SamFisher's thread gave me the motivation to research some team defensive stats. I think even the greatest of defenses has some type of weakness, even if its a small one. Ours seem to be 3 pt shooting. Here are some interesting stats: We are #1 in the league in FG% defense, at .398. However, we are only #23 in the league in 3P%, at .359. We are 7-12 against the top 10 3pt shooting teams in the league. We are #8 in the league in FGA allowed, but only #18 in 3PA allowed. Only 7 teams allow their opponents to shoot a higher ratio of 3PA/FGA than we do. Looking at the San Antonio Spurs, they are #2 in the league in 3PA allowed and #3 in 3P defense. They are also #3 in 3PA/FGA ratio. Are these anomalies exactly what a JVG defense is designed to do?? Or can they be attributed to poor individual defense rotations??
I am wondering if opponents are getting more open 3's, hence the higher %. And the reason they are getting more open 3's maybe due to Francis giving them more room because of worrying that he may get beat if the opponent drives on him. No substance behind this theory, just speculation.
Moonbus, Lets not turn this into a Francis bashing thread. He is only 1 of 3 perimeter defenders. The point is, our defense is based on alot of help defense/rotations. Thus, the theory of why we allow alot the 3pt shooting that we do. While Im sure that in some instances, Francis can be blamed for not rotating/recovering properly, so can the rest of the team. Overall, I don't think you always blame Steve for this flaw in our defense. As I mentioned in my first post, it appears this might just be an inherent flaw in JVG's defense. Thus, the point of this thread. In particular, this seems to be an issue with Mo Taylor. Back during the home loss to Boston, when Jiri Welsch hit a game clinching 3 pt, he was technically Mo's man on rotation/help. Mo seemed to give a half hearted effort to "run at him". So Ive been keeping a close eye on Mo ever since, and I feel it is indeed a problem with him. He is one of the slowest guys on the team to rotate/recover. Granted, he is a PF, and we cant necessarily expect him to consistantly, and effectively, chase after 3 pt shooters. But as much as Francis gives up after allowing his man to penetrate, Mo seems just as bad about giving up when gaving to run at some on the perimeter. Cato can be included somewhat also. Hes just not built to rotate out on the perimeter. Perhaps this is why we see JVG favoring Spoon more and more over both Cato AND Mo. In reality, Spoon is probably not much more equipped for perimeter rotations than either of those guys. lol
codell, sorry if I gave you the wrong idea. God knows we don't need another Francis bashing thread. I am actally one of the few people who still like Steve and believes/hopes that he will turn his game around. I've often seen opposing PG beating Steve down the lane, hence, made me think if that may have anything to do with it. I do think you maybe onto something as far as rotation problem. Do you think it's something that can be corrected or we just have slow footed personnel that the problem can't be solved?
I think it is 2 fold. 1) JVG's defense is predicated on shutting down penetration into the lane, thus we clog it and leave the wings open for 3pt shooting. I feel we are closing out on shooters BETTER this year, but obviously not well enough. It comes in waves, some nights are better than others 2) Personnel. I still feel we need better personnel with more lateral quickness and more hustle.
In order to be totally accurate, you'd have to eliminate fastbreak baskets from a 2 pt vs 3 pt % discussion. The Rockets turn the ball over frequently and teams like Sacramento and Dallas take frequent 3's in transition. Transition D is a different animal from half court D. The core principle of Van Gundy's half court defense is to soft trap (double) all penetration dribbling and to funnel it baseline. In many respects, JVG's defense mimics a zone. It's no coincidence that the way you beat a zone and the way you attack the Rox D is quick ball reversal (movement) to the weak side. Long distance shooting is also the way you "loosen up" a zone. Criticizing Van Gundy's defense for being weak against long distance shooting is akin to criticizing Jason Kidd for turning the ball over frequently in fastbreaks. Would you really want Kidd to slow down his game? Van Gundy's help D makes great defenders out of good players and turns average defenders into good ones. In many respects, the Rockets are offensively and defensively very similar to the Spurs. I don't have time to look up the stats, but I suspect the Spurs rank close to the Rockets in 2 pt vs 3 pt opponent FG%. IMO, the Rox could be a little better at defensive rotations, but I am amazed that they are as good as they are considering how poor they were at it last season.
