Spurs Trap the Pick and Roll Confusing Hornets

Chris Paul of the Hornets is such a dynamic player. Earlier in the playoffs, we saw the Mavs attempt to trap Paul on the PNRs and Paul sliced and diced his way through them and torched them. This time around, the Spurs decided to use the trap in certain situations and particularly in the 3rd quarter and it was tremendously effective.

I think what the Spurs did was create confusion. They hadn't really trapped Paul all series, and all of a sudden in the 3rd quarter in Game 6 they decide to trap Paul on the PNR and it got the Hornets out of sync. Paul passed out of the trap and his teammates were often dumbfounded as to what to do. The indecision of the other players really hurt the Hornets in that fateful 3rd quarter. Here a couple of clips of the trap towards the end of the quarter,



Trapping the PNR:

The trap against Paul here, isn't really so much a hard trap with defenders flying in the face of Paul. Basically, they zone him up with 2 guys and prevent him from splitting the defenders, and forcing him to throw a lob over the top. The other players are also basically zoned up,


If you're interested in trapping the PNR, take a look at this post and this post that I wrote earlier in the season.

Summary:

Once again, a Gregg Popovich adjustment that worked beautifully. If the Spurs end up winning this series, it will be due to Popovich and his ability to adapt. If they end up losing this series, you can be sure that Popovich would've tried everything that could have possibly been done. Game 7 goes on Monday and though the Hornets have the advantage being at home, the Spurs may have one more adjustment up their sleeve that might put them over the edge.

For an old video but a good one from one of my favorite coaches, Geno Auriemma's DVD on 8 essential defensive drills is a good one to look at for defensive ideas for your practice. As usual, check out the X's and O's Basketball forum to talk hoops and exchange notes.