Returning home for Game 6, the Miami Heat have found themselves in a 3-2 hole in the NBA Finals, a situation that requires them to win two games in a row at home against the Dallas Mavericks.  If the Heat want to win Game 6 to force a Game 7, they are going to have to make a few adjustments on both sides of the basketball.

Offense: Look For The Roll Man Late

Once again, the Heat's offense in the final minutes struggled in Game 5.  It wasn't as bad as the other games Miami has lost (in my opinion, Miami's poor defense was more to blame for the loss), but to me, the Heat are still struggling in terms of shot selection.  Maybe the best example for this is the Heat's pick and roll play in the fourth quarter of Game 5.

In the fourth quarter, Miami scored 12 points on 10 pick and roll possessions.  That looks really good.  Breaking it down further, you can see why they were so successful.  When the Heat hit the roll man (six times), they scored nine points.  When they didn't (four possessions), they scored just three points.  Instead of settling for jumpers coming off of screens, Miami needs to be aggressive and look for the roll man.

The reason why the roll man is so open against Dallas is because of who is coming off of the screen (either LeBron James or Dwyane Wade).  With all of the attention going to James or Wade, the roll man has a pretty easy roll to the rim:

On all of these pick and rolls, you can see how focused the defense is on Wade or James as he comes off of the ball screen.  When that happens, the roll man is able to come open, get the pass, and finish at the rim (or draw the foul).

Where Miami's pick and roll game struggled is when the ball handler (either James or Wade) ignores the roll man and looks to force the issue themselves:

On these three possessions, you have the roll man open and available for the pass.  Instead, you have the ball handler trying to turn the corner or settle for the three point shot.  The result is a miss or a turnover (Wade actually hits a three-point shot, but it is one of those "fool's gold" situations where it is a bad shot but a make).  

This is the one area where Miami was really exploiting Dallas on the offensive end.  If they continue looking for the roll man, they should continue to have success.  

Defense: Go Back To Trapping Ball Screens

In Game 5, Dallas really hurt Miami with their pick and roll offense.  The Mavericks ran the pick and roll 33 times, scoring a whopping 49 points off of those possessions (good for a PPP - points per possession - of 1.48, well above their regular season average of 0.94).  Out of those 49 points, the Mavericks scored 24 points off of three-point shots.  It is interesting to see Miami struggle defensively with the pick and roll, because it is something they are so good at defending usually.  

In the Eastern Conference Finals, the Heat trapped Derrick Rose every time he came off of a ball screen, really negating his effectiveness. This wasn't an unique situation, but their defensive strategy for most of the season.  However, while playing Dallas, the Heat have gotten away from trapping the ball handler due to their fear of trapping off of Dirk Nowitzki when he sets screens.  Miami's strategy of playing the pick and roll differently than they are used to really hurt them in Game 5, especially when J.J. Barea was the ball handler.  The Heat decided to go under ball screens when Barea was using them, allowing him to pull up and knock down threes (he hit four of them in Game 5):

When the Heat are going under ball screens, they are allowing Barea time and space to survey the situation and make proper decisions.  In Game 5, that decision was to use the space to pull up for a three-point shot.

In my opinion, the Heat need to go back to trapping guys like Barea when he comes off of a ball screen.  During Game 5, the one time that they did trap Barea, they forced him into a turnover:

With the defense quickly showing on Barea, they are able to force him to pick up his dribble and make him make a quick decision.  The result is Barea trying to throw a pinpoint pass that sails out of bounds.  Another reason to go over ball screens with Barea?  His shooting in the paint.  According to HoopData.com, Barea is 7-22 inside 10 feet during the Finals.  The reason why the Heat go under Barea's ball screens is because they fear his speed, but if he isn't hurting you when he is getting in the lane, why try to prevent him from doing it (especially when he is hurting you so much going under screens)?

Barea probably won't shoot as well in Game 6, but if you continue to give Dallas' ball handlers space when coming off of screens, you are putting your defense at a disadvantage.  

In Game 4, we saw another fourth quarter comeback by the Dallas Mavericks, sparked by a poor Miami Heat performance on the offensive end.  If the Heat are going to win Game 5 and take a commanding lead 3-2 NBA Finals lead, they are going to have to fix their fourth quarter offense while trying to figure out how to stop Dallas' go-to play.

Offense: Run Meaningful Offense Late

Much has been made of LeBron James' passive nature in the fourth quarter, but when mentioning that we seem to forget that most of the Heat were passive on offense, reverting to their "stand around and watch" offense that gave Miami so much trouble during the regular season.  The lack of an offensive game plan hurt the Heat as you got a lot of dribbling and a lot of simple screen and rolls that resulted in a lot of missed shots:

During these possessions, there is simply not enough movement to put pressure on the defense and force them to rotate.  Sure, there is some movement before the play starts, but once the Heat get into their offense, there is a lot of standing around.  You have Chris Bosh isolated at the elbow as everyone else just stands around.  This allows the defense to feel free to help, forcing the turnover.  

