The 12-2 Thunder versus the 1-12 Wizards. Last night, this matchup was billed to be the best team in the league steam-rolling over the worst. However, something strange happened along the way and the Wizards claimed a 105-102 victory.

Oklahoma City’s Russell Westbrook had a great box score, one of the best among every player that participated in the 11 games being played Wednesday night. He finished with 36 points, 5 rebounds, 7 assists, and only 3 turnovers. But there was something else there with Westbrook, something that didn’t quite fit right within the flow of the team. It was certainly a game that gave away different signs than a simple box score or highlight reel could provide.

The Thunder had it rolling early in the first quarter, playing like their NBA-best record. Westbrook scored 4 points, had 3 assists, and committed 0 turnovers in a four minute stretch that saw the Thunder take a 14-5 lead before the Wizards knew what hit them. As you’ll can see in the following video, Westbrook had his hands all over each scoring opportunity. Whether it was using his speed, his vision or his attacking mentality, Westbrook had it all working early in the contest.

When the second period rolled around, things changed as Washington clawed back in the game with their second unit. The absence of Eric Maynor proved to be a factor as OKC stalled as the second unit seemed to lack leadership on the floor. In a game where a team is struggling and lacking flow, it’s important for the head coach to settle his team down in some form or fashion. Some coaches do this by calling sets that hopefully produce a few good looks at the basket. For the Thunder, that usually means trying to get Kevin Durant involved. Here is what was drawn up for Mr. Durant:

Two. Just two shots for Durant in a quarter that saw the Wizards climb back into the game, giving them confidence when it the Thunder had a chance to put them out of their misery. In same time frame of the second quarter, Westbrook took six. Now Westbrook was playing well but certainly forcing the issue on his own offensive game, proving that free-flowing, on-court decision-making may not be OKC’s strongsuit. In order for the team to grow, Westbrook most consistently be able to understand the flow of the game and get it back on track, similar to what he did so well in the first quarter.

Here is a quick look at a great play ran in the first quarter that the Thunder could have used in the second half, a half that saw them fall apart. In this play, Westbrook sets a down screen to free Durant. Westbrook stays in the post, an area on the floor where he is in the top two-thirds of players with at least 20 possessions. While Westbrook has the ball, a back screen is set on Durant’s defender by Nick Collison. Durant can either cut to the basket if there is no help to slow him down or as he chooses here, he fades on the screen, leaving him wide open for an easy three. Here is the play in real-time:

This type of play has been good for the Thunder this year, having the ability for Westbrook to stay in the post opens up spot-up opportunities or cuts to the basket. According to Synergy, the Thunder are currently fourth in the NBA in all cuts to the basket. The freedom to move without the ball makes the offense come easier as Westbrook is able to see the floor from a different vantage point.

The second half was similar to what we saw in the second quarter, more forced offense by Westbrook. This lead to Durant trying to save the team once again with a last second shot. With Serge Ibaka inbounding, Kendrick Perkins tries to set a screen to allow Durant to catch it clean for an open look at a three. The defense does a great job of forcing Durant under, making him curl back around to the three-point line. Perkins then sets a ball screen to free Durant for an open look. Unlike against Dallas, the shot doesn’t fall. Here is the play:

While the box score suggest that Westbrook dominated the game, his performance caused some of the same problems we’ve seen for quite some time. He set the Thunder up for failure as the game rolled on, by not playing with a pace and control that produces wins. Unfortunately, Durant wasn’t able to stave off the embarrassment of losing to the Wizards.

With the news today coming out today that Westbrook has signed an extension, OKC is certainly committed to the duo of Durant-Westbrook for the future. On talent alone, this is bad news for every team in the Western Conference. However, until Westbrook develops that Chris Paul-like feel for managing a game, their could be issues like this that thrawt the Thunder’s ability to contend at the highest level. And you can bet that there will be plenty of attention paid to how it all plays out.

Torrid. Unconscious. Hot. All words that could be used to describe the Heat’s shooting performance in against the Spurs last night. Miami rained down hellfire from everywhere on the court to the tune of a 71-35 second half throttling that left San Antonio shell-shocked. However, lost in that offensive eruption was another sterling effort by the Heat defense.

