How Not to Play Offense, NJ Nets Style
Mar 6, 2010 Video Breakdown
While the Nets never had the lead last night against the Orlando, they really shot themselves in the foot in 3rd quarter, where they couldn’t take advantage of some lackadaisical play by Orlando to get back into the game. As a result, the Nets scored 14 points in the quarter, including a 7+ minute stretch without a field goal. In typical 09-10 Nets fashion, a lot of it was their own doing.
Forcing Shots
We see this a lot from Devin Harris. In this instance, it was Chris Douglas-Roberts trying to hard to force a shot he didn’t have in the lane. CDR was clearly looking for contact on the play, as you can see from his reaction after the miss, but when you’re as bad as the Nets, you tend not to get these calls, ever.
Bad Decision Making
I always like to see the Nets try and feed Brook Lopez in the post, but Dwight Howard sealed him pretty good here, so why is Devin Harris forcing the pass anyway?
Missing Open Jumpers
I wish there was a site out there that tracked FG% based on open and covered shots, because I bet we will find the Nets miss more open jumpers than other team in this league.
Lack of Awareness
Hayes is coming off a screen here in a play designed for him to get a shot, but look at Kris Humphries down low who has Vince Carter guarding him. Jarvis elects to shoot the jumper anyway, and misses. He looked like he thought about hitting Hump for a second, but decided to stick with the original play call and shoot himself. You are allowed to call an audible in sports, last time I checked, especially when you get a mismatch in your favor.
Video Breakdown: Game 40
Jan 20, 2010 Nets vs. Clippers, Video Breakdown
This game was lost on the defensive end. So we are going to look at three different possessions where the defense is lacking. You are going to notice some general themes that have been apparent all season. Check the breakdown out after the jump:
Video Breakdown: Game 39
Jan 18, 2010 Nets vs. Pacers, Video Breakdown, Videos, Xs and Os
The Nets were outscored by 19 points (24-5 in total) during the final six minutes on Friday night? Why? Well it is because they failed to execute on both ends of the court:
Video Breakdown: Game 36
Jan 15, 2010 Nets vs. Hornets, Video Breakdown, Xs and Os
After the blowout by the Celtics (which Mark does a great job examining), people are going to forget that the Nets actually had a chance at a win this past week. Yes, I am talking about the Nets game vs. the Hornets. The Hornets ran a simple pick and roll, but it was good execution more than bad defense that lead to the basket.
After getting the ball inbounds (which they failed at doing their last possession), the Hornets quickly go into a pick and roll. David West comes up and sets the screen, and Chris Paul uses it.
Late in games, teams usually switch every screen, and the Nets are no different. Because the Hornets probably like to switch screens, they are anticipating the Nets doing the same. The screen isn’t designed to get Chris Paul to the basket or to get David West open on the roll. The screen is set to get Jarvis Hayes defending Chris Paul.
After the Hornets get what they want, Paul then attacks. He quickly gets Jarvis Hayes on his hip, and he has a lane to the basket. You would like it if Devin Harris was closer to the middle of the lane, but that is the beauty of how the Hornets set this up. They put Peja (a knockdown shooter that you need to stay with) on the side Chris Paul was going to drive to. This means that Devin can’t help.
Paul finishes the lay-up, and gets fouled, clinching the win for the Hornets. The Nets set a “moving pick” on their final possession and the rest is history.
Video Breakdown Games 34 & 35
Jan 8, 2010 Nets vs. Bucks, Nets vs. Hawks, Video Breakdown, Xs and Os
Allright, this is going to be a quick one, short and sweet. We are going to be looking at defense exclusively here. In each one of these games, the Nets couldn’t stop one thing. Against the Bucks, the Nets couldn’t stop the pick and roll. Against the Hawks, the Nets couldn’t stop the three point shot. After the jump, we are going to look at some clips.
The Nets’ Offense: A Closer Look
Jan 6, 2010 Offense, Video Breakdown, Videos, Xs and Os
On Sunday, Dave D’Alessandro wrote some very interesting stuff about the Nets, and their search for an offensive identity:
But one of the emerging problems is their lack of an identity at the offensive end, particularly since point guard Devin Harris has returned from injury and Kiki Vandeweghe has taken over as head coach.