The problem for someone like me, who has no rooting interest in this series (other than wanting to see great basketball), is that the Heat actually do have a good offense when they want to use it.  They have sets that do a good job of getting their players open in space:

The three plays above were run in the second quarter of game four.  Why doesn't coach Spoelstra have his team run this play when he sees his offense stalling?  I know that the defense ratchets the defense up in the fourth quarter, but makes us think that this play won't work in the fourth?  If you don't want to get into an elaborate offensive set late, I don't see the problem in trying to the Wade/James pick and pop.  It is something simple that has worked late in the game against Dallas already:

This isn't an amazing offensive scheme, but it forces the defense's hand.  It makes them rotate and it puts the defense out of position.  The result is a wide open jumper for Chris Bosh.

When the Heat struggle in the fourth, they make it easy on the Mavericks' defense.  That happens when you have one player dribbling the basketball up top with the rest of the team standing and watching him.  If the Heat want to win Game 5, their offense in the fourth quarter needs to be better.

Defense: Don't Hedge Off Of Dirk Nowitzki On Dallas' Staggered Ball Screens

When the Dallas Mavericks broke out their staggered ball screens in Game 2, it gave the Heat a world of trouble, as they were able to score eight points in four possessions on 75 percent shooting.  While we didn't really see the play in Game 3, the Dallas Mavericks used it again in Game 4, and it is obvious that the play is still giving the Heat trouble.  In my post about Dallas' pick and roll adjustment over at NBAPlaybook, we saw that the Mavericks ran their double staggered ball screens twice, scoring five points.  When rewatching the possessions, you can see that Miami is still searching for a way to stop this set.  They tried two different ways to stop the play, but both times, it was effectively the Heat using Nowitzki's man to hedge:

On this first play, Joel Anthony is the man defending Nowitzki.  As J.J. Barea comes off of the staggered ball screen, Anthony hedges, but he doesn't hedge far because he doesn't want to leave Nowitzki.  This soft hedge allows Barea to turn the corner, attack the paint, and force the help, allowing Barea to kick the ball out for an open three point shot.

On this play, Udonis Haslem leaves Nowitzki to try and trap the basketball.  Nowitzki reads it and slips the screen, putting Wade in a position where he has to try and defend two players at the same time.  The result is Wade rotating over to Nowitzki late, and fouling him.

So how would I defend this play?  I would try to trap the ball handler (like Miami have tried in the past), but not use Nowitzki's man to do so.  I would use whoever is defending Tyson Chandler and have him trap the basketball along with the man who is defending the ball handler.  I know this leaves Chandler open for a roll, but I'd be willing to take my chances of having a smaller guy (either Barea or Terry) trying to throw a pinpoint pass to Chandler rolling to the rim.  In addition to that, it keeps Nowitzki from beating you and keeps the ball handler from getting to the middle of the lane.

The Dallas Mavericks almost erased another double-digit lead in Game 3 of the NBA Finals to come away with the win. But after a made Chris Bosh jumper and a Dirk Nowitzki turnover and miss, the Mavericks now find themselves down 2-1 in the series. If the Mavericks want to even things up and at least give themselves a chance to win this series, they are going to have to make a few different adjustments.

Offense: Stop Trying To Create Transition Chances

Dallas' turnover problems in Game 2 didn't really get talked about at length because of the fact that Dallas came back and the Miami Heat ended up playing "Hero Basketball" for the final seven minutes of the game. Most of these turnovers were a result of the Mavericks trying to force the issue and create transition opportunities. The Mavericks cut their turnovers in Game 3 (only turning it over 14 times), but the problem of forcing the basketball and trying to create transition opportunities out of nothing continued to be a problem for Dallas:

One of the tendency teams have when playing a tremendous halfcourt defense like Miami is to say something along the lines of "we need to get out and run, not let them set up their defense."  However, what makes Miami so special is that they are great at getting back and playing transition defense.  It is becoming more and more apparent that Dallas isn't comfortable running (look at Peja Stojakovic's "outlet pass" or J.J. Barea;s hesitance when trying to force a delayed transition opportunity) and trying to create opportunities.  This is what leads to turnovers, so instead of running their stuff (which has done a decent job of getting good looks), the Mavericks are throwing possessions away.

I'm not saying don't run, when the opportunities are there, you need to take advantage.  However, trying to create opportunities out of nothing just doesn't work against Miami.  Slow it down and run your offense.

Defense: Don't Double Wade/James Post Up Opportunities

In Game 3, the Heat scored 13 points on 12 post-up possessions, according to Synergy Sports Technology.  These post-up opportunities can be broken up into two categories, wing post-ups (possessions where Dwyane Wade or LeBron James got the ball on the block) and big post-ups (Chris Bosh and Joel Anthony).  The Heat were wildly successful when posting up their wings, scoring 11 points on just 6 possessions with only one possession not resulting in any points.  The biggest reason for Wade and James' success is that they were ready for and knew how to handle the double teams that Dallas sent just about every single time:

James got posted up two times (once at the start of the game and once at the start of the second half), and both times it looked like it was a set play designed to take advantage of Dallas' double team.  The ball would go to LeBron on the post, Joel Anthony would set a pindown on the weakside (once for Mike Bibby and once for Wade) and the result was an open three for Bibby and an open jumper for Bosh after the defense overplayed Wade on the pindown.

