One of the posts I had planned to do today was looking at James Jones and how he was able to get so many clean looks. However, there was so much quality content on this topic, that it didn’t make sense to duplicate the great work done. So I figured I’d link to the great work done by Kevin Arnovitz at the Heat Index and Chris Forsberg at ESPNBoston.
Definitely head over there and check out their thoughts/breakdown of how James Jones was allowed to be the X-factor in game one.
NBA Playbook was founded almost a year ago on January 3rd of 2010. It has been a pretty wild ride for the site, and I thought that a nice way to finish up 2010 is to look at the top 5 posts of the year. This isn’t going to be my favorite 5 posts, but the top 5 posts in terms of traffic:
1) The Lakers’ Triangle Offense
I am glad this ended up as #1, because it definitely was one of my favorite posts of the year to research and actually get done.
2) The Lakers Defend A Thunder Go-To Play Perfectly
Because this is a top 10 in terms of web traffic, there are going to be some Lakers’ posts here. This one takes a look at how the Lakers were able to stop a play that the Celtics were unable to.
3) The Lakers Turn Carlos Boozer Into A Decision Maker
Lakers post, combined with the playoffs.
4) Overseas Scouting Report: Timofey Mozgov
When the New York Knicks signed the young Russian center, nobody really knew about his game. I decided to watch a few of his Russian league games and come up with a scouting report.
5) What Allows A Point Guard To Be Effective In The Post?
Was really surprised to see this post in the top 5, but it was one of my favorites to work on. Looks at the post up game of Chauncey Billups and Andre Miller.
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I also wanted to say thanks for the support over the past year, 2011 should be just as good (if not better) here at NBA Playbook.
This week, my post over at Basketball Prospectus took a look at Jason Richardson and the many different ways that the Phoenix Suns use him:
Phoenix’s Jason Richardson might be one of the most complete offensive players in the NBA, at least in terms of being able to do a number of different things. He can knock down the three ball, play with his back to the basket, and he can jump out of the building. In Richardson’s second full season with the Suns, it is appears that the team is getting a feel for his abilities and they are really embracing it. The Suns are moving Richardson around and using him in a number of situations, and Richardson has really been benefiting.
So far this year, Richardson has put up a Win Percentage (Win %) of 60.5 and an Offensive Rating (ORtg) of 109.1, both numbers are highs in his time with the Suns. In addition, Richardson has a WARP of 2.5, which is good for 28th in the NBA. He is doing all of this while putting up better True Shooting Percentage (TS%) and Effective Field Goal Percentage (eFG%).
For some reason, I am a big Jason Richardson fan, so it is nice to see him being so successful in a few different areas on the offensive end.
It has been a little slow over here today (Some issues with LPBB and a new Mac leading to a lack of productivity), but the latest edition of The Clipboard, my weekly series on Basketball Prospectus is up, so check it out. Here is a quick taste:
Sitting seventh in the Eastern Conference at 9-9, the Indiana Pacers might be the most surprising team in the NBA as the first quarter of the NBA season comes to a close. While the Pacers have seen great improvement from guys like Roy Hibbert and Josh McRoberts, there is just one reason why the Pacers are now in a position to make a play for the playoffs: Defense.
The Pacers rank eighth in the NBA in Defensive Rating, having allowed 105.3 points per 100 possessions. The Pacers’ biggest strength on the defensive end is protecting the paint and the area around it. Opponents’ shooting percentages in the three shot locations inside 15 feet (according to HoopData.com) are all below the league average. They are holding opponents to 58.7 percent shooting at the rim (2nd in the NBA), 41.1 percent shooting from less than 10 feet (sixth in the NBA), and 28.5 percent shooting from 10 to 15 feet (which leads the league). The main reason Pacers are able to protect the paint because they do a great job defending opponents’ post-ups and pick-and-rolls.
If you click over there you will find all the video and picture goodness that you have come to expect from these. So head on over, check it out, and let me know what you guys think.
If the MonStars were to come back today and steal the talents of Brandon Jennings, Paul Pierce, Carmelo Anthony, Dwight Howard, and Yao Ming what offense would you have them run?
Not a question you get often, but that is what I found in my inbox a couple of days ago from Beckley Mason, the man behind the fantastic blog HoopSpeak.com (I also have to had that HoopSpeak is the latest fantastic addition to the TrueHoop Network).
