The Elite Eight | 8 Winning Basketball Plays By Michael Murphy, Revolution Basketball
Field goal percentage, rebound margin, points off turnovers – these 8 winning basketball plays must be addressed by basketball teams in order to improve their chances of winning games. Moreover, media outlets are notorious for sensationalizing game winning shots. Through this essay, I hope to shed some light on subtle game winning ‘plays’ that are vital to achieving success on the basketball court. As a program, we do our very best to preach the importance of these plays, practice them if possible, and to acknowledge them when they occur.
8 Winning Basketball Plays: The Hockey Assist
Have you ever seen a team that moves the ball quickly and precisely? That team, because of the ball movement, becomes hard to guard. When a defensive player is forced to go from the strong side of the floor to the weak side of the floor and back again, he becomes a vulnerable defender. He may close out poorly on his man and either give up an open jump shot or he may get beat off the dribble because he is off balance. Either way, when the ball moves quickly on offense, the defense must constantly reposition itself, which is easier said than done. Additionally, the pass prior to the pass that leads to a basket – the hockey assist – is a basketball play that rarely gets recognition. Picture this: the ball is thrown into the post from a wing. The offensive post player is immediately double teamed, forcing him to kick the ball out. He makes a pass to an open teammate at the top of the key area. Once he catches the ball, he quickly moves the ball to the opposite wing via the pass. That wing player makes the extra pass to a teammate in the corner for a wide open three point shot. The player at the top of the key who started the ball movement on the perimeter is not credited with an assist. However, his unselfish play was critical to his team taking a high percentage, uncontested shot. He could have been a ball stopper – either holding the ball for too long or putting the ball on the floor. Encourage your team to move the ball unselfishly and your coaches to acknowledge the ‘hockey assist.’
8 Winning Basketball Plays: Short Memory
Too often young players hang their heads after missing a shot. They clap their hands in disgust and mumble to themselves. Whether they believe it or not, this negativity will affect their next field goal attempt. The best shooters and players in the world miss nearly 50% of their attempts. Young players must develop the concept of having a ‘short memory.’ In other words, as soon as the ball leaves their fingertips and bounces off the rim, they must instantly forget about that shot attempt. Perseverating over missed field goal attempts will only damage their confidence. Having confidence in your ability to shoot the ball is what separates great shooters from average shooters. Our coaching staff can often be heard yelling from the sidelines, “short memory,” to one of our players who had just missed a shot. We are essentially saying to that player, “Forget about that miss; your next attempt is going in; we believe in you!” The last thing we want is for our players to look over their shoulder at the scorer’s table to see if someone is checking in for them after they have missed a shot. Instill confidence in your players and encourage them to develop a short memory!
8 Winning Basketball Plays: Time and Score
The amount of time remaining on the clock and the score of the game should always dictate your aggressiveness on offense. Nothing is more frustrating than when a team is in control of the game and they take an ill-advised shot. For example, the winning team gains possession of the ball, is leading by 8 points with 1:45 left on the clock. The worst case scenario is for them to come down the floor and attempt a shot after one or two passes. At this juncture of the game, you do not need any more points to win; the clock becomes your opponent, not the other team. The opposite situation is just as exasperating. The losing team secures the rebound and quickly moves the ball down the court. They are down by 8 points with 35 seconds left on the clock. They waste valuable time passing the ball around the perimeter hunting for an open three-point shot. They need points and would be better served by attacking the rim and looking for a quick two-point basket, or possibly even drawing a foul. This provides them the opportunity to score without the clock moving and to set up their full court press. The coaches at Team NLP spend the last few minutes of each practice rehearsing time and score situations. This is definitely one of those ‘winning plays’ that can and should be practiced so that when the opportunity presents itself, your players will be in a position to respond because of their familiarity.
8 Winning Basketball Plays: KYP
Former Chicago Bull and current announcer, Stacy King, can often be heard saying ‘KYP’ during a Bulls telecast. KYP stands for “Know Your Personnel.” What he is essentially saying is that a player needs to know the strengths and weaknesses of the man he is guarding. This concept sounds simple enough but is often difficult to implement. If you understand the strengths of the player you are guarding and do your best to take away those strengths, you improve your team’s chances of winning the game. For example, if you are guarding a post player that loves to turn over his left shoulder when making a move, by forcing him to turn over his right shoulder and having proper defensive position, he may not be as effective. Another example would be running a long distance shooter off the three-point line. Making a ‘catch and shoot’ guy put the ball on the floor limits his effectiveness and takes away his strength. Lastly, shading a shooter and not providing help on the dribble drive is another illustration of KYP. Leaving your man and stopping the dribble drive is a fundamental defensive concept that all players are taught at a very early age. It is habit that is very difficult to break. However, the dribble drive and kick out is one of the best ways to get a shot maker a good look at the basket. It takes great discipline to NOT help on the dribble drive and to stay in denial position – shading the shooter. All of these examples of KYP never show up in the box score; however, they will greatly increase your team’s chances of winning the game.