While the post-up chances for Wade came more in the flow of the game (compared to James' set plays), the Mavericks still sent doubles, and the Heat were still ready for these doubles:

On Wade post-ups, the Heat like to use James to enter the basketball. The Heat do this for two reasons. First, if Shawn Marion falls asleep and shades too far off of James, Wade can simply kick it out to James and let him attack (which is what happens on the first possession). Also, it takes away the double team from the man making the entry pass (no team is going to leave James to double the post), forcing the double to come from the weakside. That is what happens on the second play in the video above. The Mavericks double on the pass from the weakside and Wade does a good job of swinging it to the opposite side, and the result is an open jumper for Udonis Haslem.

The only time that Dallas was able to stop a wing post-up was when they allowed Wade's defender (Jason Kidd) to play him one on one, and then bringing help when Wade commits to his move to the rim:

What happens here is that no double comes and Tyson Chandler helps as Wade attacks the rim.  Wade is forced to double clutch, allowing Kidd to swipe at the basketball, knocking it loose.  

The Heat have done a good job of scouting, noticing that Dallas will send the double team just about every time, and their guys are prepared for it, ready to make the pass out.  You play Miami's wing posts one-on-one, you not only prevent the kickout, but you also switch things up, and that too can throw Miami off their game on the block.

After losing Game 1, the Dallas Mavericks trail the Miami Heat in the 2011 NBA Finals. With the 2-3-2 Finals format, winning one of the first two games is even more important for the Mavericks, who would have a chance to close out things at home if they can win Game 2. To do so, the Mavericks are going to have to make a few adjustments on both sides of the court.  

Continuing The Sideline Pick-And-Pop

In Game 1, the Heat showed their hand defensively, revealing that they would be determined to keep the basketball out of Dirk Nowitzki's hands and force the rest of his teammates to beat Miami. Maybe the strongest example of this was Miami's pick-and-roll defense when Nowitzki was the screener.  While trapping/hedging hard on the ball man, the Heat sent a third man at Nowitzki, forcing the basketball out of his hands.

Even though the Mavericks performed better in the pick-and-roll during Game 1 vs. their postseason numbers (0.937 points per possession in Game 1 vs. 0.92 in in the playoffs), I still think they left opportunities on the table, and to take better advantage, they should try to run more pick-and-pops with Nowitzki moving toward the sideline.  The reason why it works is because it forces the third defender that Miami is sending at Nowitzki to come from quite a distance (the opposite block).

Here, Nowitzki sets a screen for Jason Terry and pops out towards the corner.  This is by design as it forces LeBron James to come from the opposite corner to make sure Nowitzki doesn't get a clean look off.  Instead of panicking, Nowitzki makes the catch, surveys the area, and spots the open man, hitting him with a pass.  In this case, it is Shawn Marion, who makes the extra pass to Jason Kidd, who hits the shot as the defense attempts to rotate back to him.  The initial rotation and Nowitzki's pass forces Miami to rotate to the basketball, which eventually leaves Kidd open.

What this pick-and-pop towards the corner does is it opens things up for passing/cutting lanes.  This is because with how Miami is defending the pick-and-pop, you now have three defenders on one side of the court covering two defenders.  In the above clip, Chris Bosh steps up to him, forcing a rotation from LeBron to Bosh's man.  This leaves the middle wide open for Marion, who gets the easy lay-in.

Miami was so determined to prevent Nowitzki from beating them that they were even willing to send an extra defender his way before he caught the basketball.  Again, this is where the pick-and-pop toward the corner creates openings.  As Nowitzki pops towards the corner, you see that Dwyane Wade is already way over there, taking the pass to Nowitzki away from him.  That leaves DeShawn Stevenson wide open for the three, one that he takes, and even though he misses it, it is an open look I am sure Dallas would take time after time.

The Mavericks pick-and-roll game all postseason has been designed to get Nowitzki, Terry or J.J. Barea open.  With the way Miami is defending the pick-and-roll, neither of those things are going to happen constantly. However, if they do run their pick-and-pop towards the corner, they will be able to get open shots for guys like Kidd, Peja Stojakovic and Stevenson.  If they are able to make Miami pay for the way they are defending the pick-and-pop, Dallas can force Miami to make adjustments and maybe open things up for guys like Dirk, Terry and Barea.  

Switch Nowitzki On Bosh

Much has been made of Miami's success against Dallas and their zone defense (20 points on 18 zone possessions); nine of those points came off of shots that Dallas was willing to give up (threes by guys like Mike Miller and Mario Chalmers).  Perhaps more troubling for Dallas was their man-to-man defense in the front court, where they had Nowitzki covering Joel Anthony and Tyson Chandler covering Bosh.

