Summer Quandaries: The Body Blows Of Basketball

http://celticsgreen.blogspot.com/2014/09/sq14-44-body-blows-of-basketball.html









Those of you who are affectionados of the sweet science will be familiar with the softening-up strategy of body blows.  Over the course of a boxing match punches to the body serve to bring down the guard and to weaken the body so that the legs are less stable.  There are similar strategies in basketball that serve similar functions.  A successful implementation leaves the opponents on wobbly knees and slowed by fatigue, and progressively more vulnerable to an aggressive offense.

Throughout the 60’s and 70’s the running game of Boston left opponents gasping for breath and exhausted by the 4th quarter.  Making a great offensive player extend significant energy at the defensive end (and in transition) robs them of the solid base from which to launch their offense.  Run big men at every opportunity and they are too busy trying to get enough oxygen to maintain a defensive wall.  I was struck by something Tommy Heinsohn said about his coaching strategy.  He watched the opposing big men and as soon as one of them started leaning over and grabbing his shorts, Tommy would send in a substitute to leave the tiring big trying to check a fresh man.  

Coaching (and playing) against the Lakers in the finals, Russell told his team that although LA had a better team that they would never beat the Celtics that night because Boston was going to run them off the floor.  Turning every change of possession into a pell-mell dash for the other end, pushing the break even after made baskets or free throws, and running all five men into an offensive onslaught forced the Laker’s skill stars to expend energy that they were unaccustomed to devoting to defense.  The upshot was that they were unable to get into the rhythm of their normal game.  

These are examples of systemic body blows.  The constant offensive and defensive pressure wore down the opponents and deprived them of, or at least degraded, their best weapons.  On a more personal level, Avery Bradley’s pressure defense has interfered with the opposition on several levels.  The shot clock is shortened by the difficulty getting the ball into the fore court, the point guard is prevented from even watching his teammates with sufficient care to deliver passes on time and on target, and the whole opposing offense is thrown out of their comfort zone.  The steals and subsequent fast breaks are just the gravy, although yet another blow to the opponents’ increasingly shaky grip on the situation.  

Another example was Rip Hamilton leading his defender through a maze of screens and incessant movement.  The original go-go bunny was John Havlicek who rang up a truly remarkable number of miles in the course of each game.  If the opponent’s big scorer happened to draw the defensive assignment of covering Hondo, it was almost certain that by the fourth quarter, that offensive star would not have the “legs” on his jump shot to accomplish his normal high-scoring contribution.  And John just kept on running and scoring, not on degree-of-difficulty chances but rather on high-percentage jumpers and layups that his continual motion created.

I think there is a real chance that this year’s Celtics can employ similar tactics, with similar results. Zeller is a better running big man than Boston has had since, probably Cowens forty-five years ago.  Bradley will be joined by Marcus Smart who has a similar defensive DNA.  Rondo, if inclined, can join these two in creating the most high-pressure backcourt ever seen in Boston.  If Stevens makes defense and running the basic building blocks of this Celtics team, then just getting a pair of small forwards to sign on to the hustle and pit-bull crew, and his bigs to run and anticipate, could create a true monster.  

Whew, that was exhausting!  I think I need a cigarette (and I don’t even smoke).

Only 20 more days before training camp.




bob



.

This:

"I was struck by something Tommy Heinsohn said about his coaching strategy. He watched the opposing big men and as soon as one of them started leaning over and grabbing his shorts, Tommy would send in a substitute to leave the tiring big trying to check a fresh man."

This is what I was saying last season. Rotate your guys and keep the energy flowing. If you want constant pace, you need fresh legs.


KJ

This is another reason why the fate of the Celtics this season can depend on far more than the improvement of individual players. The system they use, the degree to which the system flourishes from the players' collective synergy will have a major bearing on how far the team can go this season in terms of both won/lost record and positive development as a cohesive team.

For a long time, I've been hoping the Celtics could "field" a duo along the same lines as the Jones boys. A backup twosome to take over for a hustling pair of starting guards and actually increase the tempo so greatly that opposing bench players will be lost and their coach will have to bring back his starting guards early so they'll be worn out by the fourth quarter.

The old adage that the best offense is a good defense has a corollary: The best defense can often be an up-tempo offense. I'd love to see Rondo and Bradley start the mayhem and Pressey and Smart lay it on as reserves. In fact, it's conceivable that both tandems could wreak some havoc on the defensive end as well.

From this kind of "shock troop" strategy, it's only a short distance to employing a full court press more frequently. This is one area in which depth is occasionally worth at least as much as quality.

I'm wondering whether Brad might experiment with a 2-3 defensive set that has the two guards playing a switching, man-to-man defense and the other three guys in a modified zone that switches upon demand. This would be a concession to the fact that his guards are going to be more agile than his big men.

It's not all about combinations either. It's also about capitalizing on individual strengths in assigning roles. I've already expressed the thought that Thornton could potentially become an impact 6th man by coming in and scoring in bunches—especially if he can learn to lay off the excessive three-point attempts.

I assume the starting lineup would be something like Zeller, Sully, Green, Bradley and Rondo. I'm not predicting it, but it would be one logical guess. I could certainly be wrong, but somehow I'm not envisioning this as a high-scoring unit that will jump out to early leads. It could be that the best they'll be able to manage against other starters is to stay close.

Consequently, I believe an ability to come from behind could be a major need for this team. And measures such as Jones-Boys-type"shock troops," a consistently uptempo attack, and periodic full-court presses can be instrumental in meeting that need.

More reasons why the pressure on Brad for his systems, lineups, substitutions, and competitive strategies is likely to be immense.

Sam