Perhaps embarrassed by allowing 63 points in the first half, Miami put on a defensive display in the third quarter that, in combination with their torrid shooting, engineered a 27 point swing. In a period very similar to one we wrote on a few weeks back, they allowed a mere 12 points and forced a gaggle of turnovers. As we’ll soon see, the Heat had stretches where they made it difficult for the Spurs to even get a shot off, much less make one.

In perhaps an ominous start, the very first possession of the quarter ends in a turnover. Tony Parker runs off a double stagger set by DeJuan Blair and Richard Jefferson. As Parker curls, Chris Bosh is forced to show high to contest a quick mid-range shot, this leaves Blair open momentarily. Before Parker can deliver the pass, not one, but two Heat defenders rotate onto Blair and end up tipping the ball back to Bosh for a steal.

Just a few trips later, a poor pass from LeBron leads to a quick run-out by San Antonio. Parker pushes hard but is cut off and forced to dribble back outside the arc in a great effort by Bosh. However, due to the quick transition push, Bosh is forced to stay matched up with Parker. The first thing you’ll notice is the subtle positioning of Mario Chalmers on the play.

Chalmers basically switches assignments with Bosh and covers one of the bigs (Blair first, then Tim Duncan). Due to Blair/Duncan’s inability to stretch the floor from 3, Chalmers slides across the paint and sits in help on the strongside block, discouraging Parker from attacking Bosh on the isolated side of the floor. Parker is forced to try and reverse the ball only to receive it back and try to take on Bosh near the end of the shot clock. The result is a contested long-two that draws only back iron.

The next play is an absolutely perfect rotation by Miami on a dangerous screening action involving Gary Neal. Neal receives screens from both Duncan and Blair along the baseline as he heads toward the ballside corner. Whether due to great scouting or great focus (or a combination of both), the Heat shut this play down without a hitch.

Anthony, guarding Duncan, kicks out to the corner to contest Neal’s shot attempt while his defender, James Jones, fights through the screens. Bosh, guarding Blair on the opposite block, rushes over to defend Duncan and take away a quick dump-in and finish. James then crashes down hard on Blair while Chalmers fills the middle of the paint as the shot goes up. Due to a bad miss, the ball bounces long and the Spurs get the offensive rebound, but it doesn’t take away from a perfectly executed defensive rotation.

With Miami fully engaged on the defensive end of the floor, the beginning turning up the heat on the Spurs (bad pun intended). At this point, San Antonio is still clinging to a four point lead as Duncan hits Parker with a pass on the right wing. He chases his pass with a ball screen that Anthony and Chalmers string out. Chalmers does a great job of getting his hands on an attempted throw back pass.
That deflection leaves rookie Kawhi Leonard with the ball 35 feet from the basket with only seven seconds left on the shot clock. Leonard passes to Blair who forces up a wild shot that doesn’t draw iron (thus being a shot-clock violation), but due to an error on the reset, the Spurs get the ball back after an ensuing scramble with the shot clock at 2.7 seconds. The result ends up being same the same as Miami forces Neal into a wild floater that hits nothing but backboard. Here is the play:

A few possessions after that excellent defensive stand, James nails a 3 that put Miami ahead 69-68, a lead they would never relinquish. In the next video, you’ll see that three out of the next five San Antonio possessions ended in turnovers. An Anthony steal, a Jones steal and finally, a flustered Duncan simply throws the ball away on a simple reversal pass. The Spurs body language walking back toward the bench at the timeout says it all.

The Heat’s offensive fireworks will get all the headlines today, but it is important to note that it was the defensive effort that got things started. Unlike last night’s shooting bonanza, Miami’s defensive performance is repeatable. After all, this isn’t the only time this season they have thoroughly dismantled a team on that end of the floor. So while Miami currently sits at seventh in Hollinger’s defensive efficiency rankings, it is quarters like the third last night that frighten rival GMs and coaches around the league most. Wade or no Wade, if Miami can bring this type of sustained effort on the defensive end on a consistent basis, the Larry O’Brien trophy will be taking its talents to South Beach this June.

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In case you haven’t noticed yet, Ryan Anderson is really good. Sure, the phrase “breakout performance” could be applied to his 30 point, seven rebound effort against New York, but Anderson has been quietly lighting it up all season. He currently owns a 25.95 PER a mark that puts him eighth in the league.