Now the idea of putting Nowitzki on Anthony makes sense because you are going to hide a pretty poor defender (Nowitzki) on a poor offensive player (Anthony).  However, Anthony has an incredible work rate on the offensive glass, and that is where Nowitzki and the Mavericks got burned:

With Nowitzki covering Anthony, he got absolutely bullied whenever a shot went up.  It wasn't even because Nowitzki wasn't trying to box out, because he was, but Anthony just outworked and outmuscled Nowitzki, leading to offensive rebounds and second-chance points for Miami.  

While Anthony gave Nowitzki a lot of trouble, Chandler had trouble himself trying to defend Bosh on the outside:

Chandler is far more comfortable defending in the paint and being a help defender.  When he is covering Bosh, he can't really do either of those things.  He can't protect the paint because Bosh is an outside shooter and he is pulling him away from the rim.  Also, Bosh is usually the screener in Miami's pick-and-roll sets, meaning Chandler is defending the pick-and-roll rather than helping on it on the Heat's pick-and-roll in the video clip above, Stojakovic is the man ranging over and helping (a huge dropoff from Chandler, who is normally the man who protects the paint). 

What switching Nowitzki onto Bosh and Chandler onto Anthony means is it allows Chandler to be that guy to protect the paint, something he has been doing all season.  Also, Nowitzki isn't going to get posted on a ton because Bosh is more of a face-up outside shooting type of big instead of a back to the basket guy, so Nowitzki on Bosh isn't a huge match-up problem.

If the Mavs put Chandler on Anthony, they will be able to limit the Heat's dominance on the offensive glass because now Chandler is boxing out Anthony.  What this means is that they are able to grab the defensive boards and run out, something that Dallas wants to do more of in Game 2.

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Much like the Oklahoma City Thunder, the Chicago Bulls lost Game 4 in overtime (falling behind 3-1) in a game they should have won (the Bulls had two shots to take the lead in the final seconds).  Unlike the Thunder, the Bulls get Game 5 in their own building, giving them more of a chance to get the win and bring the series back to Miami for Game 6.  If the Bulls are going to want to come away with the win, they are going to have to make a few adjustments.  

Offense: Work Derrick Rose Off The Ball Towards The Middle Of The Court

Before Game 4, I talked about how the Bulls should start to isolate Derrick Rose more to avoid the hard trap on pick and rolls.  They didn't do that, but they did make a very nice adjustment by taking the pick-and-roll and running it on the wing rather than up top.  The Bulls had success with this side pick-and-roll because it made it much tougher for the defense, forcing rotations to come from farther away and giving Rose the space to split the pick-and-roll.  In addition to this (which you should expect the Bulls to continue), the Bulls should work Rose off of the ball more towards the middle of the court.  It is something the Bulls ran once in Game 4, allowing Rose to draw a foul:

This play is successful because of where Rose makes his initial catch.  He catches the ball right at the foul line and is able to attack right off the catch, taking a dribble or two and then ending up right at the rim.  Also, because of the movement (as opposed to Rose standing up top with the basketball), the defense can't load up on Rose, so when he does catch and attack, that wall of defenders that he has been seeing all series long isn't there.  This is what allows him to get to the front of the rim and draw the foul.

If the Bulls do a better job of sprinkling this into their offense along with continuing to use the side pick-and-roll versus the pick-and-roll at the top of the key, they can be much more effective offensively, taking pressure off of their defense.  

Defense: Defense BLOB Sets Better

BLOB is short for Baseline Out of Bounds, and in Game 4, the Heat scored on three of their four BLOB opportunities, good for six points on 75 percent shooting.  In a game that ended up going into overtime, those six points are huge.  While the Heat were running solid sets out of timeouts, the main reason why they were able to score was because the Bulls' defense got a little lazy and didn't stick to their defensive principles:

On both of these BLOB sets, the Bulls make a defensive mistake that leads to a basket.  In the first clip, Rose is lazily chasing Mike Bibby around a screen off of the ball, and the end result is Bibby making a catch with space, allowing him to rise up and knock down the jumper uncontested.

In the BLOB set, the Heat run what looks like to be the same play, except with Mike Miller coming off of the screen.  This forces both Carlos Boozer and Rose to leave Udonis Haslem and chase Miller to the corner.  At the same time, Joakim Noah sinks in on a Dwyane Wade flash, leaving all five Bulls' defenders below the restricted area.  This sets up the defense perfectly for Haslem to set a screen for Chris Bosh, resulting in a wide open jumpers.

In my opinion, the Bulls lost focus with the ball on the baseline and that made them susceptible to the sets that the Heat were running.   If they maintain their focus and defend these sets properly, they have a chance to take 6-10 points off of the board, giving them a better chance to come away with the win.

