Duke won a National Championship and made three first round drafts picks during their offseason work. Basketball players need to train in order to push themselves to the next level. The Blue Devils developed: strength in the weight room explosiveness using plyometrics agility and footwork on the court foot and ankle stability on the beach toughness on the stadium stairs core strength by doing functional movements togetherness by working out as a team
Being Tony Allen
Guarding Klay Thompson and the rest of the Golden State Warriors, Tony Allen has demonstrated tenacious effort and modelled solid defensive skills for younger players to follow. The Grizzlies have played competitively so far and forced the N.B.A.’s highest scoring team into some poor shooting performances. Guarding the Ballhandler: Allen turns Thompson to the left and keeps his hands active. However, he is not riding his man or reaching down. Instead, Allen reaches for the ball between Thompson’s hand and the floor. He pops it loose from below as it is on the way up, avoiding a foul. Allen is able to tip it …
Fouling at the End of Games
The Lakers experienced an awkward play at the end of of Friday’s game against the Grizzlies. Memphis was up a single point with under twenty seconds remaining but Los Angeles elected not to foul immediately. Eventually, Kobe Bryant ran over and fouled Mike Conley. The Lakers eventually lost by three points. Some areas for improvement: L.A. did not seem to discuss who they would foul if this situation arose. Conley was the best free throw shooter on the court and it might have been possible to trap him in order to steal (hopefully) or force him to give up the …
Raptors-Warriors: Compare and Contrast
The Toronto Raptors are a good team with an effective offense but the Golden State Warriors are a great team with an elite offense. The Dubs do a great job of consistently creating high percentage looks with their activity. On Friday night, Golden State made forty-nine field goals on thirty-five assists (71.4%).
Cost Effective Ball Movement
In Real Life: Atul Gawande speculates that one of the key drivers behind rising health care cost is overtreatment: excessive and gratuitous procedures which give the impression of thorough treatment without actually improving results. Patients may suffer complications from needless operations or doctors may neglect a low cost preventative measure in favour a more expensive and risky procedure. Certain “anchor tenants” influence the culture of particular hospitals and communities. The key to better health care lies in prescribing the appropriate care for each patient and treating the cause instead of all of the symptoms. Western countries agree that health care costs …
Finding Inspiration
An excerpt from Bob Ryan’s new book Scribe: My Life in Sports on how Larry Bird used Bobby Orr for inspiration before games: “He was always full of surprises. For years we all noted that he stared at the Garden ceiling during the national anthem. He never said why, and no one asked. Then, during his speech at the dinner to celebrate a statue to him that would be placed in the Sports Museum, he explained that he was looking at Bruines great Bobby Orr’s retired number 4 jersey as a source of nightly inspiration. “I want people in Boston …
F.I.B.A. World Cup Trends
The United States S.M.N.T. won their second consecutive F.I.B.A. World Cup, behind Kyrie Irving’s adroit ballhandling, tremendous outside shooting, intense ball pressure and countless dunks by Anthony Davis and Kenneth Faried. Pundits may have expected the U.S.A. to struggle against Spain in the final but like 2010, Spain was upset earlier and a young American squad captured the title. The team struggled at the beginning of the final defensively but DeMarcus Cousins helped recapture the paint and Irving began penetrating the Serbian zone and getting to the rim or finding open shooters. What may have been an upset actually showed how …
2014 Finals Preview
On the first day of training camp, Gregg Popovich screened the entirety of San Antonio’s Game 6 overtime loss to Miami in the 2013 Finals. He wanted the team to “park it” and forget about any lingering doubts: Kawhi Leonard’s missed free throw, the offensive rebounds or a play that would have made a difference had it unfolded otherwise. If the process behind the 2012-13 season was solid than they would live with the outcome. From that moment onwards, there was no hangover that could jeopardize the season. Now, as the rematch approaches, the hard fought loss has galvanized Spurs’ …
Every Play Counts
The intensity of playoff basketball manifests itself in the significance of each play. A team cannot take a play off without consequences – ranging from points which impact the final margin, a change in momentum that triggers a critical run or a lasting impression that defines a reputation. In both N.B.A. Conference Finals, the team that won the first game has lost the most recent contest because all four teams have altered how they have approached every play at either end of the court. Initiative, collaboration and attention to detail have triumphed almost all of the time. It is not …
Can OKC Win without Serge Ibaka?