Looking back through yesterday’s game, 21 of Anderson’s 30 points came from behind the arc (in 13 attempts). While there is a tendency to rate every 3-point shot as being equal, they often come in a variety of ways. Anderson’s case is no exception.

The first of his seven 3s came in a pick and pop situation out of transition in the second quarter. Chris Duhon dribbles right off a double ball screen set by both Anderson and Glen Davis. As Davis rolls, Anderson pops toward the left wing. Duhon throws the ball back and the floodgates open.

Late in second, Dwight Howard and Jameer Nelson engage in a middle pick and roll. This time, Anderson and JJ Redick combine for some nifty off-ball movement and shape up behind Howard’s roll to the rim. Redick cuts hard to the right wing while Anderson simple circles from the short corner to outside the 3-point line. Nelson creases (cross-grains back to the middle) and finds Anderson for a nice spot-up opportunity.

The next clip is out of the Magic’s “Horns” series (Horns/A-set alignment has two bigs at elbows and two wings in the corners). Anderson catches a Duhon pass on the left elbow and let’s Duhon cut through before performing a dribble hand-off with Hedo Turkoglu rising up from the corner. Turkoglu keeps coming hard toward the middle of the court toward another screen, this time from Howard.
Pay attention to Anderson’s subtle movement here. After the exchange with Turkoglu, Anderson doesn’t drift and waits for Turkoglu to come off the Howard screen. Carmelo Anthony, being the lone weakside defender, must jam Howard’s dive to the rim. This frees Anderson to cut or fill-behind Turkoglu’s drive. With Anthony caught down low from a combination of Howard’s roll and Turkoglu’s penetration, Anderson has a clean look at a 3 from top of the key and drains it.

Anderson’s final 3-point make of the night comes off a transition push. Running the right lane in a delayed break, Anderson and Nelson engage in a quick give-and-go that baits Iman Shumpert to jump at a potential steal. Anderson reads space well and slides toward the corner to receive the return pass from Nelson and put the Magic up five late in the fourth.

If the Magic are to make a push for a championship) Anderson will be a major reason why. While Stan Van Gundy does an excellent job of putting him in good spots, Anderson still has to make the shots. Should he continue to do so at such a blistering rate, D12 may have to rethink his plans to leave.

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Without Jerry Sloan or Deron Williams, the Jazz seemed destined to be walking the road to irrelevance. But by sitting at 8-4, the Jazz now have many wondering what (if any) impact they will have on the 2012 playoff race. With largely the same faces as last season’s second-half slide and no real training camp to ready a pre-pubescent roster, this fast start seems largely implausible.

After all, Ty Corbin and this band of young 20-somethings were just asked to hold the fort until lottery helped arrived. That was expected to be the new era of basketball in Utah. But to quote The Who it’s, ‘Meet the old Jazz, same as the new Jazz’. When fans in Utah go to games, they see a team operate primarily in the half-court, run the flex and foul hard at every opportunity. Sounds awfully similar to the last two decades, ehh?

Sloan's influence lives on in Utah

However, there are subtle changes in the Utah scheme. Thanks to Al Jefferson’s mini-resurgence and Paul Millsap’s white-hot start, Utah has played more through the post than recent years. Whether it’s out of a transition push, the flex or another set, post-ups have largely replaced the pick and rolls that John Stockton and Williams ran with aplomb season after season.
This is a nice tactical shift given that Jazz roster doesn’t house many threats off that action. Millsap and Jefferson are far from terrifying dive men and both would probably be just around adequate picking and popping to mid-range. The ball handlers are in the same boat.

Neither Devin Harris nor Earl Watson have advanced ball screen games and the wings are about the same story with one exception; Gordon Hayward. Hayward is slowing but surely morphing into a Swiss Army knife on the wing. When he’s confident and active, Hayward impacts all areas of the game. Under Corbin, the former Butler star is now getting a chance to show off both his playmaking and ballhandling skills.

Last night, the Jazz had a handful of possessions involving Hayward in a pick and roll on the wing. The results were very promising as Hayward demonstrated a knack for executing them, possibly due to the fact that Butler’s offense is/was side ball screen heavy (though he wasn’t running them too often in games for the Bulldogs).

Utah normally starts this action with the guard passing to Hayward on the wing and the big man opposite (usually Jefferson) sprinting to screen while the rest of the team gets into a triangle away (wing, corner, short corner). In the first clip, Hayward does an excellent job of waiting for Jefferson to get set before coming off. Not only does this avoid an offensive foul call, but it causes Danilo Gallinari, Hayward’s defender to get caught up in the screen.