In Game 4 of the Western Conference Finals, the Oklahoma City Thunder looked like they were going to go ahead and even up the series at two games each, up 15 points with a few minutes to go.  After blowing the lead and losing in overtime, the Thunder are now faced with elimination in Game 5.  If they want to win and send the series back home to Oklahoma City, they are going to have to make a few changes both on the offensive and defensive end.

Offense: Run The Westbrook/Durant Pick-And-Pop/Roll To Score

I have been a fan of the Thunder's pick-and-pop all season long, telling everyone who would listen that the Thunder need to run this play more during the end of games.  However, in the end of Game 4, the Thunder ran it and didn't have success with it.  The reason?  Well in my opinion, the Thunder were running the pick-and-pop/roll not to score, but to force a switch:

What you have here is the Thunder trying to get Russell Westbrook's man (Jason Kidd) to switch on Kevin Durant.  However, Kidd isn't your typical point guard, and he forces Durant to make the catch behind the three-point line.  Durant now has to try to penetrate, and when he does, Kidd forces him into a spin move, allowing Shawn Marion to come over and force the turnover on the doubl- team.

So what do I mean when I said run the pick-and-roll to score?  Take a look at this possession from earlier in the series.

Here, Westbrook comes off of the screen looking to penetrate and attack the lane.  That attack-dribble forces Marion to hedge for a split second, and that hedge gives Durant all of the space that he needs when rolling to the rim.  Westbrook finds Durant, who is able to finish with the big dunk.

When the Thunder are looking to score when running the pick-and-roll with Westbrook and Durant, this is such a tough play to defend, because if you don't hedge Westbrook gets to the rim.  If you do, Durant is open, a bad pick your poison type of play for the defense.

Defense: Don't Hedge Off Of Dirk Nowitzki

If this sounds familiar, it should, because this was the exact same adjustment that I had listed for the Thunder before Game 4.  In fact, they didn't leave Nowitzki on a few possessions, but late in the game, Nowitzki's defender (Nick Collison) left Nowitzki a few times:

Here, The Thunder are hedging off of Nowitzki and rotating a man from the weakside over to him.  This is how the Lakers tried to defend Dirk, and it simply didn't work because Nowitzki has gotten so good at reading that double-team and throwing the skip pass quickly, which is exactly what happens here, leading to the three by Jason Terry.

Sure, Dirk Nowitzki hits a crazy shot here, but the only reason he is in that spot on the court?  Because Collison hedged off of Nowitzki, and taking himself out of position to defend Nowitzki on the roll.  What makes this even more head-scratching is that Jason Kidd is the ball handler.  While he is a great point guard, he isn't going to get by Westbrook, even with a screen from Nowitzki.  

Game 5 in my opinion is going to be another tough and close game, and if the Mavericks run this play, you can't leave Nowitzki, let the other players beat you.

After losing Game 3, the Chicago Bulls have one more chance to take back the home court advantage, and they will be looking to do that Tuesday in Game 4. If the Bulls want to win the game, they are going to have to make a few adjustments to their strategy.

Offense: More Isolations

Something that Derrick Rose was very frustrated with after Game 3 was the amount of double- and triple-teams that he saw.  The Bulls' steady diet of pick-and-roll offense (something Chicago has been doing since the playoffs began) seems to have finally caught up with them as the Heat are doing a great job of forcing the basketball out of Rose's hands.

Once the Heat adjusted and turned Joakim Noah into a scorer off the pick-and-roll trap, the play became ineffective.  With this offense now ineffective, it makes no sense to put Rose in situations where he can get trapped, meaning the Bulls should give their point guard more isolation opportunities (they had just three isolations for Rose in Game 3).  Despite no scores out of these situations, the direct result of these isolation plays were either clean looks or plays that resulted in Rose getting in the paint:

Without having to face a double-team, Rose was able to break down his man and get himself into the paint.  Once this happens, instead of forcing up shots Rose and his teammates need to be smarter.  A perfect example of this is the final isolation.  Rose breaks Mike Bibby down and gets in the paint drawing help.  This gives Carlos Boozer a perfect opportunity to cut to the rim.  Instead of doing that, Boozer stands and watches Rose take a tough jumper.  When Rose runs isolation and gets to the paint, he is going to draw help, creating opportunities for his teammates. They just have to take advantage.

Defense: Stick With The Reverse Box-And-One

With LeBron James in quarterback mode and Chris Bosh knocking down jumpers, Tom Thibodeau and the Bulls were looking for a way to stop the Heat.  They may have found one with Joel Anthony on the court, running what I have been calling a "reverse box-and-one" where they had one man (the player defending Anthony) playing zone while the rest of the defense was playing man-to-man.  Despite the Heat outscoring the Bulls by two points with Anthony on the court in the third quarter, this defense resulted in some stops:

Here, the Heat run a pick-and-roll with Chris Bosh setting a screen for Dwyane Wade.  Wade goes away from the screen (something that he does a lot, and something Bosh is very good at playing off of).  As soon as this happens, Boozer leaves Anthony to take the pass to Bosh away.  Now, Wade is forced to throw a cross court skip pass to LeBron James.  James makes the catch with 10 seconds left on the clock, dribbles it out, and misses the jumper.

