I caught a little of the western conference but today was the first WNBA Finals game I was able to catch and lucky for me, it was the last game of the season as the Detroit Shock beat the San Antonio Silver Stars to sweep the series in 3 games. The Shock had to come from behind but they just toughed it out and the more aggressive, physical team won.

Here was the end of the half play for the Shock that helped them get back into the game. It's just a simple 1-4 low 1v1 isolation but it just showed great execution and fundamentals. In the end, the dribble drive missed, but a great offensive rebound by the Shock was able to put it back for the 2 points and cut the Silver Stars lead to 4 heading into the half, take a look (I apologize for the grainy video feed),




Setup:

Nothing crazy here, a 1-4 low iso setup. The Shock have the quickness advantage with a little on big. I think on these isos, you definitely want your most versatile 1v1 player on offense, someone who can create their own shot opportunity no matter what the situation,


Crossover Move:

Great fundamentals here. First, watch the clock, it's at 4 seconds but for high school, I'd even start later, like 6 seconds. You never want to start too late, because you want to give yourself a chance at the offensive rebound if you miss.

Next great fundamental, watch how the offensive player attacks the front foot of the defender. Great 1v1 move with the crossover attacking that front foot and getting by the defender and going straight for the rim,


Offensive Rebound:

This is where that clock comes in, if the dribbler had started any later than 4 seconds, the Shock wouldn't have had any chance at the offensive putback. And at 4 seconds, they just barely got it off.

Now, because the defense has to help on the dribble penetration because the initial defender got beat, it leaves all kinds of room for an offensive forward to sneak in there and get the offensive putback,


Summary:

Having watched several Detroit Shock games earlier in the summer, they just seemed to be the most playoff ready, battle tested team out there. They play tough, much like their coach Bill Lambier. When you are the aggressor, you will win more games than you lose, and I believe it to be especially the case in girls basketball. Anyways, congrats to the Shock for a great overall season and a well deserved WNBA Championship.

If you're looking for more buzzer beating plays for your season coming up, take a look at Jay Wright's brand new DVD on Late Game Sets. Coach Wright is the head coach at Villanova. To discuss this and many more of your favorite basketball topics, head over to the X's and O's of Basketball Forum to talk with other coaches from around the world.

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Caught some first round playoff action in the WNBA the other night, between the New York Liberty and the Connecticut Sun. It was a pretty good game all-around, but the Liberty executed their offense better. The Sun had problems with defending the PNR and in the end, that was the difference.

The Liberty basically pick and rolled the Sun to victory. It's all about reading the defense and the Liberty did that extremely well. On hard switches, they would take advantage of the big-little mismatches. In the second sequence, it's just a defensive breakdown that allows the easy basket. Here are the two sequences from the second half,




Big-Little Mismatches:

PNR basketball is great because of the big-little mismatches you can take advantage of. You take your best guard and your best forward at the top of the key, everyone else spreads out. If the defense is going to switch all screens (like the Sun do here), then you'll get those big-little mismatches every time. If you get a big on little, post them up and score 1v1. If you get a little on big, then use your quickness to beat them 1v1 on the dribble drive, like so,


Take Advantage of Slow Rotations:

The defense here just breaks down completely, but I believe the Sun were trying to trap the ball-screen and the help-side is suppose to rotate to protect the basket. So, if the Sun had executed the trap properly, then you should still be able to hit the rolling player. Now, if the rotation is good, then either the forward will have to go 1v1 or you can hit the open player in the corner for a 3-pointer. Either way, you should get a good shot,


Summary:

It is why the NBA is 75% PNR, because it works. There is no universal way to defend it, it just depends on the players and their abilities. If the Sun have a chance to save their season tonight, they're going to have to figure out how to defend the PNR a lot better than they did on Thursday.

For a great video on the spread PNR offense, take a look at Billy Donovan's DVD on the Spread Offense. Coach Donovan used it to win back-to-back national championships at Florida. As always, please check out the X's and O's Basketball forum to talk hoops and exchange notes and ideas.

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