With just 7 seconds left on the shot clock and 2:51 left in the game, the Miami Heat had the basketball on the baseline with a 2 point lead. Looking to get a good – but quick – look, the Heat decided to run a set play from the baseline. The result is one of my favorite set plays of the season:
The play starts with the Mismi Heat getting in a box formation, but instead of starting the bottom players on the blocks, they are up towards the elbow. As the ball goes to the trigger man, LeBron James, Mike Miller uses a screen set by Udonis Haslem to get to the corner. Because Miller was knocking his shot down this game, this action really draws the attention of the defense. Not only does Derrick Rose trails Miller over the top of the screen, but Carlos Boozer strays away from Haslem to beat Miller to the corner and take the pass away.
Lost in the Spurs’ overtime win and the defensive error from Shane Battier is the fact that the Grizzlies defense is still playing well against San Antonio’s pick and roll/kick out game. In the middle of the overtime period, we saw another great play from Memphis’ defense:
With possession of the basketball and a two point lead, the Spurs were looking to milk a little clock, allowing 10 seconds to burn off of the shot clock before they get into their offense. After flattening out, Antonio McDyess comes up and sets a screen for Tony Parker.
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.
The Chicago Bulls’ new pick and roll defense under head coach Tom Thibodeau is a topic that we have looked at a few different times over the course of this season. In Thibodeau’s system, he likes to have the defense “swarm” both the man coming off of the screen while having rotation to the roll man. With the Bulls trailing the Pacers by three points in overtime, they needed their pick and roll defense to get a stop if they wanted a chance to tie the game. A slight hesitation by Derrick Rose lead to a foul that not only extended the Pacers’ lead to 5, but fouled him out of the game:
After some time Paul George gets the ball at the top of the key with Josh McRoberts setting a screen for him. George uses the screen, with Kyle Korver going over the screen and Taj Gibson hedging out on George.
With Korver going over the screen and Gibson hedging out, you see the “swarm” taking place. After setting his screen, McRoberts rolls to the rim. It is Derrick Rose’s responsibility to dive in and defend McRoberts’ roll.
Against the Detroit Pistons, the Chicago Bulls were up one point with about 50 seconds left. They were looking to get themselves a basket and stretch their lead to three points, and by doing that, forcing Detroit into a situation where they need either a three pointer or two quick buckets. To get this done, the Bulls run a nice little set to get into a pick and roll. This leads to a defensive error, one that the Bulls react correctly to, leading to an easy lay-up:
As Derrick Rose brings the basketball up, Kurt Thomas comes from one elbow to set a screen for Carlos Boozer on the opposite elbow.
Boozer is going to use the screen to come to the top of the key and set a screen of his own for Derrick Rose.
After a broken play where Oklahoma City scored to put the Thunder up 1 with 5.0 seconds left, the Utah Jazz needed a basket coming out of a timeout, and Jerry Sloan sure didn’t disappoint. What happened afterwords (I am not even getting into it) shouldn’t take away from that:
The Jazz are set up in your standard box set coming out of a timeout. Usually, you will have your point guard come up from the low post off of a screen on the elbow. Instead, Carlos Boozer simply turns around, pins his man (Jeff Green) on his back, and makes the catch.
When the Bucks and the Grizzlies went into overtime, it was apparent that one player needed to step up if they wanted to get their team a win. That player ended up being Andrew Bogut, and it didn’t come from scoring the basketball.
With the Bucks up by 1, the Grizzlies set up and ran a very nice play. Mike Conley brought the basketball down and came off of a Marc Gasol screen. As this was happening Rudy Gay, who started in the corner, comes back to the middle of the floor to receive a dribble hand-off from Conley.
After the Wizards hit a three pointer to send the game into overtime, I thought that the Wizards were going to be able to use that momentum to steal the game from the Bobcats. However, the exact opposite happened as the Bobcats outscored the Wizards 13-4 in the final 5 minute period.
The key seemed to be the Bobcats willingness to attack the basket. The Bobcats seemed determined to get themselves inside the paint every possession of overtime. Each time, it resulted in one of two things; a trip to the foul line or an easy basket:
Possession 1 – Gerald Wallace Gets To The Line Using A Screen
On this play, the Bobcats set up what looks to be an ISO set for Gerald Wallace. At the last moment, Tyson Chandler comes up and sets a screen for Wallace. Wallace uses the screen and gets all the way to the rim, where he is fouled.
What makes the Magic so dangerous late in games is that they have so many options. You have Vince Carter, Dwight Howard, and Rashard Lewis for starters. Late in overtime against the Heat, all three played a pretty important role in taking a 3 point lead and making it 6.
The Magic run Vince Carter off of a screen set by Dwight Howard. Dwight is going to roll straight to the rim after setting the screen.
As Dwight starts his roll, Carter returns to the side he was on before he set the screen. Michael Beasley ends up sinking in the middle, to help defend Dwight Howard on the roll.
As Vince Carter rises up to pass, Michael Beasley is actually bodied up with Howard, and Jermaine O’Neal is stuck in no man’s land at the top of the key. That means that there is no defender near Rashard Lewis.
As Rashard Lewis rises up to shoot the three, you are left to wonder who made the mistake here. Was Michael Beasley’s help designed, or did he do it on his own? I tend to believe that he did it on his own because if this was schemed there would be at least some rotation to Lewis, but there is none.
As I said at the start of the post, this is what makes the Magic so dangerous. You have a very, very, very good big man in Dwight Howard that teams need to pay attention to. Then you have 4 guys who can knock down an outside shot, and that forces the defense to make a decision. Who are they going to leave to double Dwight. Here, they picked Rashard Lewis and ended up paying for it.
