Cavaliers vs Knicks
Knicks started out the game with active hands, getting ball deflections and causing 4 first quarter turnovers. Most of the Knick steals took place in the paint as the Knicks collapsed on the Cavs offense.
The defensive emphasis for both teams was to plug the key but, it was Cleveland’s defense that was tougher and managed to continue contract and suffocate space while New York’s defense expanded and give up space.
Cleveland’s defensive rating against the Knicks was 99.2. New York shot 24.1% from three and 37.2% from two- point range. New York’s expected value for its three-point shooting was 0.482 points per possession. Inside the arc, New Yorks expected value was 0.744 points per possession.
Cleveland protected the paint and focused on Brunson. The emphasis was to clog the elbows when Brunson had the ball up top and to plug the block when Brunson go the ball free-throw line extended or below. Cleveland’s defense shifted and was essentially a zone. When Brunson had the ball at the top the key, Cleveland’s defense resembled 1–2–2 with a man guarding Brunson and the two next defenders protecting the elbows.
When Brunson was free-throw line extended, Cleveland made a point of sending a defender to the block even if it meant leaving their man on the opposite block or on the opposite side of the floor.
New York did very little to probe Cleveland’s defense and struggled to get paint touches. New York ended up settling for three-point shots.
The Cavs offense struggled to start the game but the two players that got the offense rolling were Garland and LeVert. Garland and LeVert finished the 1st quarter shooting 80% from three-point line with each hitting two three-point shots. Their 4/5 shooting from behind the three, unclogged the lane and New York had to extend their defense which created driving lane opportunities for Garland as he broke his man down with the dribble and got downhill.
Cleveland blew the game open in the 2nd quarter. Garland was sensational in the second quarter. He was efficient from behind the arc going 2 for 3 from deep range. Garland was on attack mode in the second quarter and got the free-throw line.
Garland’s ability to shoot the three and get to the free-throw line gashed New York and they could not stop the bleeding. New York could not press up on him because he was blowing by and they could not lay off him. Simply put, he was a nightmare.
What is interesting is that in the era of space and three’s the players that get to the free-throw line the most are the guards. Brunson led the Knicks by shooting 10 free-throw attempts and Garland led the Cavs by shooting 11 free-throws. The shot with the highest expected value is the free-throw and that is why there is an emphasis on protecting the elbow and the block. Cutting off those driving entry points is what keeps players from the free-throw line but even with the Cavaliers strategy, Brunson found a way to shoot 10 free-throws.
Suns vs Clippers
Phoenix big 3 shot above 60% from two point-range. Phoenix won game two by shooting the shot with the lowest expected value. Durant, Paul, and Booker feasted off the mid-range. Time and time again, they drove and pulled up from the mid-range. The variety of ways that Phoenix hit midrange shots was like how Forrest Gump described the rain in Vietnam. The Suns hit wide open shots, hard driving pull ups, high arching floaters, fadeaway tear drops and slow controlled driving zig-zag jumpers.
Torrey Craig benefitted from all the attention Booker, Paul and Durant received. Craig found himself all alone behind the three-point line and made the Clippers pay by going 5 for 8 from three.
The Suns went on a run the last two minutes of the second quarter and tied the game going into halftime.
In the second half the Clippers faced two problems. The first problem was Kevin Durant. Durant led the Suns in the second quarter with ten points and shot 80% from two-point range. The Clippers decided to double Kevin Durant in the second half. By doubling, the Clippers put their defense in scramble situations as Kevin Durant identified the double and passed out of it. Once in scramble mode, the Clippers were picked apart by Booker as he caught the ball with out-of-control defenders closing out on him.
The best way to double is one an offensive player decides to put the ball on the deck and go hard. Once the offensive player commits to a move and exerts force to get to a spot, it is difficult for the offensive player to adjust to a second defender. Getting high level NBA players in this position is very difficult because the major difference between an NBA great and everyone else is that they do things on their terms and at their speed. While such a doubling strategy may be difficult to initiate, it is better to be patient than to send a double right away from an angle that allows Kevin Durant to easily identify the double and pass out of it. The latter strategy also is illogical when you have a shooter like Booker on the other side of the floor.
