The Rockets Need To Make Teams Pay For Fronting Yao

I love analysing basketball so I started a Rockets fan blog, rocketsjunkie.com. This is my first written "analysis" on something I really believe the Rockets need to do for Yao to dominate. When Yao is fronted he looks helpless at times. I noticed it a good amount of times last night.

The Way To Make Teams Pay For Fronting Yao

I do not understand why more teams do not front Yao Ming. It seems like whenever he is being fronted the Rockets can't find a way to get him the ball. Yao's unstoppable when he gets the ball in good post position. The only way to stop him is from preventing him from getting the ball. Fronting Yao is a great option. Not because it is a grueling defensive plan, but because JVG and the Rockets can't seem to figure out the easiest way to beat it. The Bulls had some success fronting Yao and it seems like ever team that has attempted to front Yao has had success with it.

Memo to Van Gundy. This is how you beat the front. This is the one time that the Rockets ran the right offense against it. I think this might have happened accidentally, because I've never seen the Rockets run this simple play.

1) You've got Battier in the corner attempting to throw the ball into Yao on the right block. Rafer started the play at the top of the key and TMac was on the left wing. Juwan starts out on the left block. The Spurs have Francisco Elson fronting Yao with Tim Duncan waiting behind Yao. Bowen slides down to the paint and Parker waits at the foul line. Basically the Spurs have 5 players focused on Yao. 1 guy in front of him. 1 behind him. And three other players not too far away. What the Rockets would normally do would be to either wait about 10 seconds until they realize that they can't get it into Yao this way and swing it, or swing it to TMac on the opposite side right away. That is not the right thing to do. This "slide" would normally be the only one we'd see on a play like this.


2) Rafer goes to the left corner forcing Tony Parker to follow. Juwan Howard flases to the right elbow.


3) Juwan recieves the pass. This forces Duncan to start to come out on him. Since TMac is now 1 easy pass away, instead of a cross court pass, Bowen is forced to sag out've the paint to the foul line.


4) Now that Duncan had to go out and guard Juwan all Juwan has to do is lob it into Yao. With no one behind him he's got an easy layup.


See. How simple was that? I know it won't be that exact situation everytime Yao is fronted, but the easiest way to beat it is to spread the court and send someone to the high post. If this worked a couple times in a row maybe Duncan would leave Juwan open for the jumper instead of coming out on him. If Juwan starts nailing them then the Spurs or whoever the Rockets play would have to abandon that style of defense and play Yao straight up. No one can guard Yao straight up if he gets good position. I am shocked that the Rockets don't know how easily this play work. I learned this sort've thing playing high school basketball. Coach always said that when the big man's being fronted on the block you've got to send someone to the high post. Hopefully the Rockets will learn this as well. It is so simple but it could be so effective.

 

**** whoops. 1) <img src="http://rocketsjunkie.com/media/blogs/Rockets%20Junkie/1.jpg">
You've got Battier in the corner attempting to throw the ball into Yao on the right block. Rafer started the play at the top of the key and TMac was on the left wing. Juwan starts out on the left block. The Spurs have Francisco Elson fronting Yao with Tim Duncan waiting behind Yao. Bowen slides down to the paint and Parker waits at the foul line. Basically the Spurs have 5 players focused on Yao. 1 guy in front of him. 1 behind him. And three other players not too far away. What the Rockets would normally do would be to either wait about 10 seconds until they realize that they can't get it into Yao this way and swing it, or swing it to TMac on the opposite side right away. That is not the right thing to do. This "slide" would normally be the only one we'd see on a play like this.

2) <img src="http://rocketsjunkie.com/media/blogs/Rockets%20Junkie/2.jpg">
Rafer goes to the left corner forcing Tony Parker to follow. Juwan Howard flases to the right elbow.

3) <img src="http://rocketsjunkie.com/media/blogs/Rockets%20Junkie/3.jpg>
Juwan recieves the pass. This forces Duncan to start to come out on him. Since TMac is now 1 easy pass away, instead of a cross court pass, Bowen is forced to sag out've the paint to the foul line.

4) <img src="http://rocketsjunkie.com/media/blogs/Rockets%20Junkie/4.jpg>
Now that Duncan had to go out and guard Juwan all Juwan has to do is lob it into Yao. With no one behind him he's got an easy layup.

 

arghhh i messed up again
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Here's the video. Look how quick and easy that play was.
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thanks. It has been something that has frustrated me for a while. Every time he gets fronted I always either screen to the tv or to my dad to put someone at the high post. When I saw Juwan do it I went nuts. I thought the Rockets would start doing it more often but so far they haven't.

All throughout high school my school ran a player called "rover" whenever a team played a zone against us. It was the easiest player. The point would be up top and the 2 guard and sf would be on the wings. The "rover" would run elbow to elbow with the ball and the big man would run block to block, following the ball. It was the most simple play in the book, but it got our big man a lot of easy layups on lobs.

I just hope someone noticed the play by Juwan (of all people) when they looked at the tape of that game....