On this play, the Heat are trying to set up Bosh on the block against Noah.  As Bosh comes across, Noah sells out for the pass, knowing that Boozer is basically playing a zone and has his back.  This is what allows Noah to get a hand on the basketball and knock it out of bounds.

Finally, here, the Heat are trying to run a double cross screen for James designed to get him the basketball on the block.  While Noah is fronting Bosh, Boozer totally ignores Anthony.  Because Boozer is zoning up on the block, LeBron is now forced to catch the pass on the elbow instead of the block.  Then after James makes the catch, Boozer simply stays there, taking away the drive on the left hand side.  James is now forced to drive to the middle where there is help forcing him to kick the basketball out to Bosh, who misses the jumper against the shot clock.

So how did the Heat outscore the Bulls when they were playing this defense, and why should the Bulls continue to play it?  Well, most of the baskets the Heat made came from miscommunication, which is something that will happen when you create a defensive strategy on the fly like this (this adjustment came at the half).  After a day of practice and getting the rotation responsibilities down, I expect this defense to be far more effective.  The result?  The Bulls forcing the Heat's hand when it comes to whether or not they keep Joel Anthony on the court.  

In Game 3, the Dallas Mavericks punched the Oklahoma City Thunder in the mouth early in the first quarter, winning that quarter 27-12. That poor Thunder start was due in large part to the lack of offensive movement in the first half. When OKC was finally able to get close, they were unable to stop the Jason Terry/Dirk Nowitzki pick-and-pop.  If the Thunder want to even up the series and give themselves a chance at making the NBA Finals, they are going to need to fix both of these problems.

Offense: Get More Movement

The lack of movement in the Thunder's offense has always been a problem, but when Kevin Durant struggles and is unable to bail the Thunder out, these problems are amplified.  When watching the Thunder on offense, you usually see three or more players simply standing around possession after possession:

This time down the court, you have Russell Westbrook bringing the basketball up and attempt to try and call something while dribbling the basketball to the wing.  Then nobody moves.  After waiting for a while, Kendrick Perkins finally comes over and sets a screen, and Westbrook uses it.  After coming off the screen, he tries to kick it out to James Harden, but Shawn Marion is able to get his hand on it and create the turnover.  Now, the lack of movement is what allows Marion to get the turnover.  He knows that Harden isn't a threat to cut off of his help, so he is able to dive in, stop penetration, and then shoot back out to get his hand on the ball.

Far too often, the Thunder run one action and think that is enough to get the job done.  Here, Durant sets a screen for Westbrook in an attempt to run a pick-and-pop and then gets a screen on the backside from Perkins.  Durant kind of jogs through the motions, and since Perkins isn't a threat on the offensive end, Tyson Chandler is able to play the passing lane and take the over the top pass away from Westbrook.  Now once this action finishes, it is stand around time as everyone stands and watches Westbrook dribble the basketball.  Westbrook is forced to try and create, missing the jumper out of isolation.

Here is another example of just one action (setting a screen up top) with everyone standing and watching.  This time, we at least get to see a pass, but it goes to Durant who is stepping back to about 30 feet away from the basket.  Durant makes the catch, but because he is so far out, his dribble penetration takes him just to the elbow, where he misses the jumper.

What really makes this frustrating is that when the Thunder are actually spaced properly and are moving, they look great (as they should with two of the better players in the league).

On this possession, you know that the Thunder are running a set from the start. Westbrook quickly gets the basketball out of his hands and cuts through as the Thunder start a set.  Eventually, Westbrook attacks, but with good spacing, he has a teammate making himself available, kicks the ball out, and then the ball quickly shoots around the outside, forcing Dallas to recover.  Eventually, Thabo Sefolosha gets it, pump fakes, and gets the easy lay-in.

The Mavericks have a good but not great defense.  There are a few older guys on their roster who aren't even close to being as quick as the guys on the Thunder's roster.  You zip the ball around and have guys cutting, you are forcing the Mavericks defense to rotate and recover, when that happens, the Thunder are going to have opportunities to penetrate.  They need more of this in Game 4.

Defense: Don't Hedge Off Of Nowitzki In Pick And Pop Situations

In the fourth quarter of game three as Oklahoma City started to fight back, the Mavericks went to a Jason Terry/Dirk Nowitzki pick-and-pop (which is the new Barea/Nowitzki pick-and-pop), and Nick Collison's tendency to hedge on this play led to a few open jumpers for Dallas.

On both of these plays, Collison hedges out on Terry in an effort to keep him from penetrating.  While that is a solid strategy against a normal pick-and-pop, but with Nowitzki, you can't do this.  Collison had success stopping Nowitzki by staying in his body and not giving him any space.  Once you hedge on the pick-and-pop, you can't stay with Dirk or in his body.  This gives Nowitzki enough room to hit jumpers.

