Basketball Actually: The Season That Wasn't

"It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness, it was the epoch of belief, it was the epoch of incredulity, it was the season of Light, it was the season of Darkness, it was the spring of hope, it was the winter of despair, we had everything before us, we had nothing before us, we were all going direct to Heaven, we were all going direct the other way – in short, the period was so far like the present period, that some of its noisiest authorities insisted on its being received, for good or for evil, in the superlative degree of comparison only." - Charles Dickens, A Tale of Two Cities

See the world as it is. A teenage boy explained his universe. "I'm not the most popular kid, but I know one thing, geeks run the world." 

The 2020 basketball season pivots not on the Achilles Heel of Kevin Durant but how the pandemic plays out. 

Find a storytelling recipe. Novelist Salman Rushdie presents one in his MasterClass. Every season is its own story and Ron Howard counsels us, "the director is the keeper of the story." 

Whose story are you telling? Practice partition among player development and team integration edits the story. Committed players or casual ones? We'd rather cook with a filet mignon than oxtail. But that doesn't preclude cooking a tasty meal with a less expensive cut. 

A mix of different spices flavors core ingredients. The coach refines them with available yet not always known techniques. Scoring and salting an eggplant draws out the bitterness. Water, butter, a teaspoon of sugar and a few drops of white wine vinegar transforms carrots into glazed magic. 

A ricer converts ordinary potato to extraordinary pomme puree. 

Unearth tools of refinement and speak greatness. Dissect the tone between, "that was good BUT" and "that was good AND." 

Build a program not a statue. 

What is the story? In our local season, fans are currently excluded. 2500 fans have petitioned to have that revoked. 

How do we play? Choose among structure and spontaneity, control and freedom, scripting versus excavating. All have a place in our narrative. 

Will the team play fast or controlled, man or zone, extended versus packed defense, or combinations? When I coached this group in middle school, athletic but short on size, we played fast. 

Clarify philosophy, identity, and culture. The Marines build a brotherhood around improvise, adapt, overcome. 

Why are you telling the story? Coaching is a giving profession. Coaches work to change our small piece of the world. Help young people to become the best version of themselves.  

Kahlil Gibran shared his wisdom in The Prophet.

Yet we coach to compete. Competition without fans and without a postseason just feels different.  

When and Where? 2020 presents unique challenges. Not in a century has the phrase, "you can't foot Mother Nature" meant as much. No program remains untouched by illness. Five of twenty-four girls missed tryouts locally because of COVID-19 illness or quarantine. We can't separate competition and the public health condition. 

Studies examining vaccine effectiveness in children are likely to begin in January 2021. You might ask, "why should we immunize children as few are severely affected?" Children have the ability to transmit illness to peers, older, and compromised family and community members. This week in Massachusetts, over a thousand children and staff have been affected. 

The size of the signature rippling out from these cases are a fraction of the overall problem. More Americans (3561) died from COVID-19 on Wednesday December 16, 2020 than on any day since the Galveston Hurricane of 1900 or the Civil War Battle of Antietam of 1862. 

Regardless of our league or level of competition, "make it the big time." 

How are you going to tell the story? Can you tell a compelling narrative? We  destroy a great story by telling it poorly. "Never be a child's last coach." No matter what we do, some will criticize our methods, substance or style. Coaching girls, I believe in communication and transparency. Quoting Amos Alonzo Stagg, I'll know how they turned out in twenty years if I'm lucky. 

Great coaches help players tell an exceptional story.

Lagniappe: A reminder to "be curious, not judgmental." Give the new kid a chance. 

Lagniappe 2: "Great defense is multiple efforts." Shrink the court, deny penetration, contest shots without fouling. 

Basketball: NBA Analysis and a Paige (Bueckers) Worth Studying

NBA analysts share a wealth of wisdom. Brian Scalabrine is no exception. Players can use some of his observations. 

"When the big helps, others have to 'crack back' (rotate)." 

"Kevin Durant is one of the best mid-range shooters I have ever seen." 

"...Jayson Tatum evolving as a playmaker...watch Brown and Tatum making plays."

The art of cutting is both subtle yet urgent. 

"They are getting torched...can't get any stops." 

"LeVert is a straight-line driver; he battles through contact."

"They're treating DeAndre Jordan like he's Michael Jordan..." (On officials...)

"No one sprinted back on that play...floor balance." 

"Three guys around him...no contest...that's Kevin Durant."