Hayward comes off with good pace looking to turn the corner. Most wings running side pick and rolls come off primarily thinking score first, second and third. Hayward, however, reads Ty Lawson on his line of attack, takes an extra dribble to keep him fully engaged in his help defense position, the quickly kicks the pass out to Harris on the wing. That extra split second of time Hayward holds Lawson allows for Harris to get his shot off cleanly. Here is the play:

The next play shows off Hayward in attack mode. The action starts the same way, with Jefferson sprinting to screen from the opposite block. This time, however, Hayward comes off without a defender directly on his line. He subtle shifts into a higher gear and explodes through it. Lawson, again in help, is forced to reach in and foul him.

The final edit shows Hayward and Millsap in a two-man game on the right wing. This time Hayward does an excellent job of pushing his dribble all the way into the paint, sucking in the defense before kicking the ball out. Harris, the recipient of Hayward’s pass, quickly swings the ball to Raja Bell in the corner for a 3. Hayward doesn’t get any credit for the play, but make no mistake about it, he made it happen. Here’s the video:

If Corbin continues creatively employing new tweaks like this to the old system, if Devin Harris returns to form, if Paul Millsap’s production doesn’t drop too far from its current level and if the defensive improvement sticks, the Jazz could find the timetable on their rebuilding project drastically moved up. A lot of ‘ifs’ to be sure, but that’s why we’ll keep watching.

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The Washington Wizards are currently last in the league in offensive rating and by quite a wide margin. Their 90.8 offensive rating is nearly 5 points per 100 possessions worse than the Charlotte Bobcats, the next closest team.  If that number were to hold up, it would be the lowest offensive rating in league history (the stat began being record in 1973-1974 season).

Due to the rust that the lockout has caused league-wide, the Wizards should improve slightly as the season goes on.  However, in a season that has 7 teams on pace to qualify for the worst 100 offensive season in league history, the Wizards have been playing epically bad basketball.

Whenever a team is this bad on the offensive end, it usually a combination of a lack of talent and poor execution. The Wizards, with a roster full of low basketball IQ players, are no exception. It’s to the point where it’s tough to accurately scout the one player Washington fans should be optimistic about, John Wall. Wall’s progress as a prospect has stalled and it looks as though his teammates may be part of the problem with his development.

While one could fill a 1,500 word post with examples of poor execution, selfish play or bad shot selection from the Wizards this season, we’ll just take a look at a few possessions where Washington starts out in a great position and ends up with a failed result.

Read more…

Here’s a look at what the Grizzlies game showed us about the improving Knicks defense.

Last night’s game against the Utah Jazz wasn’t Andrew Bynum’s best offensive output of his career, but by no means did he have no effect on the game. Bynum’s statline read of 12 points (on just 5-13 from the field) and 9 rebounds. Where he did come up big yet again, however, was on the defensive end of the floor. He contributed five blocks including the most important defensive stop of the night, a block on Al Jefferson’s shot attempt near the end of overtime. Despite Kobe’s mindless gunning, Bynum is still finding ways to impact games on both ends of the court.

Early in the first quarter, the Jazz were sending a double-team to Bynum with whoever was guarding Derek Fisher. In the possession below, the action that Bynum takes is one of the first things they teach at a NBA Big Man Camp, turning away from the oncoming double-team. Now, while it may seem easy, majority of big men still struggle with the concept of the double-team and how to counteract it. Bynum continues to be at the top of the league in field goal percentage, coming in at 7th on the list among those with at least 50 post-up possessions at a rate of 46.4%, according to SST.

Bynum sets in position on the block, using his size to gain the advantage. As Jefferson tries to root Andrew out, Kobe passes the ball into Bynum (not a typo, it really happened) and Bynum begins to back Big Al down. The double comes from Fisher’s defender, Devin Harris, to Bynum’s left side. Something that Bynum has improved upon immensely is his feet work, more specifically, the depth in which he can set his feet. Notice after the double comes, Bynum has the notion to make a deep drop-step with his right foot, gaining leverage and position on Jefferson in order to get a great look for a left-hand hook.

