2005 NBA Phoenix Suns Basketball Split SLOB Play
By Adam Spinella
Triple Screens are a commonly used set on the inbounds – both Greg Popovich and Mike D’Antoni use them frequently at the end of a game. This “split” action gets a quick shot, but also lets the offense read the defense a little bit. It creates three separate options for an open three pointer for the Phoenix Suns Basketball Team.
Here is the NBA Phoenix Suns Basketball situation:
-Down by 3 with 4-6 seconds left, ball is with Steve Nash (1) at half-court.
A Triple Stagger is an extremely common set for out of bounds plays at the end of a game. A lot of coaches line up their team in some order with three players, acting as one screen, at the elbow, with a shooter ready to curl around towards the ball. 2 (Barbosa) will be the one using the triple, he’s really a decoy initially.
The last screener, 4 (Marion) in this instance, slips to the ball-side block for the inbound. Nash hits him, and Marion doesn’t face up with the hoop. Marion’s defender is usually going to hedge on the end of the triple screen at least a little bit. A good passer like Nash will put the ball in the right spot for Marion. NOTE: If you’re only down by 2 and want to force overtime and take a two-pointer, you can always isolate down on the block – it’s a very good entry to the 4.
With the ball in Marion’s hands in the mid-post, Nash and Barbosa (1 and 2) approach each other on the wing and engage in a “split” action – one will continue to cut towards the corner, the other will pop back out to the top of the key. This is the only difference between the two frames above – it illustrates both cuts from both players. The shot to be the most open, likely, would be the shot in the corner.
No matter what happens on the strong side, on the weak side 5 will try to set a pin screen for 3 to pop to the opposite corner. This skip pass is a last resort – it results in a catch and shoot without much time on the clock, but if there is a backside zone taking place on the inbound, it will be very open.
End game SLOB plays need to be creative and capitalize on what the defense gives you. I firmly believe that the more options you give your players to make a play, the better. There’s a certain level of trust involved in a set like this – it relies on communication between 1 and 2, and puts pressure on a forward to make the right pass.
Coach Adam Spinella is entering his first season as an Assistant Coach at Culver Academies in Culver, IN. Spinella spent the three years prior as a Student Assistant Coach at Division III Dickinson College. The Dickinson Men’s Team advanced to two NCAA Tournaments and accumulated an overall record of 59-26 (.694) during the three-year span, with the 2013-2014 season ending in the Division III Elite Eight. A native of Bow, New Hampshire, Spinella has a keen interest in X’s and O’s, particularly in professional basketball, and skill development.
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