"The Nets are loading up boxes and elbows (against the drive)..." Kendrick Perkins (reminder that great players win in space and excellent teams shrink the court)

"Brooklyn has a tremendous amount of length on the defensive end." 

"I'm not surprised by anything in the NBA...including putting sage around the court."

"Kyrie's out there...you have to attack him."

"Joe Harris has been destroying us." 

"I'm really impressed with Brooklyn's defense." 

"I wouldn't be surprised to see KD at the 5 at the end of games...most guys do position down." 

N.b. The Nets toyed with the Celtics, who do not look ready to go with the season a week away. If the Celtics don’t want to be buried out of the gate, here’s what they must understand:

1) The Bubble’s ECF doesn’t carry forward on a resume.

2) Last season with Kemba and Hayward, the talent level was much higher.

3) Start grinding and thinking because paychecks don’t score.

Lagniappe: You want fundamentals? Check out this Paige. 

Lagniappe 2: And some Old School... I love the way he says, "LarryBird" as though it's one word.

 

 

Basketball Friday: Numbers Game

Basketball Friday emphasizes at least three concepts, one drill, and a set play. Steal an idea today. 

Too much attention to numbers causes problems. For example, remind players that "it's the scoreboard, not the scorebook."

DRILL. I call it the "Elden Campbell" warmup. Make five consecutive shots from five spots, both short corners, elbows, and middle of the key. That was part of Campbell's warmup. Can't do that? Do the work until you can. 

CONCEPTS. What numbers define success? 

1) "5 more." Do five more reps. Spend five more minutes on a project. Write five pages a day. Read five more minutes. 

2) "372." Stops make runs. Chart consecutive stops. When your team gets at least three consecutive stops, seven times each half, in both halves, there's a high chance of success. 

3) "2 - 50 - 30." Read. Kevin Eastman reads 2 hours a day, meaning 180 extra hours a quarter. Steve Forbes reads fifty pages a day. I encourage players to read at least 30 minutes daily outside of required reading. 

Find passages to inspire better writing. Director Werner Herzog encourages his film students to read excerpts from The Peregrine.

“Approach him across open ground with a steady unfaltering movement. Let your shape grow in size but do not alter its outline. Never hide yourself unless concealment is complete. Be alone. Shun the furtive oddity of man, cringe from the hostile eyes of farms. Learn to fear. To share fear is the greatest bond of all. The hunter must become the thing he hunts.”
― J.A. Baker, The Peregrine

4) "The 95." Billy Donovan reminds players that they play 95 percent of the game without the ball. Excellent players get a lot done defensively and making teammates better on offense through spacing, cutting, and screening. 

5) "14." An easy naming system for defenses uses the first digit for the type of defense and the second for the extent. "14" represents "man-to-man" full court (four-fourths of the court). Examples: 

14 - full court man

24 - full court run and jump

51 - quarter court 1-3-1 zone

72 - half court 2-3 zone

83 - three-quarter court 2-2-1 

6) "Even-odd-zero." Coach Doug Brotherton's system uses the clock to call special situations plays. If there were 5:12 left in the quarter, then the "even" play is called. He uses additional calls to override or supplement the automatic system. 

SET PLAY.  "Andover"

This SLOB uses ZIPPER action to enter the ball and follows with a give-and-go return pass to the inbounder. She looks to hit the initial screener who rolls and gets a layup. 

Lagniappe: Scout with Bryan profiles the good, the bad, and the ugly of the Charlotte Hornets. A stare down of the Raptors bench during a preseason game? 

NBA fans will enjoy Bryan's analysis of the pluses and minuses. 

Basketball: Redesign Practice. It Can Always Be Better.

To coaches, practice is sacred. The mental to the physical in basketball is four to one, yet practice prioritizes the physical. 

With youth basketball on hold locally (Massachusetts), invest time to design better practices. 

Previously, I'd look through options and assemble the pieces by what I felt the team needed on a given day and week.

I have no stone tablets, only questions about options to consider. And I don't question Brian McCormick's contention that random practice beats "block practice." 

1. Up the tempo. Build in breaks but accelerate the pace of all activities. No matter how efficient we think we are, we can push harder. 

2. Vary practice enough to avoid repetitiveness. 

3. Create competition in as many segments as possible. 

4. Always condition within drills (some examples). 

5. Rethink ways to combine activities to include offense and defense (including small-sided games, shell drill, pressure drills to involve conversion...

6. Expand drills that players favor (e.g. O-D-O offense-defense-offense) beginning with special situations (e.g. BOBs, SLOBs, FTs). Allows special situations practice with scrimmage conditions. 

