On This Case We're Never Where We Need to Be

12/12/2013

A Quick Hitter and Premature Greatest Hits

Mama there goes that hand down man you're better than that

Just watching the games it's sometimes very easy to get caught up in "how can you leave him that open?" when shooters get good shots. To some extent, defenses can be inattentive, or make silly rotations, but as often as not, players get open by design. Last night, Golden State came back to beat the Mavs behind a barrage of 4th quarter threes from Steph Curry. While some of them were available because Jose Calderon can't play defense, the one which really turned the game was the result of clever play design.

Smart play design gains advantages by one of two methods, (sometimes both in combination). Either you go at a defender's weaknesses (e.g. endless pick-and-rolls if Brandon Jennings is guarding the ball), or you use the defense's natural tendencies against it. This example contains a little of both. Mark Jackson is known for looking to exploit size matchups. So, even though Draymond Green is not exactly a primary offensive option, it's believable that the Warriors will clear out a side for him to work in the post against Monta Ellis:

But by buying into the notion that Golden State has cleared the left side of the floor, Dallas is now vulnerable to being outnumbered on the right side:

leaving the best shooter in the game with one of the more valuable shots in the game, the open corner 3:

All the way through one time (video):

On a related note, SBNation just started a neat new column doing similar things to what I do here, today's installment talks about "ATOs" - after timeout plays.

I figured that since I've started "publicizing" these posts a little more in the last week or so, that I should put up some quick links to some of the earliest stuff. If Ke$ha can have an autobiography, why can't I play the hits? I'm quite certain I've accomplished more of value.