Once the defense is in scramble mode, it is difficult to regain balance and teams with quality players like the Suns will make you pay for putting yourself in that position.
The second problem the Clippers faced on defense was drop coverage. I struggle to understand why teams use drop coverage instead of doubling on PnR. The NBA has so much space and players take so many threes, it is counterintuitive to have a defensive strategy that has your big man drop and give wide open looks and space on pick and rolls instead of stepping up and doubling.
I just think that the odds are in your favor if you double and allow the opposing center to roll and catch the ball at the free-throw line. Force the opposing big to put the ball on the deck from 15 feet out or to shoot that pull up. Ayton being a playmaker is better than giving Chris Paul, Kevin Durant and Devin Booker space on pick and roll action.
Chris Paul and Kevin Durant finished the game without making a single three-point shot. Paul and Booker hurt the Clippers on drop coverage by allowing them to penetrate and find open players or hit the mid-range. Booker is the only Sun player that hit three-point shots coming off the pick and roll and it was because of drop coverage.
The Suns had the same problem with Kawhi Leonard. Kawhi hit threes because of the Suns drop coverage or because the man on the ball was worried about the on-ball screen and gave Leonard space.
PnR’s give you the best opportunity to double a player because the area becomes crowded, you can maximize your pressure and you have a second defender coming over.
Drop coverage is just coaches trying to convince themselves that slow footed seven footers are still needed in the NBA. The intent is more to try and keep these players on the floor than to defend the opposing team.
Offensively, Kawhi and Russell Westbrook were exceptional. The Clippers bench was anemic but not as bad as Nic Batum. Batum finished the game with zero points, 1 rebound and 1 assist. If Batum has a better game, it’s possible to play him at the five and have more athleticism and size that could help on PnR and step up instead of drop.
Draymond and Sabonis Drama Part II
The league suspended Draymond Green for game three. I believe that the referee’s initial decision to give Sabonis a technical and to eject Draymond is the correct penalty. The league has stepped in and in my opinion the league has botched the situation.
The league is citing Draymond’s past transgressions as the reason for the suspension and by doing so there is a lot of innuendo if Draymond’s behavior while the referees were reviewing the tape and making their decision is the reason why the league gave Draymond the one game suspension.
There are reports that both Draymond and Sabonis were seen by medical experts. The situation has become a circus.
My problem with the league’s decision is that it enhances flopping instead of deterring it. Sabonis flopped. On the floor he grabbed Greene’s foot and put Draymond in a very difficult situation.
I coached basketball for over 15 years and in that time, there was never an incident of a player grabbing the opposing players foot but in the NBA is happens more often than it should because it should never happen. There is no reason why you should grab someone’s foot let alone wrap your arms around someone’s foot.
Draymond’s stomp and leap is a dangerous act as is grabbing the leg or the foot.
The other issue is that the flopping leads to players falling on the floor and with the ebb and flow of basketball, players falling is a hazard. Sweat on the floor creates a slippery surface and the NBA has people who hustle their tails off to dry the floor in between trips but the pace and action makes it so that there are instances where there is a wet spot on the floor and players are playing on it.
The NBA has long had the perception that referees are biased and that the league grants certain player preferential treatment. Every night, players are trying to game referee calls and now we are seeing the use of medical professionals as a way of gaming league penalties. It is more than likely that there are health concerns with both Sabonis and Draymond, but the league has conducted itself in such a way that people are seeing these actions as antics to game the system.
I would rather the league come down hard on both Sabonis and Draymond. Suspend Draymond and stick to the action on the floor and reference that action. State that there were two acts of retaliation with the stop and the jump off and that you are penalizing both acts but also severely fine Sabonis for grabbing Draymond’s foot.
If the league did not like the Warriors lack of discipline while Draymond was antagonizing the Sacramento Kings crowd, then fine the Warriors organization.
Solely suspending Draymond Green does not address the flopping and Sabonis dangerous act. The league is not being harsh enough with all the parties involved.
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