7. Develop mismatches. We tend to match up similar players and wonder why players cannot take advantage of size/speed mismatches. 

8. Simulate roles. If your job is to come in and shoot or to foul, practice that. Steve Kerr practiced coming in off the bench cold and shooting. Have a fake "injury" where a reserve has to sub in during crunch time. 

9. Use Wildcards. Have an end-of-game segment, time and score dictated by a pile of situation "wildcards." E.g. three seconds left, shooting one free throw, down two. Ask the players for their solution. 

10.Improve feedback. Create an expectation that players give feedback, like 1) I liked this about practice, 2) I didn't like that, and 3) I don't understand this, can you send me more information or guidance? 

Lagniappe. Nietzsche may have coached. 

Lagniappe 2. There's a lot to like about Scout with Bryan...here his breakdown of the Knicks. His messages include that the Knicks will play hard and play defense for Thibs. But their offensive efficiency will not produce consistent winning basketball. Bryan's videos always share some pearls. 

Lagniappe 3. Five Takeaways

1. Positivity / Energy

2. Simplify. "Slow minds create slow feet." (Believer in part-whole)

3. Connection 

4. Teach to Your Plan (e.g. PnR, 5 Out)

5. Not explicitly stated as such, but the Newellian balance, footwork, and maneuvering speed is the core. 

Basketball: "The Most Important Thing"

The most important thing. You arrogant S.O.B. How presumptuous a title! What is the most important thing? Howard Marks wrote a wonderful book by that name. James Clear's review clarifies, "You can’t do the same things others do and expect to outperform."

If you ask ten people, you get ten answers. A Wall Street saying informs, "where I stand depends upon where I sit." 

To an administrator, it might be a hassle-free program. "I don't need complaints from alumni, parents, players, and the custodians." In Runnin' Rebel, Coach Jerry Tarkanian made it clear to the UNLV AD that Frank Sinatra expected his comped tickets. And there'd be hell to pay if he didn't get them. 

For coaches, that varies, too. Vince Lombardi famously said, "Winning isn't everything, it's the only thing." Bill Belichick told reporters that at this point in his career, "I want to coach guys I like. I want to coach guys I want to be around and that’s it." A Division 1 college official told me that some NCAA coaches demand you call the game "their way" or you're never coming back to their venue. No bones about it. 

Coaches realize talent is "the most important thing" and worry about it...or not. Former Notre Dame women's coach Muffet McGraw hired women assistants. Period. 

An assistant coach might seek advancement, a more prestigious position and more pay. Another might assist because she wanted less stress and less responsibility than a head job. A graduate assistant or lower level employee might just want to get their foot in the door, a chance. 

Chuck Daly reminded reporters that "NBA players want 48 - 48 minutes, 48 shots, 48 million." Professional athletes sport tattoos reading, "GET PAID." 

A high school star player's most important thing could be "numbers," cred that can get them to the next level or to The League. A reserve's MUST could be minutes and an expanded role. And some players content themselves with making the team and being with their friends. 

A parent concerns himself with status, status accompanying publicity, success, and production. Perhaps he can't afford college and is relying on Jimmy to pay his way. Or maybe he's reliving an athletic career from decades ago. 

The most important thing can be more insidious. Sherri Coale discussed the player whom the team thought was selfish. "You're not happy unless you're scoring." In a team meeting, the young woman cried, "my father won't talk to me if I'm not scoring."

Fans might care more about winning than character or following the rules. 

What do I think is the most important thing? The player experience in a developmental program matters. Everyone deserves teaching and opportunity, which isn't to say that everyone gets the same experience. 

There is no singular most important thing. Where I stand depends upon where I sit. 

Lagniappe: Kevin Eastman coaches defending the ball screen. 

Basketball: Players Are Pitching Themselves on and Off the Court

 As a player you are pitching yourself. We're recruiting a player, watching a game, collecting information. We have measurables and intangibles. Among the best are "one-word pitches." If you think search, the word is _______. Google. If you think soft drinks, it's Coke. Maybe the word that describes you is ELITE or GRINDER. But you never want it to be SOFT or LAZY. 

Measurables. Size and "athleticism" jump off the page when evaluating a player. Damon Runyan's quote reminds us, "The race is not always to the swiftest or the battle to the strongest, but it pays to bet that way." A player may play "bigger" than their size, but size and athleticism still impose limits. 

Coaches want explosiveness. Explosiveness creates separation and great players win in space. First step quickness creates edges. Crisp passes show both vision and execution. 

