The Breakdown - February 1
Lakers Seal For LeBron, Cavs BOB Line, & Crucial Heat Zone Adjustment
A new breakdown format where we look at some of the best X’s & O’s from the previous night’s games. I typically study 2-3 games live per night and watch the others on replay/possessions, but if you see something interesting when watching and want it included - let me know! Let’s dive in.
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Cleveland Cavaliers BOB Zone Line
The Cavs were facing a late clock baseline out of bounds situation with 1.4 seconds left in the 1st quarter. With so little time left the Heat elected to go to a 2-3 zone to stop any easy catch and shoot opportunities.
A counter (and possibly read) to this was the Cavs screening on the high side with LeVert spacing at the 3 point line.
We can see here how the Cavs form a “line” and screen the top of the zone, a common high school and college set against baseline out-of-bounds zone defense.
Here are some more examples from college with Michigan State, Winthrop, and including an example from one of my teams in high school.
Cleveland Cavaliers Double Ballsceen to Overload vs Zone
When teams face the Miami Heat you have to prepare for multiple defenses, coverages and schemes and have plays or concepts to attack them. The Cavs attacked the Heat’s 2-3 zone by setting a double ballscreen and then creating an overload. Here the play starts off with a guard screening the first player and a big screening the second.
After the first player rolls into space he fills toward the opposite corner that the ball is being driven toward. This creates a 2 on 1 against the wing defender and the big rolls into space in the high post.
Here Mobley finds space in the high post after rolling into space.
Miami Heat 1-1-3 Counter
After the next timeout, the Heat countered this action by starting off in a “1-1-3” setup instead of the 2 players at the top more flattened out. This took away the opportunity for the Cavs to create the overload and allowed the defense to keep the advantage.
Miami Heat Elbow Playcall
Since the Heat play out of Bam at the elbow often, it makes since they would call this play “Elbow” here you can see Rubio signaling the elbow call. We don’t know if there was a term after this (Weak/Strong) but the Elbow signal is normal for an entry to the Elbow.
This play starts off with a screen for Bam first to free up the entry pass.
After the guards can screen and read for each other, here Vincent screens down for Strus to come off the hand off and then ends the possession with a made 3.
Los Angeles Lakers ATO Dummy Seal
After the game went to overtime against the Knicks the Lakers ran a sneaky After Time Out for LeBron to get a layup. With Randle battling him low in the paint, they run some basic cutting action over the top and LeBron just sits on his hip on the high side.
With Randle expecting a post up or flash from Lebron, this allowed an EASY over the top pass for the seal after the layup.
This action is not new to LeBron, in Miami and under Vogel he would get these seals on the high side designed for easy layups - especially against smaller defenders.
In the early days of the Cavs (2007 here) the Cavs would run Floppy action and have LeBron “Bury” his man in the lane like a duck in, something that would be a look until he left the Cavs again for the Lakers.
Chicago Bulls Horns Ghost Face
The Bulls took advantage of the Corner man locking and trailing against Lavine where normally it could flow into a dribble hand off. Here the Bulls send Lavine on a face cut to the basket for an easy layup.
Clippers/Bulls Angle Pop Chicago
I always find it very funny when teams run the same plays against each other in the same game, and the Clippers and Bulls did just that. The play starts off with an Angled ballscreen designed to pop the big to the middle of the floor.
Then the player on the opposite wing screens down and it flows into a dribble hand off for the player in the opposite corner.
Milwaukee Bucks Horns Out Elbow Chicago
A similar set to the play above, the Bucks ran the same Chicago action for Ingles coming off to his left hand. It starts off with similar action the Heat ran to free up Bam but here Lopez screens at the elbow and opens up.
Then the point guard cuts through the lane and it flows into Chicago action for Ingles.
Charlotte Hornets Oklahoma Empty
The Hornets ran a rescreen set for Gordon Hayward to open the game against the Bucks, starting off with a double ballscreen with the corner empty.
As the ball clears the second screener Plumlee screens away again for Hayward to come off for a shot.
Denver Nuggets Horns Rip DHO 5
The Nuggets run an awesome play for Jokic that is usually only reserved for the best shooters in the NBA. Out of Horns the ball is passed to the elbow and then Jokic sets a backscreen for Murray.
After Jokic then comes off a dribble hand off looking for a 3 point shot.
The Nuggets ran this back-to-back times against the Pelicans and the second time the Pelicans had no coverage on Jokic so he drove and found Gordon for the lob.
🏀Resources:
Basketball Playbooks | Coaching Clinics | Coaching Membership | Newsletter
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I hope you enjoy this new format and trying out some new things for breakdowns - any feedback is appreciated. Thank you again for all of your support and for sharing my work.
Outwork Yesterday
Coach Pyper