http://www.charlotteobserver.com/2010/04/17/1381837/magic-attacks-inside-out.html Magic attacks inside-out Dilemma for Bobcats: Do you double-team Howard or stay with the 3-point shooters? By Rick Bonnell rbonnell@charlotteobserver.com Posted: Saturday, Apr. 17, 2010 Orlando Magic center Dwight Howard draws comparisons to a young Shaquille O'Neal: He's a massive physical force, a spectacular dunker and one of the worst foul-shooters in pro basketball. "You guard Dwight straight-up as much as you can," said an NBA scout. JOHN RAOUX - AP Blame Matt Bullard. You might not remember Bullard - sandy hair, close-cropped goatee - but he and his Houston Rockets coach, Rudy Tomjanovich, set a new course for pro basketball when Tomjanovich empowered Bullard to stand a few feet outside the typical power forward's comfort zone. Bullard could make 3-pointers, and Houston's center, perennial All-Star Hakeem Olajuwon, deserved the lane all to himself. That style of play - labeled "one-in/four-out" for the number of offensive players in the paint - won two titles for the Rockets in the mid-'90s and widened the scope of how NBA teams play. Now that set is the Charlotte Bobcats' problem, because it's how the Orlando Magic best exploits center Dwight Howard's extraordinary size and athleticism. Howard is no Olajuwon, as far as post moves, but the "one-in/four-out" got the Magic all the way to last season's NBA Finals. How hard is this thing to defend? "I think it's impossible if you have four guys who can really hit the outside shot," said Bullard, now a Rockets broadcaster. "Whatever you gave up, we were going to hurt you with it." Maybe. But Bullard is among many who'd say Howard is no Olajuwon, in terms of moves and counter-moves. The closer analogy is a young Shaquille O'Neal: a massive physical force, a spectacular dunker and one of the worst foul-shooters in pro basketball. So go at it, Bobcats: You've lost 10 of 11 to these guys and your first-ever playoff series commences Sunday (5:30 p.m.) at Amway Arena. Consider what you're about to face: THE SYSTEM Bullard said the "one-in/four-out" set evolved within Tomjanovich's head. "He would always be tweaking it," Bullard recalled. "He would tell me, 'Instead of standing in this spot, move 2 feet (further from the basket) and you'll be wide-open.' And I'd be wide open!" This was a tradeoff: Houston's power forward would no longer be close enough to the basket to set many screens or grab many offensive rebounds. But the other team's power forward would have to guard in places way beyond his comfort zone. "It's always a big-man mentality to protect the paint," Bullard said, "so if you have a 3-shooting 4, he's always open." This system relies on spacing to the extreme and creating hard choices: Do you stay with all four shooters, strewn along the 3-point line, or do you double-team a center almost certain to score if single-guarded? "If you allowed Hakeem to play one-on-one, he was going to kill you," Bullard recalled. "If you doubled him, then we had Kenny Smith or Vernon Maxwell or Mario Ellie or me, all making 3s." But again, Howard is no Olajuwon. Count Bobcats owner and former NBA great Michael Jordan in drawing that distinction. In a recent interview with the Observer, Jordan said Howard is a young Shaq, and Jordan's Chicago Bulls never devoted so much defensive attention to O'Neal that the 3-point shooters beat them. "Shaq was strictly low-post - very limited. We weren't thinking Shaq would score 50 or 60 against us," Jordan recalled. "We really limited double-teams. You never wanted the perimeter guys to get going." THE PERSONNEL To examine how the Magic uses this set, the Observer consulted with an advance scout from a third team. The scout spoke on condition of anonymity, since he wasn't authorized by his employer to evaluate opponents publicly. That scout said the key to Orlando is the quality of shooters surrounding Howard. They're tied for third in the NBA in 3-point percentage (37.5%) and average over 10 3-point field goals per game. Orlando's 841 3s this season set an NBA record. Rashard Lewis plays the Bullard role in Orlando. Though he's 6-10, Lewis is nothing like a traditional power forward, camped along that 3-point line, where he shoots 40 percent. Six other Magic players, including former Duke star J.J. Redick, shoot 36 percent or better from outside the arc. The scout strongly agrees with Jordan that it's a mistake to constantly leave shooters to double-team Howard. It's simple math - you'd rather give up two points than three - but it's also the psychological effect. "Threes get teams excited, get the crowd into it in a momentum-changing way," the scout described. "You don't need that, particularly if you're new to the playoffs, like the Bobcats are. "You guard Dwight straight-up as much as you can. I would not go near a double-team until I had to. Now, if he scores five straight baskets, you have to do something, but your basic strategy has to be stay home on the shooters and make him take over the game. "I don't see a lot of games where Dwight scores 40 or 50. His best games are more 32 to 34." In their one victory in the last 11 meetings, the Bobcats had some success with a delayed double-team strategy; shooting guard Stephen Jackson would wait until Howard was putting the ball on the floor - entering his move - and would then jump at Howard to throw off his timing. "That shouldn't be your constant strategy, but I see how that would work, particularly with a player as savvy as Jack," said the scout, noting Howard isn't adept at passing out of double-teams. "He doesn't have that in his skill set. Once he's in position to score, he's not going to reconnect to something else. He's not wired that way." This could come down to fouls and attrition. Howard took the second-most free throws in the NBA this season (816), but he made just 60 percent of those attempts. To again use the O'Neal analogy, a Hack-a-Shaq strategy might be in order. The Bobcats have four true centers available in this playoff series, and at six fouls per center, the math starts swaying in Charlotte's direction. Or not. "Somebody texted me the words, '24 fouls,''' Bobcats coach Larry Brown relayed Wednesday. "In this series, you might need 30." Subscribe to The Charlotte Observer & Earn Miles. Read more: http://www.charlotteobserver.com/2010/04/17/1381837/magic-attacks-inside-out.html#ixzz0mJyIaELm
Blame Robert Horry would be more appropriate. Bullard played spot minutes. Otis Thorpe was a more traditional PF in our first championship season, while Horry was our SF. The second championship season, Horry moved to PF with Drexler, Smith and Elie on the perimeter.
