Eight Winning Plays, Part 2

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.

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.