On the eve of the Western Conference Championship series, the announcement that forward Serge Ibaka would miss the remainder of the playoffs was an inauspicious announcement for the Oklahoma City Thunder. Although the number two seed behind the San Antonio Spurs, the team possessed a certain edge, evidenced by their win in the 2012 Conference Final and a 4-0 sweep of the season series this year. The explosive athleticism of Kevin Durant, Russell Westbrook and Ibaka was a factor that the experience and execution of the Spurs could never match. Despite a seemingly insurmountable obstacle, the Thunder can still win, …
Adjustments and Offensive Execution in the Playoffs
Playoffs progressing from the Second Round to the Conference Finals mean that the level of play in the N.B.A. gets higher and higher. Especially in the Western Conference, every team is very talented and winning and losing hinges on minute defense. Everyone knows each other’s sets so good defenses will strive to eliminate the primary option; great defenses will take away more than that so it becomes incumbent upon the offense to identify the open man and move the ball to them, institute new wrinkles that counter the counter and utilize evolving and improving athletic talents as they develop. Always …
Game 7: The Last Three Possessions of the Season
Towards the end of their 104-103 loss to the Nets in Game 7, the Raptors ran three different A.T.O. sets to attempt to narrow the score. The first two were productive, creating layups for Kyle Lowry and Terrence Ross whereas the final play resulted in a blocked shot in the paint. The spacing of the alignment as the ball was inbounded was diverse and it influenced the quality of the shots that the team attempted. 3rd Last Play: Down 102-99, 22.5 seconds left. Extending a well-known San Antonio Spurs SOB for the length of the entire court offers a mixed …
Game 6: A Series of Unfortunate Events
No to belabour the point, but I wanted to look at two plays: one from Game 5 that shows DeMar DeRozan receiving the ball as he curls towards the hoop and finishing in the paint and another from Game 6 when a Kyle Lowry fade away three point shot proves to be an outlet pass for Alan Anderson.Although Toronto has strong guard play, it is imperative that all other players on the court play a concrete role in constructing a successful possession. When other players are bystanders, it enables Brooklyn to close the paint and force tough shots. Game 5: …
Game 5: Highs and Lows
Leading a seven game playoff series against the Brooklyn Nets, the Toronto Raptors are fortunate because they can say that they have not yet played a fundamentally sound forty-eight minutes but still have two chances to win the series. Since Game 1, the team has improved their execution at both ends of the floor but the forty-four point comeback allowed in the fourth quarter of Game 3 shows that there is still room to improve. The Raptors must remember what they need to do well and go back to those core objectives when the Nets respond and the game tightens …
Games 3 and 4: Two Good Plays, Two Bad Plays
To summarize the weekend split that Toronto gained in Brooklyn over the weekend, I wanted to focus on two things that the Raptors should continue to emphasize and two things of which they must remain mindful. Certainly, it was an uneven performance, featuring a fruitful outcome (regaining home court advantage) but lacking a consistent process (reducing errors at both ends of the floor). Toronto Must Feed their Bigs: If the Raptors will maintain their size advantage, they must make the Nets pay by going inside early and often. Paul Pierce does not want to play physically with Amir Johnson and …
Game 2: Improving Toronto’s Screen and Roll Game
When all five players are involved in a screen and roll, the defense cannot simply collapse and play the drive and the roll. Passing lanes open, space in the paint expands and high percentage scoring chances develop. The increased movement also permits those away from the ball to crash the offensive glass. In Game 1 of the playoff series, Brooklyn was able to blitz Toronto’s ball screens and limit their passing chances. down 1-0, the home team performed much better in Game 2 at the offensive end (when they did not turn the ball over as a result of an …