Productivity blends skill and effort. "Non-shooters are always open." But skill is more than raw numbers on the stat sheet. Skill translates into the priority of "making the players around you better." Skill shows up in effective field goal percentage, assists, and rebounding. 

Communication. Are you talking on defense? Coaches assess how you interface with teammates and coaches. Pete Carril talks about lightbulbs, players whose presence illuminates the game. 

Academics. "There is no ability without eligibility." Players have to take care of business in the classroom. When you learn the complexities of the game, you have the capacity to succeed academically. When my daughters were seniors, each of the six seniors on the team achieved honor roll status. 

As a player, do you want to die on the hill of poor effort, bad body language, selfishness, or lack of impact? 

Effort. Scouts assess your effort running the floor, defensive stance and position, screening and cutting, and hustle plays like winning 50-50 balls, getting deflections, and taking charges.

"Character is job one" said former Spurs assistant and Euroleague legend Coach Etorre Messina. The best predictor of future behavior is past behavior. Your play shows whether you respect the game, coaches, opponents, and officials. College coaches have enough headaches without taking on yours. 

Body Language. We know bad body language when we see it. The player who sulks when things are not going her way. She trails her girl down the floor in transition. She isn't paying attention in the huddle. I've seen championship games lost because a player lost focus in the huddle. Coaches know great body language, too. Thank the passer, help a teammate off the floor, greet a player as they come to the bench. 

Teamwork. Measuring teamwork isn't easy. Not passing to the open player can be a good team decision if the player knows the player will be fouled and can't shoot free throws. Does a player understand spacing (we mentioned being a steward of spacing), cut appropriately, pass willingly, and set good screens? Everyone can't be a great player. Anyone can be a great teammate. 

Toughness and Resilience. Toughness and resilience are skills. Some players and teams are capable of playing longer and playing harder than opponents. Excellent teams have the means to wear down the opposition.  

Impact. Geno Auriemma says that if an assistant has to ask whom they are watching after the first minute, that's a problem. Impact the game from the opening tap.  

Lagniappe: Being in position doesn't mean being fully engaged. Kevin Eastman is an elite teacher and NBA championship-winning assistant. 

Know your NOs. "NO middle, NO paint, NO gives, NO corner threes, NO offensive rebounds."

Basketball: Frustrated by the Pandemic? "I Can't Get Better."

Take ownership of our education. Urban Meyer's Above The Line shares that theme.

Will a generation of players argue the pandemic robbed them of basketball experience or capitalize on the best available education online?

Read. Read basketball books, blogs, and clinic notes. Read about leadership, about excellence, about psychology, and whatever interests you. 

Here are a few lessons from General Stanley McChrystal's Team of Teams:

"We have to begin leading differently...a leader's words matter, but actions ultimately do more to reinforce or undermine the implementation of a team of teams."

"A gardening approach to leadership is anything but passive. The leader acts as an "Eyes-On, Hands-Off" enabler who creates and maintains an ecosystem in which the organization operates."

"He knew what was normal, so different stood out." (If you want to be different, to stand out among your peers, your plan, preparation, and training must be better.) 

Train. Seek out trainers and educators on the Internet, especially the talented teachers domestic and foreign. 

Drew Hanlen, Pure Sweat Basketball. 

Don Kelbick, Drillz and Skilz. 

Kevin Eastman. 

Improve our teaching of skill development. 

• "You can't be bored."
• "You can't get tired." 

Kirby Schepp. 

"What would your offense look like if you put your players in different spots?" 

Study the game. What big picture applies and how do the details make that happen? 

For example, everyone agrees, "transition defense is important." What elements go into that? How many players go to the offensive board? Who? What are your primary and secondary goals? How do we train this? How will we measure it? 

Lagniappe: For our organization, the job is to make sense of what General McChrystal calls shared consciousness and empowerment. We need group understanding of the mission and its execution.  

They called their operation in Iraq "The Star Wars Bar" because groups from many different organization merged to plan and operate against terrorism in real time. 

Lagniappe 2: Click through to the Radius Athletics mini-clinic on spacing. 

Make the mental shift from viewing “basketball coaching” as coaching technique and actions to viewing it as creating favorable spacing conditions for players to apply skills. ("Steward of spacing")

Lagniappe 3: Sawubona, more than a greeting but an invitation to participate in each other's lives. Does winning bring a team together or togetherness bring winning? 

Basketball, Society, and Sport: Power Corrupts

The quest for power is a fundamental force in life, sport, and basketball. Power goes by different names - ego, status, influence. 

