There’s been talk all season about how the Rockets lack a closer – someone you can give the ball to and get out of his way. To combat this, the popular notion seems to be for the Rockets to have five guys on offense who are a threat to score. I wanted to take a look at how the Rockets handled the last possession of quarters. Games often come down to these final possessions, so I wanted to see what the Rockets like to run in these circumstances. This is a VERY small sample size, as I just picked out two games at random (W @Jazz & W @Nuggets). I’d like to thank Rockets2K for providing torrents of these Rockets games. In my eyes, there are three different offensive plays you run in these situations: 1) Run the (motion) offense 2) Run the pick-and-roll 3) Run an isolation for X player So… which one should we be running in the final moments? Run The Offense In the two games I concentrated on, the Rockets rarely ran their offense in the closing moments. I can’t say I was too surprised as I noticed it myself before; the Rockets usually revert to a pick-and-roll team in these moments. I know some people will say, “other teams take away our offense in those moments.” But look at the film – we don’t even attempt to run the offense. The Rockets ran their offense once in the two games I looked at: Kevin Martin’s game-winning and+1 Spoiler <iframe title="YouTube video player" width="480" height="390" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/pPIMO9LJBrE" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe> Lowry found Battier on the wing, who then made a beautiful lead pass that led to Kevin Martin’s foul + the hoop. What’s funny is that Scola didn’t seem to know what they were doing; he was calling for the ball while Martin was trying his best to rub his defender off Scola. Great heads up play by Kevin Martin. The benefits of running the offense is that generally, you’re going to get a good shot. The Rockets are a great offensive team because of their high-post motion offense; not because they’re a great pick-and-roll team. The downside is, that ‘good shot’ might come with 6 seconds left on the clock. So to me, the question is: would you rather have a good look with 6 seconds left on the clock or possibly be forced to shoot a lower percentage shot with 0 seconds left? Run The Pick-and-Roll This is the play you will see the Rockets most often run in the final seconds. The pick-and-roll is one of the most basic plays run in the NBA and yet also one of the hardest to stop when it’s ran correctly. Aaron Brooks runs the pick-and-roll here with Chuck Hayes Spoiler <iframe title="YouTube video player" width="480" height="390" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/pthBdspDeKY" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe> Great opportunity for the Rockets to score here – Aaron Brooks comes off the Hayes screen and has a lot of room for an open look. Unfortunately, his indecision leads to a deflected pass. It looks like he was expecting Kevin Martin’s man to help and wanted to pass to Martin when he did; when Martin’s defender stayed home, he got caught up and threw a bad pass to Scola. He should have been more aggressive and looked to score (like he did last year). Ish Smith runs the pick-and-roll here with Luis Scola Spoiler <iframe title="YouTube video player" width="480" height="390" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/tggn9euKRco" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe> Ish Smith comes off the Scola screen, but doesn’t look for his shot. He has Birdman trailing him so he decides to dribble around to the other side of basket and finds Brad Miller for a contested three. Not exactly a great shot for the Rockets. Kyle Lowry runs the pick-and-roll here with Luis Scola Spoiler <iframe title="YouTube video player" width="480" height="390" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/aLGCyczBx9I" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe> Kyle Lowry and Kevin Martin’s on-court chemistry is on full display here. Lowry uses the Luis Scola screen, driving into a dribble hand-off with Martin. Martin takes advantage of his man taking a bad angle and drives the lane and gets the foul. Great execution by Martin and Lowry. The benefits of running the pick-and-roll is that you can better manage the clock. You can wind down the clock, then run the pick-and-roll with 5 seconds left in order to get off the last shot. The player handling the ball in PnR situations is the key; he has to be a threat to score from the field, to be able to drive the lane, and be able to find others when the defense collapses. The downside is that you might not always get off a good shot. When working against the clock, you might put a player in a position where he has to rush the shot. Run An Isolation Play This is often the play you run when you have a superstar player. Give him the ball and let him work his magic. In the two games I looked at, the Rockets used two isolation