"Technique beats tactics." - Gregg Popovich
Match defensive choices to our personnel, teaching ability and experience, and opposition. When someone asks, "what is the best defense?" the right answer is often "it depends."
First, develop teams and compete as a worthy opponent against good teams. If we're a good team and play with focus and effort, we should succeed against bad teams. That's no cause for celebration, but has merit for getting more players minutes and everyone wants to contribute during games.
It goes beyond "man" or zone, because we decide how much to extend the defense, trapping (who, when, and where), and hybrid defenses (matchup zones, box and one, triangle and two, etc). Even within "man" we have sagging, aggressive denial, and Pack line. Do we front the post? And for "old timers" we have curiosities like Jerry Tarkanian's "Amoeba" or Dale Brown's "Freak."
How we defend special situations (e.g. BOBs, SLOBs, end-of-periods) can lead to success or failure.
"Do well what we do a lot." Playing many defenses poorly is a poor answer relative to playing few well. Playing five different mediocre defenses is no testament to genius. And if we lack the personnel to contain the ball, defend the post, closeout, challenge shots without fouling, and defensive rebound, it's going to be a long season.
Coordination matters. "Get on the same page." As high school seniors, we had played together since seventh grade including summer ball. We lost four games, twice to an undefeated team by a point, one to the last year's state champion by two, and in the highest division Massachusetts state semifinal by three points.
Our base defense was full court run-and-jump which fell back to sagging man with ball pressure. We alternated that with three quarter court UCLA 2-2-1 and full court "diamond" (1-2-1-1) trapping defenses. And we played occasional 2-3 and 1-3-1 zone.
Great man defenses pressure the ball and use zone principles off the ball - communicate, load to the ball, drop to the level of the ball, get in the passing lanes, deny cutters and deny dribble and pass penetration. Easier said than done.
Thoughts on Changing Defenses
- With a shot clock, create uncertainty for the offense with time pressure to force "bail out" situations.
- Use defense as tempo to accelerate the pace (e.g. to lengthen the game) when trailing. This may involve having a "press team."
- Disrupt the star player.
- Kevin Eastman reminds us that during struggles to play harder, play better, change personnel, and "$#*% it's not working" and change tactics.
- Create an element of surprise. Teams take timeouts to make adjustments and defenses make preemptive changes.
- Expect the expected! Because we had an elite center, teams played zone to take away the pick-and-roll (PnR) and to double-team her.
- Protect a player in foul trouble with zone defense.
- Change coverage (e.g. PnR) within a defense, changing from show (hedge/fake trap) to drop or trap (blitz).
- Adjust personnel (substitution) or switch defensive assignments to change the size/quickness look.
- Go "offense-defense" down the stretch to get the best of both.
- Set up in a "base" zone as a team comes down and morph into your preferred defense (a Bob Knight tactic)
- Leverage your research skills.
- Embrace your specific contribution.
- Volunteer willingly. "Say yes."
- Manage your workload and communicate willingly.
- Build a network of close associates.