In this next clip, we see Bynum’s relentlessness to gain position early in the offense, something that makes him so hard to guard. This action isn’t just an occasional occurence with Bynum, it’s a battle he tries to win each and every time down the court, knowing that if he uses his athleticism, he’ll gain the needed leverage. A slight pattern I’ve noticed over the past four games with the Lakers is when Kobe initiates the offense, Bynum not only gets better position but often gets the ball more frequently (We’ll check back in with that once there is a bigger sample size).

Notice in the video that as Bynum is running downcourt, he peers back to see where and who has the ball, as he sees its Kobe, he immediately goes into position for an early entry. In fact, Bynum this year is taking 54% of his shots within the first 10 seconds of the shot clock. This is indicative of Bynum getting early position and knowing what to do with the ball once he gets it.

In the third quarter, as both teams have remained fairly even throughout including points in the paint, Bynum made a move that is a perfect example why the Lakers front-office is so reluctant to trade him. As the ball enters half-court, Andrew sees the paint wide open. He almost seems to fake setting a side ball screen, when he drops his right foot and pins Jefferson on his back as he heads toward the rim to catch an oop from Fisher. The beauty of this move is that Bynum can see it at half-court, knows exactly when to drop his hip and pin Jefferson for an easy bucket.

Last night’s game is just another reason why the Lakers need to be in no rush to make drastic changes. Bynum he can still drastically impact games even when he’s not scoring. With Kobe playing at an MVP-level, the Lakers don’t need Dwight Howard to win the West this season. They just need Bynum to keep improving.

Watching passing savant Ricky Rubio take on Tom Thibodeau’s strongside overload schemes was must watch TV (at least for my warped mind) last night. Pitting young Rubio’s flair, passing accuracy and court vision versus an attacking defense designed to hem the ball in on one side of the court just oozed possibilities.

The Bulls entered the game with their usual side pick and roll (PNR) coverage of downing (sending the ball handler baseline). Against middle PNRs, the Bulls looked to force Rubio away from the screener, most times toward his left hand. The results were mixed as Rubio dished out 12 assists but also gave the ball away 5 times. We’ll take a look at both the good and bad from Rubio last night.

One of the ways the Wolves countered the Bulls downing side ballscreens was having the screening set an angle with his butt to the baseline (same as a step-up screen). This allowed them to still screen (or more slow) the on-ball defender (who has jumped to Rubio’s high shoulder) as well as allow Rubio the option to crease (change direction and get back to the middle of the floor) off the PNR.

Early in the second quarter, Rubio engages in a side PNR with Anthony Randolph. Randolph sets up a step-up screen on Rubio’s defender John Lucas. After a delayed roll, Randolph does a good job of reading space and staying high near the elbow. Rubio changes speeds to keep Lucas off-balance all while keeping Randolph’s defender, Omar Asik, engaged on him. It’s an incredibly nuanced maneuver and allows him to find a nifty passing angle to Randolph near the elbow.

The next clip is one of the craftiest PNR moves I’ve ever seen. Randolph and Rubio engage in a PNR again, this time in the middle of the floor. With the Bulls forcing Rubio left, Randolph adjusts his screening angle so his butt is facing the baseline, allowing Rubio the opportunity to crease and get back toward the middle of the floor.

Rubio wraps around Randolph, who responds by diving straight down the lane-line toward the rim. Rubio then pulls back on his dribble while changing speeds, then re-attacks to pull Boozer up toward him and creates a small pocket in which to make a sweet drop-off pass to Randolph at the rim.

Despite the previous successes, Rubio didn’t always get the better of Thib’s defense last night. Late in the game Rubio makes two costly turnovers. Early in the third quarter, Rubio and Randolph run a step-up screen on the right side of the floor. This time, the Bulls’ defense get exactly what they want out of their coverage. As Rubio drives toward the baseline, he tries to float a long skip to the opposite wing towards Kevin Love. Ronnie Brewer, guarding Luke Ridnour in the baseline corner, reads the play and streaks in front of Love for a steal.

Near the end of the third quarter, Randolph and Rubio get the better of the Bulls again. Randolph teams with Love to set a double high ballscreen in the middle of the floor. The Bulls look to force Rubio away from the screen toward the right sideline. Rubio responds by blowing by his on-ball defender and attacking Carlos Boozer.

