found it interesting, as of late we have been running alot of set plays however this game it seemed like we just stuck with our bread and butter..pick and rolls/read and react. nets have been playing good D but just could not stop us, despite knowing exactly what we were gnna do.
0:53-1:00 was a great possession. Great floor balance. Every single rocket was in a position on the court where they could do something with the ball if they received a pass. I love D-MO setting high screens and facilitating. We should begin more possessions with that type of basic setup: Harden off the ball on the strong-side, Bev/Canaan/Terry using a D-Mo/Josh pick to get into the paint. There were multiple options for this play to unfold depending on how the Brooklyn defense reacted. 1) If D-Mo's man follows D-Mo to the perimeter Bev likely gets deep in the paint for a layup or Dwight's man helps resulting in a dunk. 2) D-Mo's man dropped back to protect the paint, so Bev passes out to D-Mo who is in a perfect position for a little handoff screen to Harden. What's crucial here is two things a) D-mo doesn't fire up a three and b) he quickly goes into the little handoff with Harden. That quick decision making is essential. 3) Now we have what we really want, a Harden pick n roll into the paint while the defense is already off balance. 4) Once Harden gets into the paint, every single Rocket is one pass away depending on who helps. 5) Ultimately the open man here is Bev, who hits the shot but there are still more options to this play... 6) Assuming a quality close out on Bev, he can a) hit Dwight in the post in great position or b) swing to Ariza for the corner three What I love about this is there was great ball movement and we got a great shot with still 13 seconds on the shot clock. This basic set up is interchangeable with any lineup we put on the floor that has Harden in it. Brewer in Ariza's spot, Canaan/Terry in Beverley's spot, Josh in Dwight's spot (if he's with D-mo) or in D-mo's spot (if he's with Dwight). Beautiful stuff. 2:50 That Harden crossover and finish!
