Raptors Botch the Easy Fast Break

The NBA season has begun and I must say I'm really excited about the season because there are a lot of good teams this year that have a legitimate chance of making a good run. I caught a few games off and on but did catch most of the second half between the Raptors and the Sixers.

I caught this clip not because it made a difference in the outcome of the game (Raptors won), but just because as a coach, it's so frustrating when your players don't execute properly. After the Sixers turnover, the Raptors have a 4v3 fast break going the other way, but indecision causes a bad sequence and the ball going back the other way, watch:




Fast Break Bungled:

When you get a numbers advantage you need to capitalize. If you can score whenever your team has the numbers advantage, your team will almost always win the game. The big problem in this sequence was indecision. First, Parker passes up the wide open shot,


After Calderon gets the ball back, he doesn't attack the basket forcing the defender to step up to defend him so he can pass the ball to the open man under the basket,


Instead, the ball goes to Bargnani in the other corner and all 5 defenders get back which makes it difficult for Bargnani to make a good move to the basket.

Summary:

It's always hard to look back and say so and so should've done this or that, basketball is instinctual, decisions are made in the blink of an eye. Obviously, we all want our players to make the right decision but it doesn't always work out that way. The point is, the more your players practice real game situations, the better prepared they will be so that they will make the right decisions more often than not.

For more transition offense pointers, take a look at Steve Smith's DVD on High Scoring Transition Offense. Coach Smith has built Oak Hill Academy into a prep school powerhouse with famous alums in the likes of Jerry Stackhouse and Team USA's own Carmelo Anthony. Discuss this and the rest of your favorite basketball topics at the X's and O's Basketball Forum.