I understand that Terry is almost as much as a threat as Nowitzki in the fourth quarter, but you can't leave Dirk. Maybe send a rotating defender from somewhere else, maybe hope that Terry's defender can get through the screen, but don't leave Nowitzki open.

Despite the fact that everyone seems to be talking about Russell Westbrook and his benching, the Dallas Mavericks were the team that ended up losing both game two and the homecourt advantage in the Western Conference Finals.  If Dallas is to take back homecourt advantage and take a 2-1 series lead, they are going to need to make adjustments to their pick and roll game on both sides of the basketball.

Offense:  Be More Aggressive In Pick And Roll Situations

In game one, the Dallas Mavericks used J.J. Barea as the ball handler in a pick and roll ten different times, having great success creating space for Barea and allowing him to attack.  In game two however, the Mavericks ran a ball screen for Barea just five times.  Out of four of these five ball screens, instead of attacking Barea settled for three point shots.  Although he hit two of the four threes, this lack of aggressiveness kept Barea out of the lane and kept him from creating havoc:

On all of these three point attempts, Barea had himself a chance to turn the corner and get into the lane.  However, instead of doing so he settled for the three point shot, and this is exactly what the Oklahoma City Thunder wanted, baiting Barea into taking these shots by going under every single ball screen.  In each one of the plays above, Barea's speed would allow him to turn the corner (or at least try to), opening up a number of things.  His shot in the lane, a kickout to the corner for a three, and maybe most importantly, when Barea attacks, he tends to draw the hedge man out (usually the defender covering Dirk Nowitzki), leaving Dirk open for the easy jumper.  

J.J. Barea needs to start attacking again, putting the defense on their back foot if he wants to replicate the success he and his teammates had one game one.

Defense:  Turn Kevin Durant Away From Ball Screens

Something the Oklahoma City Thunder did with Kevin Durant in game two was use him in ball screen situations.  The Thunder ran pick and rolls with Durant as the ball handler five different times, allowing him to score six points in the process.  One of the reasons Durant was able to have success with the pick and roll is because of the way the Mavericks were defending him:

Watching the two possessions above, you should notice that the Mavericks are playing this pick and roll very passively, giving him the space to come off of the screen and create (once getting fouled and once getting a wide open jumper.  It was interesting that the Mavericks were playing it this way, especially considering who the screeners were.  Both Kendrick Perkins and Serge Ibaka aren't the biggest threats to knock down a jumper in pick and pop situations.  

To me, it was almost as if the Mavericks took their pick and roll strategy for Russell Westbrook (giving him plenty of space, letting him take jumpers instead of driving) and used it when Kevin Durant started coming off of ball screens.  That wasn't going to work.

Later in the game, the Mavericks got a little bit smarter when it came to defending Durant:

The Mavericks had success making it tougher for Durant by turning him away from the screens by showing really early and hard on the hedges.  These hedges basically forced Durant to go away from the screen, allowing his defender to play Durant one on one and not having to fight through a screen.  The result was a turnover and a tough shot after an even tougher move.

The Durant pick and roll is something the Thunder had success with, so you can expect to see more of it in game three.  The key will be whether or not Dallas gives Durant space when he comes off of the screen.  If they can force him to go away from the screen like they did in the final two possessions, they can make stoping Kevin Durant a little bit easier.

Each day, we are going to preview the night's NBA Playoffs action by looking at the adjustments that can be made by the losing team and showing what they can do to win.

After losing Game 5 in blowout fashion, the Memphis Grizzlies are at home facing elimination Friday in Game 6.  If they want to keep the game close and give themselves a chance to get the win and send this series to a Game 7, they need to make a few different adjustments on both ends of the court.

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Each day, we are going to preview the night's NBA Playoffs action by looking at the adjustments that can be made by the losing team and showing what they can do to win.

After losing game six, the Atlanta Hawks now find themselves in a situation where they need a home win to secure a seventh game in this series.  If they are going to want to get to game seven, the Hawks are going to have to make a few changes on both ends of the basketball.

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Facing elimination, the Boston Celtics are in Miami looking to get a win against the Heat and turn around a 3-1 series and get it back to Boston giving themselves an opportunity to win game six and force a game seven.  To do that, they need to win tonight, and to win tonight, they need to make a few adjustments.

