Coach: Philly’s Brotherly Offense
Each week, HOOPSWORLD NBA analyst and coach Anthony Macri opens his notebook and offers an assortment of observations on games, players, and teams from throughout the league. Coach Macri serves as a player development consultant for the Pro Training Center and Coach David Thorpe, working with a variety of NBA players on their skills and game understanding. The Coach’s Notebook appears on HOOPSWORLD every Thursday.
City of Brotherly Offense
Heads are turning toward the solid and surprising play of the Philadelphia 76ers. The Sixers have a young, talented core meshing and continuing to improve. Their offense is not as complex or intricate as the Triangle, nor is it as star-heavy as Boston, Miami, or New York. Instead, good old-fashioned fundamental offensive principles seem to be at the core of their much improved attack. So how is Philly getting the job done?
Hall of Fame NBA coach Hubie Brown once said offense is spacing, and spacing is offense. The 76ers demonstrate this reality in nearly every halfcourt set. They do a fantastic job of keeping wide at the three point line, rarely crowding in and almost always maintaining 15-18 feet between teammates. Even when looking to enter ball screen action, the 76ers keep their spacing until the screener sprints to a spot, sets, and then the spacing is regained. By preserving their spacing Philadelphia manages to prevent defenses from keying on any one component of the attack and improves driving lanes, pitch and catch angles, and even offensive rebounding opportunities. They also keep the middle open for high-low play; featuring a resurgent Elton Brand, this has been very effective.
Philadelphia has also shown a strong understanding of the pace of play. Point guard Jrue Holiday has taken the reins of the team, showing a great understanding of "when to slow" and "when to go" to avoid putting himself and teammates in difficult situations. In fact, Philadelphia has done an excellent job of taking care of the ball: only three NBA teams turn the ball over fewer times each game. When you don’t have megawatt stars like some of the other contenders in the league and instead rely on offensive balance to save the day, keeping possession of the ball is as important as any other statistic. By keeping a middling pace, not looking to grind on teams and not pushing recklessly, the 76ers are able to share the ball and take advantage of their offensive balance.
A key on the defensive end most coaches learn early in their career is to deny ball reversal. It is easy to see why: a team’s ability to reverse the basketball punishes defenses who like to pack one side of the floor. Reversals force closeouts and rotations, weakening the heart of the defense, and offenses are glad to take advantage by probing and then penetrating. Many coaches are slow, however, to take advantage of this reality on the offensive end. Doug Collins is not one of those coaches. This Philadelphia team reverses the ball as effectively as any in the league, doing so with a purpose and finding a variety of scorers in different positions on the lfoor. This serves to weaken their opponent on the defensive end, and the 76ers take advantage with timely cuts, flashes, and drives. This is particuarly important for Philly, because they really do not have a player to isolate on one side of the floor to create baskets. To manufacture scoring opportunities the Sixers must find shots through ball and player movement.
While the overall theme of balance dominates their offensive strategy, the play of Andre Iguodala is the spark giving them a chance to cause major heartburn for whoever they might face in the first round of the playoffs. Iguodala has been very good of late, and while his overall scoring average might be down his assists are up and his PER is still in the range it was when he was scoring five more points per game. One of the most electrifying open court wings in the game not named LeBron James, Iguodala is unselfish to a fault (averaging nearly as many assists as LeBron – a career-best 6.4 per contest). Iguodala’s presence gives Philadelphia the punch they need to ruin a top team’s postseason run; without him, they would struggle to compete.
More than anything the 76ers seem to enjoy playing with one another and for Doug Collins. If that continues expect them to show improvement through the end of this season, and while they might give someone problems in the post season this year, next year they may be ready to take a Chicago-like step into true contention.
"D" in the Big D
Early in the season the Dallas Mavericks were liberal in their use of a matchup zone to stymie opponents, keep them out of the lane, hide some of their individual deficiencies, and take advantage of their big shotblockers in the middle. Some wondered if that zone could be used as a base defense for an NBA team in contention. Dallas seems to have moved away from their heavy use of zone in the last few weeks, and while it is hard to argue with their results (8-2 in their last ten, tied for second-most wins in the league, etc.), the Mavericks are only rarely mentioned as a true contender for an NBA title. Many believe the Mavericks still need to demonstrate their ability to get a stop on the defensive end to truly be considered elite – and this is where the zone may be of some use.
{AUTHOR_BOX}Maybe the biggest problem Dallas has on the defensive end is the lack of great individual defenders. Acquiring Corey Brewer was supposed to help in this regard, but Brewer is still adapting to his new surroundings and teammates and leaning on him from Day 1 would be a lot to ask. By playing their matchup zone the Mavericks could neutralize this weakness. Instead of asking their less fleet-of-foot perimeter players to shut down the opposition’s best player, the Mavericks should/can employ a team mentality to do so. Dallas might not be all that quick, but they are are quite long at almost every position, and can use the zone to contest most (if not all) shots, prevent any and all straight line drives, and not be forced into one-on-one situations where they are easily exploited.
The presence and good play of both Tyson Chandler and Brendan Haywood gives them beef and athleticism in the middle that they really have not had during Dirk Nowitzki’s time there. Relying on them for back line defense in a zone is smart strategy – it allows them to engage as needed, (hopefully) stay out of foul trouble, and insert themselves when appropriate. Finally, the team seemed to rebound better in their zone with all five players on the floor committed to that goal. The zone keeps their best rebounders near the rim and by making it a point of emphasis the Mavericks can buck the old adage that it is difficult to rebound out of a zone.
As the playoffs approach and Dallas prepares itself for what they hope is another long run, an extended look at the value of their matchup zone might be in order. While it may not yield a traditional path to postseason success it may give them their best shot, and that’s really all you can ask for.
Have questions for Coach Macri? Be sure and drop by HOOPSWORLD on Mondays at 2PM Eastern for the Coach’s weekly basketball chat! You can also follow Coach Macri on Twitter @CoachMacri.
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