And many problems arising in organizations, from youth basketball through upper echelons relate to power struggles. 

At the pinnacle of sport, it's an easy get. The powerful get the attention, publicity, respect, and money. Power attracts eyeballs and eyeballs print money. But power seekers attract critics, about their involvement ("shut up and dribble") or lack of involvement (lack of social conscience). We accuse the powerful of exaggerating their importance (e.g. "The Decision") or empire building (e.g. the orbit of a star, e.g. Rich Paul). 

The powerful leverage their status or voice for change, favors, or money. And depending on the change they seek, they earn friends or make enemies. 

Brookings, considered overall centrist, writes of pandemic sport support by colleges, "We find that the prevailing model rests on taking the money generated by athletes who are more likely to be Black and come from low-income neighborhoods and transferring it to sports played by athletes who are more likely to be white and from higher-income neighborhoods."

Philanthropists are not immune from criticism. The Gates Foundation has been accused of being self-serving by pushing online education and by ignoring the advice of experts. 

In October, Duke Coach Mike Krzyzewwki said, "We're going to have March Madness." Now, with Duke struggling, the tune seems to change. "I would just like for the safety, the mental and physical health of players and staff to assess where we're at."

At every level, minority coaches don't get an equal opportunity for hiring, retention, or advancement. “College sport continues to have some of the lowest grades for racial hiring practices among all of the college and professional sports covered by the respective Racial and Gender Report Cards” and "blacks are 45 percent of the football players in Division I but only 6.9 percent of the head football coaches. This was down from 7.7 percent in the prior year."

At the youth and high school level, the conflict can be subtle or harsh. At the extreme, you recall the Texas cheerleader mother and her plan to kill a rival mother and daughter. 

In Carl Pierson's excellent book, The Politics of Coaching, he details the conflicts among coaches, players, administrators, and families. Families wonder why their child doesn't make a team or when they do, why they don't have more minutes and a featured role. Parents may obstruct the path and opportunities for younger players, in the hope of being the anteambulo for their child. 

We've all heard about or seen parents and politicians lobbying for their children or working to displace coaches whom they couldn't influence. A Texas high school basketball coach told me a parent offered his school a $25,000 contribution in exchange for his ouster. Gone, baby, gone. 

There's nothing we can do to change the dynamics of power and sport. But let's not kid ourselves when discussing diversity and opportunity. 

Lagniappe: "Bring your own juice." Coaches are energy givers.

What are our three goals for this season? 

Lagniappe 2. "Water the flowers." Coach Mason Waters shares a Devin Booker study. Great stuff to show players! 

Basketball: Quality Actions in Crunch Time, Develop Winning Options

Keywords: Late game situations, Iverson cut, Corner rip, Separation

Purposeful play gets quality shots in crunch time. Imagine a situation such as tie score, ten seconds, advancing the ball, no timeouts. 

Tailor the plan to team strengths and exploitable weakness of opponents. Show your club film of model execution. 

Have a specific plan to get a quality shot by whom you want, where you want, and when you want. You probably don't want the shot taken "early" giving your opponent another opportunity. Perhaps you favor a drive to setup a foul, a spread ball screen ball screen, or a back door cut against pressure defense. Our team needs an automatic or default action. 

Fall back to "great offense is multiple actions." Why not use an "early offense" that has multiple options? If we practice a "default" regularly, we should perform it at a higher level than freelance. 

Think of 1-4 high as "horns like" with good spacing and no default help side. Entry to either post sets up cutting, screening, and isolation. 

• Give-and-go with the point guard
• Helpside screening 
• Back cut from the ball side
• Isolation for the post

Locate your point guard at the post if she is the best driver, passer, finisher. The coach knows the strengths and preferences of her team. 

When we've prepared to do our best, we have less room for regrets. "We got the look we wanted." 

Have an "ace in the hole" set you haven't shown. 

The Iverson action scored five points (one three-point play) in two possessions. 

Iverson too obvious? Apply corner rip action in search of a layup. Hat tip to Zak Boisvert. 

Lagniappe: "Let the hype begin." Payton Pritchard. 

Adam Spinella informs viewers about the guard's strengths, weaknesses, and potential opportunities with second unit teammates. 

Lagniappe 2: "Hype squared...more Celtics' eye candy. 

Aaron Nesmith, sniper, screener, side-step compensation, and the gravity of a shooter. 

Basketball Friday: There Is No "One Way" To Defend the Ball Screen

Basketball defense isn't a monolith, especially against ball screens. Defense evolves to efficiency, much like capital flows to its most effective use. 