This question is an interesting way to look at how coaches develop offensive systems based on what their GM gives them. I recommend clicking over and taking a look.
Yesterday, I talked about whether or not teams should foul up three. Today, Kyle Weidie of the great TrueHoop Network Wizards blog Truth About It decided to go to the players and get their take on it:
Eight seconds left in the game. Your team is up three points, having just hit two free-throws making the score 90-87. Your opponent must go the length of the court, i.e., no timeouts left in the NBA or a regular made basket scenario in college.
Do you foul and put your opponent on the line for two-free throws (no fouls to give/in double-bonus)?
Or do you play straight-up defense, allowing the other team a chance to tie the game with a three?
Opponent can be a factor, and that did come up when I posed this basketball strategy question to several Wizards before Sunday’s Nets game: Mike Miller, Quinton Ross, Cedric Jackson, James Singleton, Al Thornton, Randy Foye, Cartier Martin and JaVale McGee.
Head over to the site and check out the video. Some real interesting stuff there.
I was actually going to do a post on this, but I was beaten to the punch by Kevin Arnovitz. In a post for the Lakers blog Land O’Lakers, Arnovitz looks at what caused the Lakers’ fourth quarter meltdown. In my opinion, Kevin Arnovitz is the best on the net when it comes to breaking down Xs and Os, so you should definitely head over there and watch (even if you aren’t a Spurs or Lakers fan). I guarantee you will learn something new.
Sorry about no post today, but I couldn’t get my hands on any quality video. I will make it up to you with some extra stuff Monday, but for now head over to The No-Look Pass, where I participated in their podcast (which is called the Chronicles Of Crotty). Some real good stuff over there:
Click Here!
Jesse Blanchard of 48 Minutes Of Hell took a very interesting look at the garbage time from the Spurs’ game against Houston on Friday. Blanchard’s reason for examining garbage time was because it was on of the few times Malik Hairston and Ian Mahinmi got extended run in a meaningful game. Here is an excerpt of the analysis:
Fans have been clamoring for an extended look at the Toros “Big Two” (their “Big Three” ended when the Spurs released Marcus Williams) for some time now, but did these performances merit an extended look?
Hairston is probably further along than Mahinmi in gaining a rotation spot, though one can still see why Popovich still hasn’t inserted him into the rotation. His team and pick and roll defense were exploited twice for backdoor cuts and once for a three-pointer.
Still, the Rockets isolated one of the league’s better scorers, Martin, on Hairston five times and came away with no points. Martin is considered an efficient scorer, even though his field goal percentage (9-24) can be terrible, because he can hit threes in bunches and gets to the free throw line.
Martin was 14-14 for the game from the line and the starting backcourt of Hill (6 fouls) and Bogans (four fouls in 14 minutes) each spent time on Martin contributing to that. Hairston, meanwhile, had Martin five times without fouling (no matter how hard Martin tried to draw one, or how bad he looked).
That is just a small part of such a fascinating post, so I highly recommend that you head over and read the full thing.
Also, this gives me a chance to let you guys know if you write/come across a Xs and Os post, don’t be afraid to send it over to me. Sebastian@nbaplaybook.com.
Both games yesterday kind of stunk, with neither really being close late. And now that we are at the All-Star break, there isn’t really much to talk about. That doesn’t mean there isn’t any great basketball posts out there. Today, the site Basketball Free For All did a great post on the League’s Best Shooters. Here is a little taste:
Discussions of great shooters ultimately lead to a few questions. Who is the better shooter now? Who has been the better shooter over the course of their career? And how does the better of the two shooters stack up against some of the other historically great shooters of the three point era? And what can we learn about the players from looking at the numbers?
Ray Allen versus Steve Nash
They are often referred to as natural shooters ostensibly because they have some innate abilities that allow them to shoot the ball at an exceptional clip. But that is only part of the story. Both Ray and Steve are renowned for their work ethic and their practice routines. Allen routinely knocks down 247 out of 250 shots before every game and credits a lot of his practice work ethic to his college coach at UConn, Jim Calhoun. Nash credits his work ethic during practices and the offseason as one of the primary reasons he was even able to be successful in the League, as he wasn’t blessed with extraordinary athleticism or size that is normally a prerequisite for NBA hopefuls.
Check it out. Real, real good stuff.
