Friday, May 20, 2022

Basketball: Possessions Have Themes

 


Within each game narrative, every possession has a micro-story. Players and teams profit by editing each possession. Careers are made in the cutting room. 

The yin and yang of positive or negative actions decides a possession. Within an individual possession, dominant offense defeats unflawed defense. 

Coaching trains and structures actions to win possessions. The game sums those  individual decisions and executions. 

Are we getting desired shots and disallowing shots they want? At times, it might appear 'surprising yet inevitable' that guys like Curry can move hard away from the basket and catch, turn, and score with overwhelming skill

About a third of games are decided by two or fewer possessions. Kevin Eastman reported that within a winning playoff game against the Lakers, the 2008 Celtics allowed 32 points off defensive mistakes. Our job is continual deletion of mistakes. 


Examples of possession themes. 

 

Mismatches create edges...small versus big

"The screener is the second cutter."

"One more" pass. 

Shotmaking. Superior offense cannot be defended


"Fall in love with easy." DHO into a defensive fail as Dallas loses ball containment. The low defender gets caught in-between. 

Lagniappe (something extra). Coaches want "no middle" or "no paint" for good reasons.