3 Concepts. Define your top priority...defend at the rim or defend against the three, and accept mid-range shots. 

7 of the top 10 defensive rating teams are also among leaders in defending the rim. 

Develop coverage to achieve your priority. Coach Daniel's great video illustrates different philosophies. The Celtics switch, the Raptors fill the gap, and the Sixers priority is defending the three. 

Coach Daniel's video breakdown clarifies the how and the results. 

Know what our players can do. Last year, we had a superb rim protector, so we used drop coverage preferentially. 

Drill. "Cartoon" version of a basic PnR drill. 

Communication is key but we've had success at times attacking the dribbler. Stepping up makes life harder for the screener and easier to get over the top. The choice of coverage (hedge/"fake trap," switch, blitz, under, et cetera) is less important than everyone being on the same page and execution. 

Set Play. From FastModel 

Lagniappe: Finding edges. Zak Boisvert shares video illustrating the primacy of spacing, how "movement kills defense" and a cut for a score when a defender loses sight of his man "head turning." 

No one in the country runs better 5-out than Northern Iowa pic.twitter.com/XCIzEWWkoR

— PickandPop (@PickAndPopNet) December 9, 2020

Basketball: Random Thoughts on Sport, and Society, Half a Loaf and Too Much Bam Roll

The winter sports season starts December 14th in Massachusetts. It's a long run for the proverbial short slide. At least one community (Westford) voted to cancel the basketball and hockey season. Why? 

Today's 90 deaths (not on the above chart) are the highest since the spring and the Commonwealth's opening plan is being rolled back because of cases, increasing test positivity, hospitalizations, and deaths. View any schedules as preliminary in the context of the public health emergency. 

Some contest the data. Incontrovertible facts come from the state's Wastewater processing (MWRA). 

Wastewater viral loads from 43 Eastern Massachusetts communities predicted the surge in clinical Coronavirus disease. Ignore science at our peril. The virus sheds in stool before clinical cases rise.

The normal twenty game season is cut in half, with no statewide post-season tournament. Rumor has it that one spectator will be allowed per player. 

The "traditional" Tuesday and Friday doubleheaders are nowhere to be found. 

Home teams are responsible for filming. 

Some rules and policies can be viewed as arbitrary. 

Basketball update: Rosters can stay at 15, but only 12 allowed in the pregame warmups. If a school has 15, three kids would be stretching under the hoop. That can be rotated, but 12 is the max number in the pregame layups.

— Danny Ventura (@BostonHeraldHS) December 9, 2020

As I mentioned previously, BOBs are gone for this season, replaced by SLOBs from the foul line extended. Getting into offense from SLOBs comprises a possible edge. Creativity and execution matter. 

Horns-like set with high entry can pressure the heart of the zone. 

A modified box set can open the help/weak side with a screen. 

Lagniappe: Why can't A stop B? It's easy for fans to say, "take that away." ScoutwithBryan's YouTube channel is another analysis gold mine. 

Reality says: 

1) NBA players are great at exploiting edges.

2) Defenses can't take away everything. 

3) Teams have to "live with" certain shots (e.g. mid-range jumpers).

4) Brad Stevens, the Celtics coaches and players surely watched a lot of Heat film looking for solutions if not kryptonite against the Heat pick-and-roll. 

5) The points per possession on the "live with it" shots (1 to 1.2) are going to be less than lobs and layups (probably 1.6 - 1.8) 

Basketball: Study Belief Systems and The Special Relevance of SLOBs in 2020

We hold belief systems with a variety of names - toughness, transition offense, zone defense, shot selection, analytics. Coaches study our nature including belief systems. Apply the best parts from any belief system for our ethos, earning the right to succeed. 

Religions are codified belief systems. Three universal truths of Buddhism are change (anicca), unsatisfactoriness (suffering/dukkha), and not self (anatta). 

Buddhism identifies five personal elements - the body, emotions, perception, thoughts, and awareness. All are in a state of flux, an impermanence argument against a fixed 'self'. We constantly evolve, for better or for worse. Instability of any impacts performance...imagine an emotional or thought disabled list, a rut. 

Change is obvious. We are not the same person as we change moment to moment, aging, learning, evolving. Viktor Frankl advised understanding suffering as part of life in Man's Search for Meaning. Dissatisfaction with life, performance, lack of control are known to us. But self versus not self is vague. The Self (ego) limits us through selfishness, possessiveness, pride, anger, and hate.

Do these "truths" describe basketball? 

