Defensive Schemes

I heard that same thing. I think that Rudy always managed to do exactly what Bullard said - shut down one side. But, it caused problems in the pick and roll, etc. I also think that Rudy wasn't an agressive on-the-ball defensive coach. He tended to prefer that players funnel their defender into the post and allow the big men to mop up.

With JVG, his goal is to shut down the lane meaning he wants his on-the-ball defenders to play solid and stay in front of opponents He also has made the Rockets the best team in the NBA at taking away a team's first option. That is a HUGE adjustment and is extremely frustrating to opponents. It forces teams to adjust on the fly.

Another thing JVG has done that has really impressed me is demanding that EVERY shooter be forced to shoot with a hand in his face. Rudy didn't ask guys to be quite that agressive on shots. There is RARELY a shot taken under JVG where the closest man to the ball is charging with his hands up.

Maybe the most important change made is in defensive rotations. My complaint about the Rockets defense over the past few seasons has been their inability to properly rotate defensively. The reason the Rockets during the championship years were so good defensively is because they rotated well and rarely left guys wide open. Up until this season, the Rockets have been HORRIFIC on their rotations. I can only credit JVG on that because the difference between this season and the last couple is stark in this area.

Overall, I think that JVG's defense is heavily predicated on TEAM defense rather than individual defenders. It allows the Rockets to cover up for individual defensive liabilities.

The biggest criticism of Rudy as a coach was his inability to make in-game adjustments. JVG is really, REALLY good at making those adjustments from half-to-half, quarter-to-quarter and even minute-to-minute. He has used that ability to turn the Rockets into the best defensive team in the league.

 

Jeff reading these comments remind me of your Truth columns. They were a helluva lot better than the loud mouths on ESPN.com and they provided insight on my favorite team.
Why dont you write any more of those columns?

 

Jeff coverd a lot of it, basic individual responsibility, funnel to the middle, etc. but another huge aspect has been the focus on transition defense, which is enabled through various means, set cutback doubles, and especially only leaving 2 in for the offensive board.


Jeff. one minor disagreement. It seems to me that the stress on taking out the first optin varies a bit according to how dependant certain teams are on that option. On balanced teams he seems to prefer the funnle or the middle out basics to keying on an individual.


Something that is interesting about this though is that it's a sign that JVG adjusts. His history was to eschew keying on players and stress straight man up, if their star beats me tip your hat defense except in extreme examples. He goes with it a lot more with the Rockets.

 

Everyone is mentioning the positives (which I agree with... I really like van Gundy, and think he's unfairly had the shortest coaching honeymoon in the history of creation)... but let me mention the one thing I don't like:

I think JVG's defense abandons the offensive rebound too easily. I know that going for the offensive boards leaves you vulnerable on the break... but sometimes, when you've got the advantage in personnel... and the game is close or you're losing... it might make more sense to go for the offensive boards with more than just Yao.

Just that one caveat... generally, I love Houston's D.

 

This is pretty close to "saying Yao, Cato, and Taylor filling up the lane", but the thing that was forced on me was how much we fill up the lane. Well I guess more than pretty close.

While watching other teams on the dish, about 20 games into the season, I often see a team go right to the hoop. Often two or three times in a row. Every time, I say to myself, "Man, that just doesn't happen against the Rockets!"

You might get to the cup once against us, but never on a regular basis. We fill the lane. The front three funnel the offense to the center where Yao and Cato are waiting.

I know that sounds contrary to closing down the lane. But we send them there, then they find it closed. JVG is the man!

 

Insightful post Jeff Thanks.

 

I think the biggest difference is that we're cutting down on the easy, uncontested shots by the opponents. This is attributable to several factors:
1. More aggressive man-on-man D: This is especially true for the guards who used to stand a few feet back and shade to one side only to look dumbfounded when the offensive player still blew by them. Now, Steve and Cat are doing a much better job of getting up in people's grills and making that penetration tougher.
2. Good rotation: Last year's Rockets could usually make the 1st rotation, but a 2nd pass by the offense made for an easy, uncontested shot. Now, we're doing a better job off shutting off the other options after the initial defensive rotation. This has made it harder for teams to get easy baskets by guys left by their original defender. Also, we're closing out all the way on our rotation instead of the old "oley" defense.
3. Defensive rebounding: It seems like we always have at least 3 guys around the basket to swallow up the rebounds. The first Rocket doesn't always come up with the ball, but if it gets tipped in the air, there' usually a teammate to claim the free ball.
4. Shot selection: This is really the key. There are only a couple of teams that can consistently beat you from the outside. The Rockets are shutting down the paint and forcing teams to beat them from the perimeter. More often than not, this will work.

The defense this years really is a welcome improvement. It accounts for most of our success up to this point and is the ticket to the playoffs. The things I think we could still imrpove on:
1. Getting long rebounds: We find a way to get most of the easy ones around the bucket but have a hard time adjusting and chasing down long rebounds. Case in point: Memphis
2. More turnovers: Our defense usually succeeds by forcing a missed shot, but more turnovers could translate into more easy buckets on the other end. Whether this is through playing some more passing lanes or implememting a more effective press, we have the athletes to do this.
3. More intimidation: even though cato and yao do a decent job at blocking shots, I really think they can become downright dominating in the paint. Yao & Cato average about 3 1/2 blocks together, and this number should be over 5/game. Plus, we need to be a little more punishing underneath. Cato's helped with team toughness, but we still allow too many 3-point play possibilities by making weak swipes at the ball and allowing a guy to finish. If you're gonna get called for a foul, you might as well get your money's worth and ensure that they don't get a shot at a 3-point play.