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.
Last night during the Suns-Lakers game, we saw a play were Marcin Gortat tried to take a charge on a Matt Barnes drive in the fourth quarter, but had a foot planted in the restricted area:
Despite what many people were expecting, the foul was still called a charge. Matt Barnes was clearly upset, but this is the was the correct call. Why? Because of a little known rule involving the Lower Defensive Box (here is it explained by NBA.com):
The restricted area (RA) is the area within the arched line on the court located below the rim. Its purpose is to stop secondary defenders from taking a position under the basket in an attempt to draw the offensive foul when a player is driving to the basket. If an offensive player drives past his primary defender on the way to the basket and a secondary defender comes over, he must establish a legal position outside the RA to draw an offensive foul. If the drive starts inside the Lower Defensive Box (LDB – this is the area from the bottom tip of the free throw circle to the endline between the two 3’ posted-up marks), the secondary defender is legally allowed to be positioned inside the LDB.
Remember that set that the Suns loved to run for Jason Richardson? The one where the Suns have a number of different options based on how the defense played it? In case you don’t remember, here it is:
Well, with Jason Richardson no longer on the Suns’ roster, Alvin Gentry and the Suns coaching staff tried to find a replacement for Jason Richardson in this set. They decided to try it with Vince Carter. On the surface, it makes sense. Both Richardson and Carter are athletic guys that can catch a lob or knock down a jumper (the two skills needed to be the main option in this set). However, it didn’t work out as planned:
Against the Phoenix Suns, the Miami Heat were concerned with the Suns’ pick and roll, and rightfully so, and this is because Steve Nash is one of the most dangerous point guards when coming off of a screen. To defend this, the Heat decided to employ a different defensive strategy when defending the Suns’ pick and roll.
Instead of switching or using a quick show (or hedge), the Heat decided to show hard and basically double team Nash, with a man rotating to the roll man, until he gives up the basketball. Once Nash gives up the basketball, then everybody rotates back to their man. Here is what it looks like:
As Nash comes off of a Robin Lopez screen, Big Z shows really hard. Lopez is going to roll to the basket, and because Big Z is showing on the screen, the help man rotates over to the paint to prevent Lopez from getting an easy look.