Offense:  Execute Better Late

If you think of Doc Rivers and the Boston Celtics in terms of execution, you think about a coach who can draw up phenomenal plays and a team that usually executes what is drawn up.  In game four, the Celtics had a chance to win the game in regulation after a huge LeBron James turnover (where he basically dribbled the basketball out of bounds).  After some confusion, Paul Pierce missed a jump shot as the Celtics failed to execute properly:

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[Today, we have a guest story on Monty Williams' play-calling from one of my favorite NBA writers, Sebastian Pruiti. He breaks down NBA play-calling extensively at his website, NBA Playbook, and you can also find his work at SBNation, The Basketball Jones, and Basketball Prospectus. Enjoy. -R]

One of the toughest things (along with developing a starting lineup and rotation) for a new head coach is drawing up plays during timeouts.  Now, being an assistant, Williams has probably had some input on post-timeout plays, but this season with the Hornets was the first time he was on his own in terms of playcalling out of timeouts.  With that being said, despite finishing 4th in my Clipboard Awards (it was a system that just looked at good plays and ignored the bad ones), Williams' Hornets was one of the worst teams when it came to scoring it after timeouts.  In 1140 post-timeout possessions, the Hornets scored just 931 points, good for a PPP of 0.817 (good for 27th in the NBA).

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Each day, we are going to preview the night's NBA Playoffs action by looking at the adjustments that can be made by the losing team and showing what they can do to win.

In Game 1of their series against the Dallas Mavericks, the Los Angeles Lakers came out and lost thanks in large part to Dirk Nowitzki. So it makes sense that the adjustments the Lakers need to make involve Dirk Nowitzki, on both sides of the basketball.

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Each day, we are going to preview the night's NBA Playoffs action by looking at the adjustments that can be made by the losing team and showing what they can do to win.

Despite having the likes of Serge Ibaka and Kendrick Perkins to bolster their interior defense, the Oklahoma City Thunder came out and lost game one to the 8-seed Memphis Grizzlies.  If the Thunder want to leave Oklahoma City with a split, they are going to have to make a few adjustments.

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Each day, we are going to preview the night's NBA Playoffs action by looking at the adjustments that can be made by the losing team and showing what they can do to win.

With three road teams winning their second round match-up, it is a little surprising to see that the Boston Celtics were the only road team not to come away with the win.  If the Celtics want to take home court advantage from the Miami Heat, they are going to have to make a few adjustments on both sides of the basketball.

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Each day, we are going to preview the night's NBA Playoffs action by looking at the adjustments that can be made by the losing team and showing what they can do to win.

After really taking the series to the San Antonio Spurs, the Memphis Grizzlies were looking to finish it at the AT&T Center in Game 5.  However, thanks to a few big-time shots from the Spurs, the Grizzlies were unable to advance to the second round.  If the Grizzlies make a few adjustments on both ends of the court, they should be able to close out the series on Friday back in Memphis.

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Each day, we are going to preview the night's NBA Playoffs action by looking at the adjustments that can be made by the losing team and showing what they can do to win.

While many thought that the Los Angeles Lakers would easily deal with the New Orleans Hornets, they have now found themselves in a dogfight. With the series tied 2-2, the Lakers are going to need to make a few adjustments if they want to take an advantage in this series.

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Each day, we are going to preview the night's NBA Playoffs action by looking at the adjustments that can be made by the losing team and showing what they can do to win.

Going into Game 5, the Orlando Magic are facing elimination, trailing their series with the Atlanta Hawks 3-1.  If the Magic want to extend the series, and their season, they are going to have to make a few adjustments on both sides of the basketball.

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Each day, we are going to preview the night's NBA Playoffs action by looking at the adjustments that can be made by the losing team and showing what they can do to win.

After fighting off the Indiana Pacers three times in a row, the Chicago Bulls finally succumbed to the Pacers' effort, losing Game 4.  If the Bulls want to come away with the "Gentleman's Sweep" they need to make a few adjustments.

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Each day, we are going to preview the night's NBA Playoffs action by looking at the adjustments that can be made by the losing team and showing what they can do to win.

Everything was looking good for the Dallas Mavericks, who had a 23-point lead in the third quarter of Game 4 of their series against the Portland Trailblazers.  However, the Blazers were able to come back, tying the series at two games apiece.  Now at home, looking to take the series lead, the Mavericks will have to make some adjustments.

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Each day, we are going to preview the night's NBA Playoffs action by looking at the adjustments that can be made by the losing team and showing what they can do to win.

After San Antonio's loss to Memphis in Game 1, everyone knew that this was going to be a tough series for the Spurs, but that they would be able to pull it out.  Now, with the Grizzlies winning Game 3 in Memphis, the series result is much more in the air.  If the Spurs want to win Game 4, they need to make a few adjustments.

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Each day, we are going to preview the night's NBA Playoffs action by looking at the adjustments that can be made by the losing team and showing what they can do to win.

After taking a 2-0 series lead, the Dallas Mavericks went to Portland and lost Game 3 to the Trail Blazers.  If the Mavericks want to take Game 4 in Portland, they are going to have to make a few changes.

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Each day, we are going to preview the night's NBA Playoffs action by looking at the adjustments that can be made by the losing team and showing what they can do to win.

After stealing Game 1 in San Antonio, the Memphis Grizzles come back to the FedEx Forum looking to take the series lead from the number one seeded Spurs.  If they want to win, they are going to have to do a few things differently in Game 3 than Game 2:

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