Heat defensive possession was executed that well, they were certainly of high quality. Here is a brief three edit reel of three other top notch Miami defensive stands in the second quarter that all resulted in turnovers:

In the end, Indiana ended the quarter with only three more points than turnovers (12 to 9) and mustered only one made field goal (a Louis Amundson dunk on a late rotation by Heat rookie Norris Cole). It was perhaps the final play of the quarter that added an exclamation point to their dominating, 12-minute performance. Check it out:

Watch out NBA. It looks like the new-fangled Heat offense isn’t the only thing you need to worry about in 2012.

Follow Brett on Twitter

For those that don’t know, I’m originally from Kansas in a small town called Parsons. Home to Detroit Lions back-up QB Shaun Hill, my favorite college basketball coach Bill Guthridge, and actress ZaSu Pitts.  Now, I know what you’re thinking, who in the hell is ZaSu Pitts and is she also in that new movie New Year’s Eve with the rest of Hollywood?  Who is ZaSu you ask?  This is who .

She was a good actress that added value to the movies she was in. She brought her strength, comedy, to every one. She knew her role and played it well. Not many remember her name they way they do other stars of her era and let’s face it, they really shouldn’t.

So why am I brining up ZaSu Pitts in a post about basketball? For two reasons; first because Mario Chalmers is the ZaSu Pitts of the Miami Heat and second, well, because I can. Just like Pitts, Chalmers will never be confused with someone who wins a “Best Actor/Actress” award, but can certainly play a role in a great cinematic adventure and play it well. Chalmers as a player is like Pitts as an actress, he brings exactly what the Heat need from him; defense. On a team stacked with headlining talent in the form of Dwyane Wade and LeBron James, Chalmers’ defense on-ball and ability to help Miami transition quickly from a defense stop to an offensive attack leads to even more easy points for a team that already has a leg up in the scoring department.

Last season, Chalmers finished in the top 40 in steals among guards. Much of this can be attributed to great hand-eye coordination and a desire to attack lazy passes with unmatched vigor. He seems to get his hands on passes he shouldn’t, resulting in an abundance of deflected passes, something he may well be leading the league in this season. Take a look at his at the video below to see Mario show off his ball-hawking skills.

What’s similar about all three clips above is that as soon as the ball is deflected or turned over, it’s immediately pushed up court, something that Heat coach Erik Spoelstra has preached more than ever this season. According to Synergy, the Heat were No. 1 in transition offense in 2010-2011 with a PPP of 1.002. That number can certainly be attributed to having two of the best players in the league on the team (but some credit should be given to Chalmers for his role in pushing the pace looking to get the ball in the hands of Wade or James). Transition offense all starts on the defensive end of the floor, so it is imperative that Heat defenders play aggressive, harrassing defense on and off the ball. Chalmers isolation defense last year was near the top third according to Synergy last season, a rank that while not great, definitely helps Miami accomplish their goals. Here is a look at Chalmers’ aggressive on-ball defense leading to a run-out on the other end:

In the above clip, Chalmers plays excellent on-ball defense. He fights over the screen, pushing Kidd to the baseline and allowing the defense to rotate into position. Chalmers stays body-to-body with Kidd as he goes towards the wing/baseline and keeps his hands low, knowing the pass will be entered into the low post. One thing that Chalmers does well is mirror the ball. By keeping his hands active and shadowing the ball, Super Mario makes it tough any passer, or in this particular case, the venerable Jason Kidd, who is forced into a turnover. Chalmers makes things even harder on Dallas by pushing the ball ahead to a sprinting James without hesitation.

That quick push is something that gives Heat opponents nightmares. Anytime Wade and James are off the ball, they are always ready to break out quickly after any turnover. Watch how fast those two transition from defense to offense after Chalmers relieves the Spurs Tony Parker of the ball.

Let’s face it, the Heat have shown that this type off offense is terrifyingly spectactular. Awesome dunks aside, this is truly a team effort, with Chalmers sometimes leading the way. According to Hoopdata, Miami finished in the top 5 last year in Defensive Efficiency (100.7). This number is a reflection of a team defensive effort, a primary reason the Heat made the Finals last year. With the emergence of Norris Cole, Chalmers defensive impact might be mitigated but if Mario can build on what he’s shown thus far, his supporting role in the Heat’s feature film will be secure for years to come.