8 Winning Basketball Plays: Mental Turnovers
It takes all five to execute. One player not on the same page as his four teammates can disrupt the entire team. Nothing is more frustrating for a coach then to draw up a play during a timeout, tell everyone exactly what their responsibilities are, only to then have one player not execute his assignment. This is a mental turnover. Mental turnovers are just as detrimental as physical turnovers. If you have four guys playing man to man defense and one guy playing zone, that is the equivalent of throwing the ball out of bounds. I am always amazed at how many different ways NBA teams defend ball screens. Not only are there principles that must be adhered to depending on where the ball screen is set, there are also rules to follow depending on who is setting the screen and who is coming off the screen. That is a lot of information to digest. Yet rarely are mistakes made. The mental aspect of professional players is often overlooked because of their amazing physical attributes. I have personally witnessed NBA training camps where the team runs through all of their set plays. It is mind boggling to watch these guys rehearse 30-40 plays and not make one mental mistake. Mental turnovers lead to easy opportunities for the other team. Successful teams limit both the number of physical and mental mistakes they make during games.
8 Winning Basketball Plays: Pace and your Opponent
There is a definite correlation between the opponent you are facing and the pace in which you should play the game. First and foremost, you must make an honest assessment of your team’s abilities. If you are facing a more talented team, then you should strongly consider playing the game at a slower pace, doing your best to limit the number of possessions in the game. Defensive basketball strategies that will slow down the pace of the game may include using a ¾ court 2-2-1 zone press or a ½ court zone defense. Offensive strategies that will slow down the pace of the game include walking the ball up the court after securing a rebound or increasing the number of passes before attempting to score. If you feel that you are the more talented team, then you must play the game at a quicker pace in an attempt to increase the number of possessions in the game. If you truly are more talented, increasing the number of possessions in the game increases the number of opportunities for your more talented players to make plays. University of North Carolina coach Roy Williams definitely subscribes to this philosophy. His Tar Heels have always played at a breakneck pace because he feels that more often than not, he has the more talented team. There are many ways you can increase the pace of the game. Pushing the ball down the floor on offense and full court pressing on defense are just two options. Playing at a pace that best suits your talent level is one way to improve your chances of winning.
8 Winning Basketball Plays: Communication
Talking on defense and calling out screens is another statistic that is never charted. Nonetheless, rarely will you find a championship caliber team that does not have several outstanding communicators. I love the following motto: “If you call out a screen that does not occur, that is merely a misdemeanor. However, if you fail to call out a screen that does occur, that is a felony offense.” It is imperative for coaches to identify basketball plays that take no talent and make sure that their team members are aware of them. It takes no talent to yell out the word ‘screen.’ Furthermore, identifying what defense the other team is in so that you can properly attack it is another form of communication. The simplest form of basketball communication occurs when substitutions are made. How many times does a player check into the game and the teammate he is replacing fails to tell him who he should be guarding? This often leads to a basket, and if this happens often enough will decrease your chances of winning the game. Championship teams do not make these types of mistakes.
8 Winning Basketball Plays: Play Within Yourself
The late great Rick Majerus had a simple philosophy when it came to coaching offense. “Focus on what guys can do, not what they can’t do, and put them in a position to be successful.” In other words, get shooters open looks, create space for players that can attack the basket, and get the ball to post players in the area of the floor where they can be most effective. Former Charlotte Bobcats coach, Mike Dunlap, takes this concept one step further. Throughout training camp, Coach Dunlap worked at identifying ‘kill spots’ for his players. He defines a ‘kill spot’ as an area of the floor where the player is almost certain to make the shot. Kill spots vary depending on the individual player’s offensive strengths. If you are a below average three-point shooter, game time is not the time to prove your critics wrong. If your strength is attacking the basket, play within yourself and stick to your strengths. Work on improving your range in the offseason and practice, not in the middle of a game! Too often players attempt to do too much on the offensive end of the floor. This leads to contested shots, missed shots, or turnovers. Team NLP’s core offensive philosophy mirrors Coach Majerus’. We evaluate our player’s individual talents and put them in a position to be successful on the court. If that means that we have a 6’8 center that is better at shooting face up jump shots than he is playing with his back to the basket, then we will do our best to utilize his talents and work on his strengths in the offseason and at practice. Playing within yourself requires team members to check their egos at the locker room door. It also requires discipline and commitment to the team goals, which should always come before an individual player’s goals. Throughout the course of your season ‘kill spots’ can evolve and weaknesses can become strengths, but work on evaluating your team members’ offensive strengths, and clearly communicate your expectations to them.
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