Gater, Watching SA, I think they arent necessarily similar to us in a certain aspect. It seems that we pressure/rotate to the ball handler almost instantaneously, even before the ball handler makes a move (after the 1st pass in a set). SA appears to wait till the ballhandler is committed to making a move, and then rotating help over, and making sure their weakside defenders cover the passing lanes (hence, all the Man-Gino steals). JVG obviously doesnt put strong emphasis on forcing TOs/playing the passing lanes. So I think that is the inherent difference between our defense and SA's defense. Their rotations/help are more deliberate than ours are. BTW, the point of this thread is not say that JVG's defense is bad or that he is doing something wrong. Its more been to be a fun, and analytical thread. PS - I actually did post the SA 2PFG vs. 3PFG earlier. The stats would suggest that allowing open 3pters/3ptA is not a weakness, but rather, a strength of their defense.
I like the strategy and I'm willing to die with it. Better to have them taking 3 pointers than shooting in the paint. But ultimately, the best defense may be the defense that gives open looks from 18-20 feet. No player can hit that shot for some reason
A couple of players on the team seem to not commit to defending SOMEBODY. Too often I have seen Francis or Taylor get lost on the rotations, standing in the middle of 2 or 3 people and guarding no one while the other team is getting an open look. I don't think it is so much a design problem as it is a problem of execution.
Agree with PSJ. If a team is primarily shooting threes against you, chances are you've taken them out of their offense (unless you were playing 2001-02 Boston... what the hell was up with that team). The key is, however, that you can't allow any layups, or second chance points... two aspects the Rockets have struggled with since coming back from the All-Star break. One thing that gets overlooked is how well the Rockets defend the pick and roll... if only they could do that against the Jazz in 97, we might have had another championship.
35.9% from 3 point land is way too much. Every good coach in the NBA knows this stat. It's effectively around 52% from 2 point range. This is the highest of the 8 playoff teams. At least guard the hot players more and rotate off the guys who deserved to be left. Bibby and Dirk should not be left open.
Gater nailed it. The Rockets have a collapsing defense that denies penetration. The 3 point shot is going to hurt it. No defense is perfect - the evidence suggests that, aggregately, JVG's works very well.
I actually noticed this too in the game last night and San Antonio. The parimeter defenders are sagging in alot waiting for something to happen in the paint. Anyone with a quick trigger could get off a 3 easy anytime if the pass is accurate.
Basically, you can't defend everything, and that's a fact. You can TRY to take away everything and make every shot relatively difficult, or you can totally shut down one thing and take your chances on other things. Va Gundy has decided that he'll take away penetration and take his chances on one of the worst shooting generations the NBA has seen. It's not about the players, they know what they're supposed to do, and that's clear. JVG has just decided that he'll let the other team shoot and take his chances on that rather than letting them get to the bucket. Besides Ray Allen, Micheal Redd, Allan Houston, Rashard Lewis and Peja Stojakovich, who are you worried will hand you a loss from behind the arc? That's 4 teams. If I were JVG, I'd take my chances too.
Because They(Mo/Cato..) can't chase up the perimeter consistently. We are taking the toll on letting Possey slip to Memphis...
IMO, this is more a problem based on the rotation of the front line. It is tough for Yao and Cato to get out on shooters when they have to rotate defensively. They are slower than the average big men at their positions and most good defenses require quick rotations from their big men. Our big guys also are good shot blockers so their instinct is to stay near the basket to help out on penetration. It's why guys like Nowitzki kill us from the perimeter. Our guys run out at them, but there are multiple defensive assignments to be covered and different rotations that go along with them. It's just tough to handle all of them.
Mobley has done a good job on defense but he is short and guys like Ray Allen can easily shoot over him.JJ also has the same problem with taller shooters like Peja and Dirk. Pike can't stop anyone and Nachbar is much too inconsistent to get many minutes. A.Griffin is also undersized to stop most 3's.
