For this week’s Savvy/Shabby at The Basketball JonesI take a look at two team’s strategies in late game situations:
For Savvy/Shabby this week, we are going to look at final possession play-calling. Specifically, teams that faced late game situations (with the basketball, game tied/trailing by 2 or 3 points) twice this week. The Phoenix Suns were successful both times they faced the situation this week, while the Heat failed both times they faced these late game situations.
A team’s performance after a timeout may be the best way to judge a coach’s Xs & Os knowledge, and his ability to draw up plays. The Clipboard Awards is a competition where I choose the top three post-timeout plays each night, adding up the scores over the course of the season.
Play 3 (1 Point) – Flip Saunders/Washington Wizards
This play starts with John Wall bringing the basketball up along the sideline. As that happens, Josh Howard sets a backscreen for Nick Young.
Young curls the screen at the block and sets a backscreen for Trevor Booker, who uses it to flash to the block.
Against the New Jersey Nets, the Phoenix Suns trailed by two points with 9.0 seconds left in overtime. On the road, coach Alvin Gentry decided to go for the win by setting up a three point play, and it was a solid play, but a mistake by Kris Humphries on top of the solid play is what really lead to the open shot for Channing Frye.
As soon as the ball goes to the trigger man, Grant Hill, Aaron Brooks dives to the corner. As soon as Brooks clears the area, Steve Nash comes off of a screen set by Channing Frye.
As Nash continues towards the basketball, Marcin Gortat sneaks in and sets a screen for Frye, who pops out behind the three point line.
In yesterday’s Phoenix Suns-Dallas Mavericks games, we had two teams that like to use off ball screens to try and free up their shooters. This puts a ton of pressure on the defense, and one way defenses can try to counter this type of offense is by playing over the top, not allowing the shooter to actually come off of the screen. It works, however this opens up something, a simple backdoor cut and both teams were able to take advantage of this:
On this play, the Suns are trying to run a staggered screen Mickael Pietrus, however DeShawn Stevenson is really overplaying Pietrus over the top. Instead of trying to use the screen, Pietrus takes a jab step that way (as if he is wants to use the screen) and quickly cuts backdoor with Nash hitting him for the wide open lay-up.
A team’s performance after a timeout may be the best way to judge a coach’s Xs & Os knowledge, and his ability to draw up plays. The Clipboard Awards is a competition where I choose the top three post-timeout plays each night, adding up the scores over the course of the season.
Play 1 (3 Points) – Alvin Gentry/Phoenix Suns
This set starts with Steve Nash bringing up the basketball, and as that happens, Robin Lopez shows as if he is setting a ball screen for Nash.
However, at the last second Lopez turns around and ends up setting a pindown screen for Vince Carter. Carter curls off of the screen and gets a pass from Nash.
With his team trailing the Phoenix Suns by two points, Jazz head coach Ty Corbin had his first chance to draw up an important late second play. What coach Corbin came up with was a pretty solid quick hitting play (with 7 seconds left, it needed to be a quick hitting play), and at first it looked like it was going to result in a wide open lay-up/dunk. However, a great heads up play and rotation by the Suns’ two weakside defenders prevented the Jazz from getting the game tying basket and helped secure the 1 point win (after a meaningless buzzer beater three by the Jazz).
As the ball goes to the trigger man, you have Paul Millsap at the elbow and Deron Williams on the block. We see this set up on the sideline from plenty of NBA teams, and usually what happens is the big at the elbow sets a screen for the PG, and he runs off of it to get the ball at the top of the key. The Jazz switch things around and they have Williams setting a backscreen for Millsap.
A team’s performance after a timeout may be the best way to judge a coach’s Xs & Os knowledge, and his ability to draw up plays. The Clipboard Awards is a competition where I choose the top three post-timeout plays each night, adding up the scores over the course of the season.
Play #3 (1 point)- Alvin Gentry/Phoenix Suns
This play is a nice variation of the Jason Richardson set that the Suns used to run and tried to run for Vince Carter. After making the pass to the wing, Steve Nash cuts through the lane. Once he gets to his spot, Nash quickly turns around and sets a backscreen for Marcin Gortat. Gortat comes off of the backscreen and as the defense tries to figure out whether to switch or not, he finishes the lob.
A team’s performance after a timeout may be the best way to judge a coach’s Xs & Os knowledge, and his ability to draw up plays. The Clipboard Awards is a competition where I choose the top three post-timeout plays each night, adding up the scores over the course of the season.
Play #3 (1 point)- Alvin Gentry/Phoenix Suns
This right here is a nice quick hitting play. It looks like Channing Frye is setting up to run a pick and roll with Nash, but at the last second he cuts through and gets a double screen on the block. After a dribble handoff to Grant Hill, Hill is able to hit a wide open Frye for the easy jumper.
In last week’s edition of Savvy/Shabby, we looked at successful and not so successful play calls. Today, we are going to look at decisions made by individual players. The good, coming from Grant Hill, who makes a quick decision on a sideline inbounds pass that leads to a dunk. As for the bad, we are going to look at a poor decision made by LeBron James late in their loss to the Atlanta Hawks last night.
When people think about the Phoenix Suns, they think about the Pick and Roll, three point shooting, and transition offense. What doesn’t get talked about is their set offenses which are really very good. Alvin Gentry has done a real good job with this Suns team, and against the Knicks, the Suns were able to break out a nice set to get Channing Frye a wide open jumper at the free throw line coming off of an off-ball screen. A real nice screen the screener set that seemed to confuse the Knicks’ defense:
The play starts with Steve Nash getting the ball to Jared Dudley on the wing and then cutting through to the corner. Once Dudley gets the basketball, Marcin Gortat flashes to the three point line to make himself available for the pass.
