Golden State Warriors Game Winner

Written by Coach Peterman

I have coached at the NCAA Division 2 (Southwestern Oklahoma State University), NAIA (USAO), and JUCO Levels (Blinn College and Carl Albert State College) as well as high school. I just felt that fellow coaches especially young coaches need to constantly work on their “game”. Just like the basketball players that we coach. We as coaches need to improve ourselves. That is my story and why I do this blog.

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November 4, 2014

Golden State Warriors Game Winner by John Zall

After back-to-back playoff appearances the Golden State Warriors Front Office decided for better or worse they needed a new Head Coach. All’s Mark Jackson did in his 4 years as Warriors Head Coach is direct one of the best backcourts in the NBA in Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson to 2 playoff appearances. The previous 17 seasons before that they only qualified for the playoffs once.
Following a lengthly flirtation with the New York Knicks, Steve Kerr was named Head Coach of the Golden State Warriors this past summer. His first order of business was to fix an offense that was often described as stagnant or simple. Last season they finished 12th in Offensive Efficiency scoring at a rate of 105.3 points-per-possession (PPP) and they were the 6th fastest team with an average of 98.53 possessions per 48 minutes.

This season Kerr has installed a hybrid version of the Triangle offense that he ran as a player with the Chicago Bulls. The offense has some basic principles of the Triangle but offers more spacing around their deadly outside shooting and is more reliant on the ball screens. So far through 3 games the Warriors are playing at the fasted pace in the NBA averaging an insane 102.87 possessions per 48 minutes. Their offensive efficiency is slightly below where it was last year at 103 PPP, but that is a small sample size and you will think that it will improve as the season progresses.

During this particular easy season trip to Portland the Warriors found themselves trailing by 1 with possession of the basketball on the sideline. Stephen Curry was in bounding and the other 4 Warriors aligned in a “box” formation around the paint. Andrew Bogut was on the ball side pinch post, Andre Iguodala was on the ball side block, Draymond Green was a few steps above the opposite pinch post and Klay Thompson was stationed on the opposite side short corner.

The play started with Bogut setting a down screen on the ball side to free Iguodala to receive the inbounds pass. Stephen Curry cut over the top of Iguodala to the weak side for a fake handoff with his defender trailing him the whole way. At this point Bogut was on the strong side block and Green was on the weak side lane and both turned to Thompson in the short corner they were going to set a screen for him. This action was similar to the “floppy” action that is common in the NBA where the cutter can chose which side and screen he wants to use.

Thompson, in what appears to be a pre-determined action’ elects to use the screen on the baseline from Bogut. It is highly unlikely that he would of used the down screen from Green with Curry so close and crowding that area. Iguodala takes a dribble towards the middle of the floor and passes the ball to Thompson who curls tight off the screen and into the lane. Brook Lopez is guarding Andrew Bogut and is unable to help off the screen with no backside protection. If he steps up Thompson would just throw a pocket pass or lob at the rim for an easy basket. On the weak side Curry begins to cut over the top of Green in what almost looks like a flare screen developing. Green’s defender, Lamarcus Aldridge, has to be alert to Curry over the top and is not able to pinch in to help on the curl. In other words, Steve Kerr and the Golden State Warriors ran a perfect set with great spacing and decoy action to get one of their best players a clean look at the rim.

Coach Zall also has experience as an AAU Head Coach for the Boston Warriors. As Head Coach for the Warriors his team won the 2011 16U State Title and twice competed in AAU Nationals down in Orlando, FL. On top of being a student at Northeastern University, Zall was named Head Coach of the Men’s Club Basketball team for the 2012-13 season. During his lone season as Head Coach, Northeastern finished second in the Northeast Regional Tournament featuring colleges from throughout the East Coast. Coach Zall has also spent time as a Head Coach in the Bay State Games where his team won the Bronze Medal in 2012 and at various camps including: Five Star, Boston Celtics, NIKE, Franklin Pierce University, Hoop Group and The Elite 75.

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