It was funny though, because I was working on a post about the Nets and a few new wrinkles they had on offense. What I have been noticing is that the Nets have been running the pick and roll less and less. Even though they aren’t really good at running it, it was still their bread and butter (sounds silly I know). As they continue to shy away from the pick and roll, the Nets are starting to run some new stuff, and some of it seems to be working pretty well. After last night’s game against Milwaukee (don’t get me started), I feel like there is enough of a sample size to look at some sets that the Nets have been running, and to see which one is their new, “bread and butter” offense. A offense they can go to whenever they need a bucket, whether it be early or late.
Game 33 Video Breakdown
Jan 4, 2010 Nets vs. Cavs, Video Breakdown, Xs and Os
Against the Cavs in the first half, the Nets had a great first quarter. The Nets held the Cavs to under 20 points in the first quarter and had a 7 point lead at the end of the quarter (this was the Nets biggest lead of the season after 1 quarter). The Nets ended up losing the game in the second and third quarters though, getting outscored by 16 points in those two quarters before playing even with them in the fourth.
The Nets did a very good job on the offensive end, their ball movement looked crisp, and they were getting open looks. But in what seems to be the theme of the Nets’ season, they just couldn’t knock them down. Securing defensive rebounds were also a problem. After the jump, we are going to look at a couple good plays and a couple bad ones, breaking them down.
Game 30 Video Breakdown
Dec 29, 2009 Nets vs. Rockets, Video Breakdown, Xs and Os
The game against Houston was a good game. The Nets showed they can play with one of the better teams in the Western Conference. If they continue to play with teams, they are going to be able to snag a couple wins, I am sure of it. Anyway, here is the breakdown from the game, enjoy.
Game 29 Video Breakdown
Dec 27, 2009 Nets vs. Timberwolves, Video Breakdown, Xs and Os
I know it has been a while since I last did a video breakdown, but it was finals weeks for the last two weeks, so I haven’t had a whole lot of time to go over videos. So we are going to continue the video breakdown series starting with the Nets game against the Minnesota Timberwolves. There are a lot of good things to take away from this game, but there were also some bad defensive plays.
On offense, you are going to see the the difference having 3 point shooters make. I have talked about it a little bit before, but when you have shooters, it forces teams to stay close with them. That makes helping out on defense harder, and it also makes doubling Brook Lopez harder. The Nets lost this game on the defensive end though. They got dominated in the paint, and part of it was poor rotation, allowing the Timberwolves to get easy lay-ups. We are going to take a look at some examples after the jump.
Is Courtney’s Lower Body The Reason For His Slump?
Dec 21, 2009 Analysis, Courtney Lee, Shooting Mechanics, Video Breakdown
Watching Courtney shoot the basketball is starting to get real frustrating. I am not talking about him as a player really, but this slump is almost unexplainable and incredibly frustrating. Yes, his shooting percentage was supposed to go down with his increased usage, and his detractors are going to say he was never that good to begin with, but every time Courtney makes a correct decision (for example, pump faking a three, taking two dribbles and pulling up), it sucks to see him miss. If he can get his shot going, Brook would have more room to operate and the opposing defenses wouldn’t be able to load up on Devin.
So why can’t Courtney hit a shot? I have been watching his shot all year looking for something, and I haven’t been able to find it. Up top, his form is very good. His elbow in, hands in the right spot, and he has a very good release. On Saturday though, I noticed something down low, something with his feet. As a shooter, you want your feet to not only be shoulder width apart, but you want them pointing to the basket. If your feet are pointing towards the basket, your whole body by nature is forced to be aligned with the basket. This gives you the best chance to make a basket. You also want to land where you take off on jump shots. In the NBA, players tend to fade more often (because defenders are tall and good at contesting shots), but you still want to be taking off and landing more often than not.
On Saturday against the Lakers, I noticed that Courtney’s feet were too close together, and they were pointing in the wrong direction. I decided to look back at past games to see if this was a one time thing, or if this is something that could be leading to his shooting troubles. On his makes, Courtney usually does everything right from up top to down low. On his misses though, his feet are usually in the wrong spot, and he has a tendency to fade.