Change. We're here to change, to improve. But within the game we change speed, direction, tempo of play, style of play, strategy. How does each player and the team function possession to possession, quarter to quarter? 

Unsatisfactoriness. Coach Sonny Lane taught us, "I'm pleased but I'm not satisfied." Celebrate a victory while recognizing flaws, even in a blowout win. In Why the Best Are the Best, Kevin Eastman explains that in a winning NBA Finals game the Celtics allowed 32 Laker points off defensive mistakes. But 'unsatisfactoriness' impacts players during the game. Some sulk or quit without touches and shots. "Get past bad, sad, and mad."

Not self. Maybe not self is reality, truth, and vision of the game. That which is outside of us. Better ensues as we work as a whole, connected and selfless. 

Collaboration among the players and coaching staff creates a harmony and joy that produces the best results. Every coach knows that each team is different and some teams can't find oneness on the court. 

Lagniappe: Game changing...

Lagniappe 2. I'm devoting extra attention to SLOBs this season as in Massachusetts BLOBs are eliminated this season and entries occur at the foul line extended with the closest defender six feet from the passer. Special situations have always been a strength for us as we initiate play during O-D-O (offense-defense-offense) three possession games during practice. 

"Great offense is multiple actions." Break this Lakers' play down as - Z - I - E

1) Zipper action to inbound

2) Iverson cut to clear the inbounder  

3) Elevator screen for shot or two-man game 

Basketball: Tuesday Terminology Returns with Video to Study

Young students face a firehose of terms. Help them get on the same page by sharing words that work. 

Terms evolve over time. For example, once the common expressions were strong and weak side of the court. More often in 2020, we hear ball side and help side. 

The point guard has cutting options from the top. Bury in the ballside corner and go thru to the helpside. 

With "Elbow get" the offense creates a pick-and-roll with a cross-screen. Coach Nick illustrates. Defenses may not anticipate ball screens set up from this configuration. 

No law says you must locate both bigs at the top. 

"Basketball is a game of separation." Teams use a "ram screen" to screen for a ball screener, perhaps leading to chaotic switching. In the video below, the Bucks use multiple screens to set up a three-point shot. 

Zak Boisvert explains the Celtics "Scram Switch" below to contest mismatches created by perimeter small onto big switches. It takes awareness and communication to make this work. When Marcus Smart is at the one, they do this less because of Smart's size and physicality. 

As a young player, develop an edge by learning the nuances of the game. Level the playing field by developing more skill and raising your basketball IQ to neutralize some of the size and athleticism deficits you face. 

Lagniappe: Grow your basketball IQ with video study and take it to the court. Mason Waters shares Steve Nash video. The details define the difference. 

Basketball: Obsession with Ingredients, Preparation, and Tracking

"Remember...obsession with the quality of the ingredients." - Massimo Bottura, 3-Star Michelin Chef (His restaurant in Northern Italy was voted best in the world. I've made his grandmother's pesto - note the bread crumbs, pasta water adds creaminess, and he favors a touch of mint). 

Obsess over player development. Obsession carries a negative connotation, but elite performers obsess over planning, preparation, and performance. A highly regarded investment professional summarized, "I like to win." 

Help players become their own coaches, "performance-focused, feedback-rich." What does that take? 

• Attention to detail. "Plan your trade; trade your plan." 
• Define goals and expectations for workouts. "Make at least 80 percent of free throws." 
• Practice shooting under fatiguing conditions. 
• Track and trend results. Is my plan making me better? 
• Practice with a partner to elevate competition. 

For example, I recommend elbow shooting with a rebounding partner. Shoot, sprint to the sideline and back, catch and shoot. Make as many as possible in one minute. It's far more game-like than standing, open catch-and-shoot. 

"Every day is player development day." That includes athleticism, skill, game understanding (including video and situation review), and a segment dedicated to "closing." For example, get the ball on the wing or elbow with the score tied and ten seconds left, what's your go to and counter action? Practice your winning moves every workout. When the moment arises, you will rise to it because of your preparation. 

Read, read, read, read, read. Read to become well-informed, to become a better leader, and to understand human nature. Surround ourselves with great books. 

Seek understanding not validation. For example, how will teammates respond to wins, losses, struggles, and your success as a younger player? During media opportunities, deflect credit to teammates and coaches. 

Video is the truth machine. Study truth. What did you see? What did you do? What could you do better? 

Recognize success elements. 

• Great players make teammates better and the team better. 
• Great players are great teammates. 
• Be confident yet humble. Be more concerned about doing right than being right. 