Love fades near the opposite elbow and Randolph reads Rubio’s drive and makes a delayed roll to the rim. Rubio’s hard push engages both his on-ball defender, Derrick Rose, and Boozer. With two defenders committed to him and Joakim Noah tightly hugging the sweet-shooting Love, Randolph’s hard dive to the rim is uncontested. The result is a basket plus a foul on a late-rotating Noah.

This final clip showcases that Rubio still is a young kid that needs to refine his decision-making. Randolph and Love again come over to set another double high PNR in the middle of the floor. The Bulls influence Rubio to his left and away from the screen. This time, Rubio is baited into a sub-optimal decision.

Rubio dribbles left toward the wing and launches a 3-point shot with 17 seconds still left on the shot clock (and with Taj Gibson also in his face). With his passing prowess and dribble penetration being his primary strengths and his shooting still a work in progress that is undesirable result for a possession.

Rubio’s combination of court-vision, creativity and flair will always lead to a relatively high turnover rate. He will simply attempt passes and find angles that very few rarely even see and that will lead to a higher rate of mistakes. However, eliminating shots like that is something that will help accelerate his maturation as a player. (That balance is quite the conundrum because Rubio needs to prove he can make those shots, so the defense respects the threat, but not actually take them. For an example of this see: Nash, Steve)

All in all, Rubio in just his 10th game had an excellent showing against an elite defensive unit and certainly has fans in Minnesota ready to see what comes next.

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In last night’s win over a short-handed Pacer team, the 76ers flashed some great execution on both ends of the floor. Without Danny Granger and George Hill, Indy could only muster 86 points. However, on the other end of the floor, Philly absolutely shredded the Indiana defense with some great side pick and roll action.

The fourth possession of the game foreshadowed what was to be a long night for the Pacer defense. Quick ball reversal through the top leads to an Elton Brand post-up. Brand, without ideal positioning, kicks the ball back out two Iguodala at the top. The much-improved Spencer Hawes then sprints from the weakside block to ballscreen with Iggy on the wing. Brand, meanwhile, begins to circle back under the rim away from the ball.

This subtle movement illustrates one of the things that make Philly tough to defend in ballscreen situations. The players off the ball are usually shifting and shaping up to good operating areas as the screen is being set. Because they are still moving, opponents help defenders are prevented from settling into their stances with vision of both their man and their help responsibilities.

As Iguodala comes off the screen, Hawes slides to the short corner looking for a shot. Because Indiana was hedging hard and recovering, Hawes movement after the screen forces Hibbert to rotate across the lane in order to prevent an easy jumper as Hawes’ defender, David West, recovers back to him. Due to all the shifting movement off the ball, Brand gets lost in the shuffle and Iggy finds him for an easy dunk. Here is the video:

The next play showcases Indy’s inability to actually corral the two men involved in the ballscreen itself. In the next clip, Lou Williams and rookie Nikola Vucevic team up for a pick and pop on an emptied out side of the floor. Because the help defense has so long to rotate on this action, it is quite possibly one of the hardest to defend on the NBA level. We see why here as Williams’ slick pocket pass sets up a wide open jumper for Vucevic:

Yet another thing the Sixers do well in this action is have their screeners read space. Instead of simply always popping or always diving to the rim, Hawes, Thad Young and Vucevic make their move defense dependent. In the following clip, Roy Hibbert is checking Hawes. Knowing that Hibbert is big and immobile, Hawes sets his screen and immediately sprints toward the rim to put pressure on Hibbert to recover or the helpside defense to shift to him. Neither happens and the result is yet another dunk off this action:

Despite a dearth of deadly 3-point shooters, Philly also managed to find open looks from outside. Here Young sets a ballscreen for Holiday on the right wing. As the screen is being set, Iguodala cuts along the baseline from strongside to weak and leaves the help defense in limbo. Hibbert, perhaps thinking there is no one behind him to pick up Young on the roll, sags off Vucevic (a noted shooter in college who was 1-1 entering Monday’s game) and watches helplessly as the Swiss sniper nails a 3-pointer.

What the Sixers lack in star power on the offensive end of the floor, the make up for in discipline and execution. While we get caught up with the star-power in the NBA, sometimes it’s not who is running a specific action but how it is run. With their off-ball movement and versatile big men, Philadelphia is going to be quite a handful to defend. Indiana found that out last night.

