Match-up miscue leads to loss for 76ers
Watch the following sequence of events and then identify correctly what crucial mistake the 76ers made which resulted in their loss to the Celtics [on Thursday]:
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Should they have gone “under” the pick, instead of switching?
Should they have gone “over” the pick, “shown hard” with Garnett’s defender, and then “recovered back” to their original checks?
Should they have ”trapped” the pick?
Or, should they have done something else, altogether different?
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The specific take from this corner …
The main mistake which Doug Collins made in this instance was his deployment of this specific Group of 5 players against the Quintet that Doc Rivers put on the floor:
PG – Holiday vs Rondo
OG – Williams vs Robinson
SF – Meeks vs Allen
PF – Iguodala vs Pierce
C – Young vs Garnett
which amounted to the following “Individual Match-up” categories:
For Philadelphia -> 3 Smalls [i.e. Robinson, Rondo & Allen] + 2 Mediums [Iguodala & Young]
vs
For Boston -> 3 Smalls [Robinson, Rondo & Allen] + 1 Medium [Pierce] + 1 Big [Garnett]
What Doug Collins should have done instead was use THIS specific Group of 5 players on this final possession:
PG – Iguodala [Medium] vs Rondo [Small]
OG – Williams [Small] vs Robinson [Small]
SF – Meeks [Small] vs Allen [Small]
PF – Young [Medium] vs Pierce [Medium]
C – Battie [Big] vs Garnett [Big]
… and the 76ers would have probably won this game outright, by getting a defensive stop on this possession, regardless of what specific play the Celtics decided to use.
Understanding properly how “Individual Match-ups” actually work is the key to understanding the NBA game.
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PS. If you actually watched this game on television, like yours truly did, then, you should have been able to see the look of absolute horror which came over the face of Ed Stefanski [Sixers GM] … believe it, or not, it was very much like this … when he first surveyed the floor, saw the 5 players Coach Collins sent out, from the preceding time-out, to defend against the 5 players deployed by Doc Rivers, and mouthed the following 5 words of fright and dismay: “No! What are you doing!” Right now, the 76ers might well be the best 7-15 team in the NBA, considering they have lost at least 3 games [i.e. L1, in OT; L2, in OT; and L3] in mind-boggling fashion. :-(
Related:
The Celtics game-winning pick & roll and the Sixers poor defense of it
Tags: Andre Iguodala, Boston Celtics, Doc Rivers, Doug Collins, Ed Stefanksi, Jodie Meeks, Jrue Holiday, Kevin Garnett, Lou Williams, Nate Robinson, Paul Pierce, Philadelphia 76ers, Rajon Rondo, Ray Allen, Thaddeus Young, Tony Battie
December 11th, 2010 at 5:42 pm
I know its the end of the game, but i have not seen a more blatant moving screen in my life than the one i saw Garnett do
December 13th, 2010 at 4:48 pm
DG,
IMO, the way in which KG rolls to the basket in this pick sequence does not fit into the category of a “moving screen.”
When the defense goes “under” … i.e. the way that Holiday tried to go here … then, what KG does is a legitimate NBA technique for rolling to the basket:
i.e. A “lower foot front pivot/followed by a dive to the front rim”;
as opposed to the traditionally taught “Pick and Roll” technique that entails:
i.e. first, executing a “lower foot reverse pivot and seal against the original ball defender” AND, then, a “conventional roll to the hoop”.
If a picker uses technique “i”, it is extremely unlikely that he will get called for committing a “moving screen” because he is viewed by the official “to be making a separate offensive play, first and foremost, in an effort to receive a pass from his teammate with the ball.”
Conversely, if a player uses technique “ii”, is quite common for an offensive foul to be called against him, for committing a “moving screen” because he is viewed by the official “to not be making a separate offensive play, first and foremost, in an effort to receive a pass from his teammate with the ball”, but rather a “connected offensive manoeuvre” designed primary “to block the path of the original ball defender” who is trying to go “under” vs the dribbler.
I recognize that it’s a subtle distinction … but, I can also assure you that it’s a specific technique [i.e. "i"] which is commonly taught at the highest levels of competition, as opposed to technique “ii”, which is commonly taught at the lower levels of the game.