Obsess over becoming the best ingredient. 

Lagniappe: "The Wright stuff," Penetrate, pass, pass. 

Basketball, Excerpts from the Thirty-Six Strategems and Other Key Teaching Points

Use every tool at our disposal, learning and extracting from other cultures, like Genghis Khan. 

Regular readers know the value of learning across disciplines. I've shared the concepts of "Beginner's Mind," "Empty Your Cup," and "No Mind." 

Playwright David Mamet clarified in Redbelt, "a man distracted is a man defeated." Success without commitment, discipline, and focus doesn't exist. 

Chinese history informs the Thirty-Six strategems, too many for one meal. Let's dissect the first six using the Wikipedia outline, using analogies. 

Chapter 1: Winning Stratagems 

Deceive the heavens to cross the sea. 

Mask one's real goals from those in authority who lack vision by not alerting them to one's movements or any part of one's plan.

Admiral Nelson won at Trafalgar, sailing perpendicular to the Franco-Spanish fleet, using two columns to cut their forces in three.

Indiana Coach Bob Knight recommended setting up defensively in zone and then reorganizing into your chosen defense. Initially, the opposing offense would think zone and then have to adjust. 

Besiege Wèi to rescue Zhào 

When the enemy is too strong to be attacked directly, attack something they cherish. The idea is to avoid a head-on battle with a strong enemy, and instead strike at their weakness elsewhere.

General Sherman avoided large battles and mass casualties by attacking Southern infrastructure during the Civil War, a war on property and resources. 

The prep/private schools attract top players which simultaneously strengthens their forces and weakens the public schools.  

Kill with a borrowed knife 

Attack the strength of another when in a situation where using one's own strength is not favourable. For example, trick an ally into attacking them or use the enemy's own strength against them. The Ideas is to cause damage to the enemy via a third party. 

During the American Revolutionary War, a teen-aged Lafayette intervened on behalf of the Americans. History.com shares ten little-known facts about Lafayette! 

In professional sports, trading deadline acquisitions augment a team's forces and become difference makers (although usually not). 

Wait at leisure while the enemy labors 

It is advantageous to choose the time and place for battle while the enemy does not. Encourage the enemy to expend their energy in futile quests while one conserves their strength. When the enemy is exhausted and confused, attack with energy and purpose. 

Historically, sieges worked, sometimes augmented by unconventional warfare. Attackers would catapult plague-infested bodies over a defender's walls. 

We regularly lost (middle school) to a rival who waited for our top player to substitute out and then capitalized by scoring inside or being fouled attacking the basket. In our final season playoffs, we increased her playing time and their inside game evaporated while she dominated at both ends. 

Loot a burning house 

When a country is beset by internal problems, such as disease, famine, corruption, and crime, it is poorly-equipped to deal with an outside threat. Keep gathering internal information about an enemy. If the enemy is in its weakest state, attack them without mercy and annihilate them to prevent future troubles.

In Greek mythology, the Greeks held a protracted siege of Troy (see "Wait at leisure"), which suffered the deaths of two heroes, Paris and Hector. The Greeks feigned withdrawal, and left a gift from the carpenter Epeius, the Trojan horse. The rest is mythic history. 

A strong team entered the postseason optimistic. But one girl "stole" another's boyfriend, the team fractured, and they were eliminated in the first round. Dissent determined destiny. 

Make a sound in the east, then strike in the west

In any battle, the element of surprise can provide an overwhelming advantage. Even when face-to-face with an enemy, surprise can still be employed by attacking where they least expect it. Create an expectation in the enemy's mind through the use of a feint.

General Robert E. Lee commanded inferior forces at Chancellorsville in May 1863, defeating Union forces twice their size using unexpected flanking maneuvers. General Stonewall Jackson lost his life in the battle.  

Basketball uses a myriad of options for deception, including false cutting (e.g. backdoor), complex screens like screen-the-screener and Spain pick-and-roll (screen-the-roller), and hammer sets with ball reversal. 

Lagniappe: Slappin' Glass presents great content each week, focused today on "The Art of the Roll."

 

Lagniappe 2. Spend more time teaching passes actually used in games. 

10 seconds of exquisite basketball beauty. 

Yes. The chest pass within the body is basically non-existent in game play. Chest passes, 2 to 1 hand passes & other passes outside the body are the norm. https://t.co/0n5LkrcBCo

— Chris Oliver (@BBallImmersion) December 5, 2020

Lagniappe 3. Unconventional wisdom. The Yeshiva motion offense.