When Orlando realized that the Celtics were going to single-up Dwight Howard at the start of the game, it seemed like they forced it inside almost as if they wanted to try and change the Celtics strategy. However, this strategy negatively effected the Magic in two ways. First, Dwight really struggled and it hurt him mentally in the early going. Second, forcing it inside like that really hurt the Magic’s flow on offense.
Here is what the Magic were facing every single time they entered the ball down low (Dwight missed a hook on this possession). Single coverage on Dwight with the remaining Celtics in the passing lanes, not allowing for any of the Magic’s three point shooters to make a catch. As we talked about yesterday, the Celtics really did a good job of limiting the Magic to 9 three point attempts in the first half (when they averaged 27 a game in the regular season), and this is why.
Throughout the playoffs, we are going to be looking at the teams that lost their last game and look at what they can do to try and get a win.
After the Mavericks cut the Spurs’ lead to 5 in the fourth quarter, the Spurs answered by going to their best player Tim Duncan. The Mavs tried to single cover him with Brendan Haywood, but it didn’t work and Duncan was able to work him.
Throughout the playoffs, we are going to be looking at the teams that lost their last game and look at what they can do to try and get a win.
The Celtics pretty much blew the Miami Heat out of the water in Game 2, so there were a lot of things I could have picked for this. I decided to go with the most obvious one, the Heat and their need to stop Ray Allen from shooting that corner three point shot. How important is that shot, well, let’s take a look at Allen’s shot chart from Game 2 (via J.E. Skeets’ twitter):
Throughout the playoffs, we are going to be looking at the teams that lost their last game and look at what they can do to try and get a win.
For most of the first two games Thabo Sefolosha was the one responsible for covering Kobe Bryant. While Kobe got his, Sefolosha did a very good job of making him work for his points. However, in the final quarter of Game 2, Thunder coach Scott Brooks decided to match-up Jeff Green with Kobe Bryant, while he left Thabo on the bench (he sat the entire 4th quarter).
I understand why Coach Brooks made this decision (he wanted Jeff Green out there to be an offensive threat), but he has to understand that Green was even struggling on that end (2-11 for 12 points). With Green struggling, you can say that he and Sefolosha are even on that end, so with Thabo being the better defender he should have been in. Also, Thabo has been covering Kobe for 7 quarters, so he is familiar with his game and how he works. Jeff Green on the other hand, hasn’t been covering Bryant and it is hard for him to get the timing down. A perfect example of this is the following two plays:
Throughout the playoffs, we are going to be looking at the teams that lost their last game and look at what they can do to try and get a win.
Dirk was phenomenal in game 1 against the Spurs, and while 12-14 from the field isn’t going to happen again, I think the Spurs need to change up some things when covering Dirk. The biggest adjustment I would make is I would have the Spurs front Dirk when he is on the post. When Dirk makes the catch on the post with the defender behind him, he is so tall and so good at that little fade away jumper that it is almost guaranteed that he will get a good look when he makes the catch there.
Throughout the playoffs, we are going to be looking at the teams that lost their last game and look at what they can do to try and get a win.
Dwight Howard had 9 blocks in Game 1 against the Bobcats. 9! That is 9 shots at the rim (easy shots since they are in close) that Dwight altered. Part of it is because Dwight is a fantastic defender (he was announced as the DPOY yesterday), but part of it was the fact that he was able to sit in the lane and just wait for the Bobcats to attack the basket. If the Bobcats want to get some easy looks in close, they are going to need to force Dwight to move around on the defensive end.
Throughout the playoffs, we are going to be looking at the teams that lost their last game and look at what they can do to try and get a win.
Here, the man that Dwight is covering hangs around the elbow not moving. This allows Dwight to leave his man with no fear, because he knows where Nazr Mohammed is going to be. If Mohammed moves around a bit, Dwight is going to have to focus his attention to that (because if he doesn’t Mohammed will get himself a basket) and he might not be able to challenge shots.