plays to close the quarter. Kevin Martin’s Isolation Spoiler <iframe title="YouTube video player" width="480" height="390" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/Rv9vKWBobp4" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe> Kevin Martin has a great chance of pace move. He blows past his defender and finds Scola for an open look. Scola doesn’t take it, opting to pass back to Martin who wasn’t expecting it. The end result: turnover. The Rockets got a second chance, but ended up not even getting off a shot. I don’t know what to classify the last play as, other than “disaster.” Aaron Brook’s Isolation Spoiler <iframe title="YouTube video player" width="480" height="390" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/W5O7QAOhDsc" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe> One of the reasons I like Aaron Brooks so much – he’s a great 1-on-1 player. Here, he breaks down his man, gets into the lane and finishes with a beautiful underhanded scoop. Great individual play by Brooks. The isolation play simply puts the ball in your best player’s hands and lets them make a play. The man with the ball can get off the last shot if he wants to, or can shoot earlier in the clock if he makes a move gets a good look. The disadvantages of it are simply having the personnel – can you rely on one person to consistently score in big-time situations like that? For the Rockets, can you rely on Kevin Martin or Aaron Brooks to consistently score in these late game isolation sets? ------------- So.. there’s 23 seconds left in the game. Rockets ball. You’re the coach. Which play do you run?
If you don't have the personnel to run an iso, you sort of need to accept you won't have a reasonable chance at points 70% of the time.
Run the pick and roll with Lowry and Scola..best chance to actually score in crunch time..we don't have anyone good enough to run and ISO that can create for them selves..and also keep brooks on the bench..
Something involving Lowry. He's been clutch on buzzer beaters and he's the best decision making ballhandler on the team. Lowry and Scola pick and roll, while still not a great option, is probably the best we have.
It depends on if you need a 2 or 3. Scola has shown that he is dependable in the post, so if a 2 is needed, get it to him in the low post. Martin iso is always a good play too. Pick and roll when run correctly is still one of the best plays in all basketball, but again you need the right players. For a 3 pointer, run a few back screens to get open, we have some awesome shooters, Martin, Battier (in his spot), AB & Bud when he is on, but too many times it looks like there is no plan b in effect when the drawn up play breaks down. Or you can run Adelman's all time favorites: The Brad Miller for 3 or dribble dribble dribble dribble, look at me 3! (aka: the hero shot )
No one has been able to explain to me why a system that works for 47 minutes fails to work in the last minute. Unless your team is full of choke artists that can't execute in crunch time. But hey, every team besides the Spurs does iso or pick and roll in crunch time, so who am I to question it.
This is something I've wondered about also. It would be a good question to ask Daryl Morey when he's on the radio.
Players save their energy throughout the game for the last minute, so defensive focus and intensity increases for the last possession, making system plays less effective than giving it to your best player and letting him make a play.
We run whatever play Jack Sikma is able to whisper to the guys before they get back on the court. We've seen time and time again that Rick Adelman is horrendous when it comes to drawing up plays out of timeouts...... Pugs
You can run a system pretty much until the final play. On the last play however you either want to take a quick shot (if you're down) or take as much as time as possible (tied game). That's why most teams run iso plays. You can control the clock.
The system is made to exploit cracks in defenses, lazy rotations, confusion on where to move etc. Its basically a flurry of motion that challenges the defense to keep up. The reason it doesnt always work is: 1.) It sometimes can take 15-22 seconds for all the motion to occur to create the gaps or mismatches. Often times, you only have 5-10 seconds to squeeze out a play in the crunch. 2.) Opposing teams are more likely to have a strong "full effort" defensive set in the crunch.
The opposing team's defense ramps up? ever notice how people lazily bring the ball froward and there's almost no ball pressure outside 20 feet during those other times? care to guess why?
i second this, if we are down by 2,Pick and roll Lowry and Scola, wait for the double and pass off to Batman Being down by 1 point, Lowry at the top, Scola picks and rolls to the paint, on the other side simoultaneusly Battier picks Martins man at the corner, Lowry to Martin from the Elbow for an easy freethrow, or drive in if the lane is open hoping for a foul.