After the Boston Celtics scored a two points with the help of two Paul Pierce free throws, tying the score at 80, Boston scored just 11 points in the final 7:10 of the fourth quarter including a stretch where the Celtics didn’t score for three minutes and fifty seconds.  This stretch is what turned a close game into a blowout, with Miami pulling away.

Even though there was some strange playcalling, the Miami Heat deserve a lot of credit for digging in and playing fantastic defense.  This defense involved strong help defense and a unique strategy to prevent Rajon Rondo’s dribble penetration.

Curious Playcalling

While Miami’s defense stole the show, Boston did contribute to their drought with some odd playcalling choices early in this stretch:

After Pierce’s two free throws, Glen Davis wound up taking the next two shots.  Now, the fact that he was taking wasn’t the problem.  The problem was that these weren’t typical Glen Davis shots where he was the third option on a set, got an offensive rebound, or was playing off of the Big three.  These were designed plays where Davis was the primary option.

The first play, Boston dumps the ball into Davis and clears out, running an ISO for him, and he eventually misses the shot.  The second play is an off ball screen ran for Davis, allowing him to cut to the block, get the ball, and go up with the shot that is blocked.

Read more…

In their series against the Dallas Mavericks, the Portland Trailblazers got absolutely destroyed by Dallas’ pick and roll.  Case in point, according to Synergy Sports Technology, Dirk Nowitzki had the highest points per possession of any roll man with at least 10 possessions.  Nowitzki 1.32 points per possession when he was the roll man on screens, shooting 68.8%.  Now, normally Nowitzki hurt Portland when he was popping (something he did 77% this series), but in game six, he hurt Portland by rolling to the rim after his man hedged out on him:

On this play, Jason Terry gets the basketball and Dirk Nowitzki comes over and sets a ballscreen for him.  Earlier in the series (and this game even), the Blazers were switching this screen and struggling to stop it.  So here, the Blazers are going to try and hedge the screen.  LaMarcus Aldridge takes a big step out as Nicolas Batum (the man defending Terry) works over the screen.

Read more…

After a call to reverse a backcourt violation (which was the correct decision), the Oklahoma City Thunder were up by one point on the Denver Nuggets with just 5 seconds left on the shot clock.  Eventually, Kevin Durant was able to hit an open pull up jumper that put the Thunder up three points.  Durant was able to get open because of a poor decision made by the Nuggets:

As the ball goes to the trigger man, you have Russell Westbrook standing in the backcourt along the sideline, with Kevin Durant standing right at midcourt.  Westbrook sprints right in front of James Harden’s face, and as that happens, Durant flashes to the backcourt.  Wilson Chandler, the man covering Durant, is trying to deny him the full length of the court, so he stays with  him.

With Chandler denying Durant, Durant now has the freedom to cut backdoor, which is exactly what he does, leaving Chandler behind.

Read more…

After all of the great plays in the final seconds of the fourth quarter, there was still basketball to be played.  In overtime, the Spurs found themselves up by two points with 39.3 seconds left.  Needing a stop, the Spurs were able to do something that they couldn’t do all series up until then, keep the ball out of Zach Randolph’s hands:

The play starts with Mike Conley cutting off of Zach Randolph to make himself available for the inbounds pass from Shane Battier.

Read more…

When the Memphis Grizzlies tanked to get the San Antonio Spurs, it was safe to say that I didn’t really agree with the opinion.  In fact, I predicted that the Spurs would run away with the series in a sweep.  The biggest reason why I thought that there was going to be sweep was because I thought that the Spurs offensive system of getting the ball to the middle and kicking it out would cause problems for the Grizzlies’ defense.

At this point, it is safe to say that I was wrong.  I don’t know if it was my overestimating of the Spurs’ offense or underestimating of the Grizzlies’ defense, but I obviously didn’t think that the Grizzlies could contain the Spurs.  After seeing four games in this series, I think it has become obvious that the Grizzlies are really good at defending passing lanes, taking away what the Spurs want to do, get the ball in the corner and knock down the three point shot.

Game four was more of the same for the Grizzlies:

This camera angle gives us a perfect view of the Grizzlies and their defensive strategy against the Spurs.  Here, Parker goes away from the screen and attacks the rim.  Most defenses would collapse, giving up an open three to Matt Bonner.  Instead of doing that, Zach Randolph stays in the passing lane, taking away the pass to the corner as Mike Conley and Marc Gasol defend Parker at the rim.  The Grizzlies are funneling everything back to the middle of the court, where they can rotate and challenge the jumper.

Read more…