Yeah, sure, it's illegal. But the rest of the league does it. Did you guys notice how well we 'executed' the moving pick last night (vs. the Lakers)? Yao ming up at the top of the key or near the 3 point line. Right when the defender comes near the pick, Yao cuts to the basket, screening both defenders and having an inside position for an easy pass from Francis and an easy layup/dunk. (It wasn't always Yao & Francis, but you know what I'm talking about, right?) I only noticed us getting called on it once, too. If we continue to get away with that moving pick, Yao Ming will continue to score 20 points a night.
Good point. They got Ming for it at least once, but overall they used it quite well. Outside of non-called "fouls", I think these picks made up the majority of what Kobe was complaining about all night.
They called Yao for a moving pick at the worst time -- late in the fourth quarter when Francis drained a three right after they made the call. That three would have made the last couple of minutes a little less nerve-racking, but who cares now we got the win.
moving pick is such a subjective call. very similar to contact when going to the boards. there is contact everytime...it is about intent. the moving pick is really a matter of figuring out the intent. refs generally ignore it unless it is so blatant. you can usually get away with it if you do not move laterally and not face up on the defender....versus moving north to south and positioned side ways...does this make sense....
Clearly, the Rockets must coach them to move like that, but I don't know why. Most of the time, the Rocket setting the pick starts to cut before the defender can really be screened, making the whole thing useless. When you see Malone run a pick and role with Stockton, it is so effective because the initial pick is solid and Stockton is good a running his man square into it. I'm not sur why the Rockets always bail out early. It seems to undermine the whole play.
Yao's little moving-screen "roll" down the middle of the lane has been used repeatedly the last couple of games, *very* effectively. But yea, on the plays where it comes off cleanly, I think he moves just early enough that he's in motion before the (guard) defender gets there... and forces the guard to go over the top, allowing him to slip under with no cover. The moving pick he got called for is when he slipped too late, and caught the defender mid-movement. That one looked like an easy call to me. It's pretty cool; the center is behind Yao as he rolls down, and very few power-forwards will be able to stop him... I think this is going to be one bread-and-butter play we'll be seeing a lot of. The defense'll probably try to compensate by bringing help from the post before the pass is thrown, but that just means Taylor/Griffin will be left wide open with a clear passing lane. If the guards are awake, this can be run ad infitinum. A *real* offensive play! Imagine that!
The problem with Yao Ming and the Moving Pick is that Yao Ming is 7'5" tall. It's kind of obvious when he does it.
Yea, your observation as to what happens on the play is the same as mind (Yao moves before actually setting a pick). I think they'll mix this up with the vanilla pick-&-roll that you talked about. Once in a while, Yao will actually set the pick and get ready for a pass on the roll by the guard. The fake-pick&roll leaves Yao by himself in the lane, where I think the assumption is his height advantage and good hands just makes him too much of a dominant force to be stopped if he has the 2 step head-start this gives him. So far, that's been true.
Plus, if they dish off to the guy on the wing, Yao should be in a decent position for the offensive board ... or at least to box out.
I guess that is the logic, but it seems that the guard's defender is rarely knocked off, making the pass to Ming a lot tougher than in the Vanilla version. Usually it seems that both defenders wind up being in between the passer and Ming.
He got it called because he is a rookie. That's it. And I think the refs were afraid for the lakers getting stepped on.
Malone always steps out on his picks. I can not remember the last clean pick he set. The Rocks in the previous Franchise years use the "early" pick and roll to force switches more than anything else. Once the switch is made, the guard then goes iso.
Heech is correct. The slip screen was used by Dream all the time to get dunks, but that play came from the 3pt line on the sideline to the low block. When Yao got called for the pick foul, he released too early/too late. If he left earlier, it would have been a phantom pick that they've been doing all day. If he waited, it would have been a solid screen, which looked like what the play was supposed to be because Francis shot the 3pt J. It's just Yao's inexperience. IMO, a slower developing pick and roll with a strong pick would work better, ala the Jazz...though I still hate the Jazz.