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After an exciting opening day win against Boston, New York promptly dropped four of their next five games and were left scrambling for answers. One of the chief concerns was a lack of consistent offense. Three out of those four losses during that stretch contained brutal offensive outputs. Fans and observers alike questioned whether the Knicks were destined to be a train wreck all season. However, recent wins against Washington and Detroit (I know, I know, not exactly Murderer’s Row) have shown that New York is at least taking steps in the right direction.

The Knicks major problem on offense has been the lack of a true playmaker to fit Mike D’Antoni’s spread pick and roll system. While eliminating a vast majority of that pick and roll action was certainly an option, it would perhaps move away from New York’s biggest strength; explosive roll men. Amare Stoudamire and Tyson Chandler, while not Nick Collison-esque screeners, are incredibly dangerous because of the speed and effectiveness they display diving to the rim after a ballscreen. Rookie Josh Harrelson can also be a force screening on the ball in Glen Davis-type way, using his big, wide body to get the on-ball defender caught up on the screen and allowing the offense to play with a man advantage.

Even though their ballhandlers will never be confused with Steve Nash, the pick and roll is still a dangerous action for them due to the aforementioned screening trio (and even Carmelo Anthony). So instead of crossing their fingers and hoping someone on their roster becomes a pick and roll savant in a shortened season filled with little to no practice time, the Knicks have decided to run the action itself more frequently. In a sense, they have replaced the quest for quality with pure quantity. Everyone has a green light to run a pick and roll and they look to run pick and rolls early, often and with an added emphasis on ball movement out of them.

In the first quarter of the Detroit game, New York had every member of their starting unit, minus Chandler, handle off a ballscreen (yes, even Stoudamire). In the following video showcasing the first half of the first quarter, you’ll see the following screening combinations (with the ballhandler listed first and the result of the possession in parenthesis):

Possession 1: Shumpert-Chandler (Melo 3pt FG)
Possession 2: Shumpert-Anthony, Stoudamire-Chandler (Shumpert 3pt FG)
Possession 3: Shumpert-Chandler, Fields-Stoudamire (Fields shooting foul)
Possession 4: Anthony-Chandler (Chandler dunk)

In just four trips down the floor the Knicks used six screening combinations (from about every area other than the middle of the floor) that resulted in ten points. Here a video of them:

Thanks to this diverse approach, New York cruised to a 25-18 lead with three minutes left in the quarter. However, they started the second quarter with only a one point advantage thanks to series of possessions that lacked any real flow.

In the first clip of the following video, Carmelo Anthony has a great opportunity to run a corner pick and roll with Chandler off of ball reversal from a transition drag screen between Toney Douglas and Josh Harrelson. Melo, instead of making the Pistons defend another tough action, holds the ball and ends up shooting a contested 3-pointer in the corner.

The second clip contains a step-up screen between Chandler and Douglas. This time the ball doesn’t even change sides of the floor and the Knicks get a contested mid-range two (one of the worst shots in basketball) as a result. The next play has plenty of ballscreen action, but the ball is moved more with the dribble than the pass and the result is a Melo isolation post up with very little time left on the shot clock.

The final clip is the last possession of the quarter. With twelve seconds to play with, the Knicks choose to simply post up Anthony on the right side of the floor. Take a look:

The result of those four possessions? A scintillating zero points. It is clear that when they don’t get to a second pick and roll or lack crisp ball movement/reversal, the Knicks are far less dangerous, even though Anthony is so dangerous in isolation.

That being said, it doesn’t mean the Knicks need to stray away from creating isolation opportunities for their big stars. In fact, an equal opportunity system with a commitment to ball movement will actually make things easier on both of them to get their points, Carmelo in particular. In the following video, we’ll see the Knicks swing the ball to the corner out of transition, reverse it back to the other side of the floor while looking for isolation post-ups from both Stoudamire (strongside) and Anthony (weakside). The result is Anthony re-posting against a shifting defense for a paint score. Check it out:

Obviously, the second quarter shooting spree that blew the game wide open will make any offense look good. But once Mike Bibby stops with the illusion that he’s still an NBA player, New York will have to find consistent sources of points outside of Anthony. Their quantity versus quality approach may just do the trick. If their stars (particularly Anthony) continue to buy in (and most importantly, move the ball), New York could have a system that helps them maintain success on the offensive end of the floor.

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