NBA Finals Primer (Special Edition)
All the X's and O's behind the series...
As the NBA Finals prepares for tip-off, we put together this Special Edition Newsletter covering all the breakdowns, edits, insights, and great reads for both the Lakers and the Heat.
Let’s dive in…
Erik Spoelstra and The Heat
It’s no secret that Erik Spoelstra has done a fantastic job from both an X and O standpoint, as well as building the legendary “Heat Culture”.
Over the past couple of months we have looked at the in’s and outs of the Heat offense and defensive, and why they have been so good.
Offense
Here’s a list of the breakdowns of some of the Heat’s offensive concepts:
Their fantastic “SLOB” Split Series
The use of the “Modern 2 Man Game”
Why they’re the "Best Cutting Team in the NBA”
How they “Move the Help” in their PnR Game
Duncan Robinson in the great “RIP DHO Action”
The power of “Leveraging a Shooter” in the PnR (Lakers edit too)
The craftiness of Jimmy Butler in the “Dunker Spot”
Their nice off-ball movement during the middle PnR
How their handoffs set up the Fake DHO
Defense
On the other side of the ball:
Miami’s interesting Zone Alignment
Obviously offense sells more on Twitter :)
The Lakers
Though Frank Vogel and the Lakers have not been lauded as much as the Heat for their beautiful offensive movement, as they rely more heavily on playing through the greatness of LeBron and Anthony Davis, they nonetheless provide much to learn from.
We looked at how they ran this great Igor Kokoskov set for Anthony Davis against the Nuggets, showed us how they utilize Rajon Rondo’s Defensive IQ, helped make 4-point play history against the Blazers, put defenses in a tough spot by using Danny Green in side PnR action, and got in on the “RIP GRENADE DHO” party with this Kyle Kuzma game-winner.
*Quick Laker side-note… we’re excited to have sportswriter Jeff Pearlman on an upcoming special edition of the Slappin’ Glass Podcast, where we discuss his new book “Three Ring Circus”, about the Kobe, Shaq, and Phil Jackson era.
Great NBA Finals Reading Material
There’s been some great articles this week about the NBA Finals, we’ve loved:
And Kevin O’Connor’s piece on the Road Going Through LeBron
Enjoy the finals, and we’ll see you back on Sunday for our regular “Sunday Mornin’ Newsletter.”
Dan and Pat