Bullard played in Charlotte for like a year right? So its either Bull already being close to their media or Horry simply could not be reached for comment.
If I remember correctly, 94 we had Thorpe and Herrera at PF and Horry and Bullard at SF. 95 we had Herrera (briefly), Chilcutt, & Brown at PF and Horry and Elie at SF.
Battier was better across the board. Bullard was supposed to be a shooter, but he wasn't even better than Battier at that.
I have no idea who, or what, brain cook is Matt Bullard is a way better shooter than Brian Cook, and both were playing in different era. Cook was more athletic and faster when he was with the Lakers. Now he's just too slow to play today's games.
I think our next season's squad will be similar to this year's Magic team or our 94-95 squad. By all means, Yao isn't or never will be even close to Hakeem, he is better than Howard in the paint. With Yao manning the paint, we will truely have a 1 in and 4 out system. If you double Yao, our wing players and Scola will make you pay. Imagine Brooks, Martin, Battier or Ariza, and Scola all either behind the arc or mid range. That's money all day.
Bullard had more heart and played better defense that Cook could ever dream of. He was also a more consistent 3 point shooter.
1. As others mentioned, Robert Horry's name was strangely absent fro the article. 2. It's not so simple as just having the post player dominate or kick out for 3s. The 4 outs (at least some of othem) also have to have skills like penetration and such.
Why wont't the Laker allow Rudy T to analyze the system he invented. They didn't seem to have that much trouble with the matchup in last year's finals. I guess they're worried that if he goes too in depth, the Magic might actually figure out how to work whay they've got. Or maybe that Dwight might actually develop his game to become more than Shaq, rather than a carbon copy.
I know Bull was merely a rotational player that sometimes didn't even get into games, but I do sort of get the writer's point. I'm trying to think of who was the first pf I saw who exclusively hung out on the perimeter. tinman? anyone? I get that people are saying Horry would be a better argument for devising the offensive strategy, but hanging out on the perimeter wasn't Horry's game in his first 3 years. He got put at the 4 because Rodman was eating everyone in the '95 playoffs and we had a big hole at that position. Horry played out of his mind in that series (and was great in The Finals) but man he drove, slammed, crashed the boards, blocked shots and ran like a gazelle. Bullard is a better example of a 3pt-shooting 4 in Orlando's half-court offense.
What's with the constant comparisons of Howard to Shaq? Can't see past the Orlando jerseys? Come on. I didn't start watching basketball 'til the mid '90s, but if I had to compare Howard to anyone it would be Zo. Their games are quite similar, except a prime Mourning is better. Yeah, Dwight is a more spectacular dunker and all that, but I value Mourning's attitude and leadership more. Howard is just a muscley kid.
Um, Mourning had a functioning junpshot. On Dwight and Shaq: huge, outgoing, funny, incredible dunks, defense through intimidation, 0 offensive threat 5 feet from the basket, could have been all-time scoring leaders if they spent a few offseasons developing anything approaching a C- freethrow shot. Shaq actually developed a few scoring moves. That's the only difference. Imagine Shaq with a modest 72 percent freethrow ability. Get it?
Bullard was like Luther Head for power forwards. Maybe not valuable around the league but valuable in his team role. Except Bullard did NOT disappear and choke, he was clutch. Mourning was a blocked shots monster. If he played as many games as OLDER Georgetown teammate Dikembe Mutombo, Mourning would be 2nd all time in total blocks. Its closer than it looks between prime Mourning and Dwight Howard. Mourning had some semblance of an outside game. He was passable at the line and could hit the occassional 15 footer from the top of the key. So you could play him in games late. Howard, forget about trying that. And to put all the coincidences together in cool story bro fashion - In an epic battle in the old Tecmo Super Basketball game, I beat my cousin who was playing as the (Charlotte again) Hornets with Mourning on the team. With a last second Matt Bullard 3 pointer