Also, if Mohammed does a better job of spacing the floor and Dwight still tries to block the shot, the Bobcats can pass it out to the big man for an open look. If you make Dwight cover more distance to try and challenge shots, you can make him pay for it.
Throughout the playoffs, we are going to be looking at the teams that lost their last game and look at what they can do to try and get a win.
During the regular season, the Miami Heat were one of the best teams at limiting turnovers. Their turnover rate (the percentage of their possessions that ended in turnovers) was 9th in the league with a rate of 12.77. However, against the Celtics, the Heat committed 19 turnovers. Against a tame like Boston, that is way too much.
The biggest culprit in my opinion was Michael Beasley. Beasley committed 5 turnovers during the game, and while Wade committed 7 himself, you can ignore those because he is the only option on the Heat. That means more attention on him, and with more attention comes more turnovers. Anyway, back to Beasley, while the Celtics are a good team, they didn’t really force any of these turnovers. A lot of them were ones that could have been prevented:
Here, Beasley gets the ball on an ISO set, and there is no real options for him. However, Beasley tries to force the issue and penetrate through a gap that isn’t there. He compounds the over-penetration by leaving his feet before he knows what he is going to do with the basketball. Caught in air, he tries to kick the ball out. However, Rondo is able to get his hand on the pass and make the steal.
Throughout the playoffs, we are going to be looking at the teams that lost their last game and look at what they can do to try and get a win.
When you think of Kevin Durant, you not only think of a scorer, but you think of an efficient scorer. However, during Game 1 against the Lakers, Durant really struggled. Sure, he scored 24 points but he did it on 24 shots as he looked uncomfortable the entire game.
It is no secret that the if the Thunder want to win Game 2 (and eventually the series), they need to get Kevin Durant going. To do that, I think that the Thunder are going to have to get Durant moving off the ball much more:
Ron Artest is clearly much bigger than Kevin Durant, and if they stay attached Artest is going to have the advantage. This is why getting Durant on the move is so important. It isn’t just because he is quicker than Artest, but when Durant is on the move, it is easier for his teammates to get solid screens set on Artest. In the video above, that is exactly what happens. After a quick move, Artest is in trail position when he is hit in a screen. This gives Durant some space, and that is all he really needs with his length and quick release.
Throughout the playoffs, we are going to be looking at the teams that lost their last game and look at what they can do to try and get a win.
When you think of the Suns, you think of a fast-breaking run and gun style that leads to a ton of transition points. However, according to Synergy (which is now available to everyone – and it’s awesome), the Suns only were able to score 4 points in transition on 7 opportunities. The Blazers are trying so hard to contain the Suns transition game that when the Suns do get opportunities to score on the break, they really need to take advantage of it:
When you think about the Suns’ transition game, you think of the free-wheeling style where they aren’t afraid to pull jumpers running 1 on 3. However, the Blazers did such a good job of getting back the entire game it seemed like the Suns tried to force their transition opportunities. Here, Goran Dragic takes the inbounds pass and runs it upcourt. Instead of hitting Leandro Barbosa on the wing, Dragic forces it and attempts a contested lay-up. He misses it.
Throughout the playoffs, we are going to be looking at the teams that lost their last game and look at what they can do to try and get a win.
Against the Bucks, the Hawks were 6-11 from the three point line, which is good for 54.5%. The thing is, it could have been even worse for the Bucks. The Hawks had three or four wide open looks that they missed in addition to the three point shots that the Hawks made.
The big reason for the Hawks getting open at the three point line was that the Bucks were getting “sucked in” to the lane. Now this is understandable, the Bucks lost their best post defender due to injury and the Hawks have an all-star center, but perimeter defenders can’t get sucked in to the point where they are giving up wide open threes:
This play is right off the opening-tip and after the baseline drive, the ball is passed to Josh Smith right in the middle of the lane. Though he is pretty well defended (Smith’s man helped, but was getting back into position) Joe Johnson’s man comes flying down the lane to try and help. Smith recognizes this and kicks it out for the open three pointer.
