Brooklyn Seems to Be Getting Its San Antonio On Lately [Zach Lowe's Analysis on series]

[BackForThe2ndTime]

http://grantland.com/the-triangle/brooklyn-seems-to-be-getting-its-san-antonio-on-lately/

 

Remember this, the most glorious possession from all of last season?

Well, check this out:

 

 

That’s right: The Nets experienced a Spursgasm in their crazy Game 4 win at home Monday night! And it was fantastic.

Brooklyn can’t quite cop the Spurs style, of course. The original Spursgasm just looks better. San Antonio touches the ball around so fast that it manages to squeeze three quick-hitting passes within the same half of the court. Brooklyn is bulkier and slower, and it needs to swing the rock across the floor to generate the final open dagger from Bojan Bogdanovic.

 

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But the general trajectory is the same: ball handler, to perimeter release valve, to roll man, to corner shooter. It’s beautiful. Brooklyn isn’t locked with Atlanta because of its offense; the Nets have scored just 101.3 points per 100 possessions in this series, a mark that would have ranked 23rd in the regular season — a big drop-off from what Brooklyn produced once Brook Lopez got rolling again. The Nets are in this thing because they’ve tightened their defense in smart ways, but the Hawks were going to crack that shell eventually. The Nets would need to blow up at some point to steal another game, and it happened last night: 115 points per 100 possessions, a deluge of 3s, and the bimonthly return of the old Deron Williams. (Do not get fooled, Brooklyn fans. Do not do it to yourselves.)

 

That Spursgasm was probably the most aesthetically pleasing thing in the history of the Brooklyn Nets, but it was not an outlier last night. The Nets were diligent about moving the ball, and themselves, to the point that they barely even looked like the Nets anymore. Watch how fast, and how far, the ball moves in just a few seconds on this first-quarter possession:

 

 

Bogdanovic makes the most important play there. The initial Joe Johnson/Lopez pick-and-roll on the right side forces Bogdanovic’s man, Kyle Korver, to sink into the paint and get ready to bump Lopez. Korver has to slide back out to Bogdanovic when the Nets swing it there, and Bogdanovic leverages Korver’s momentum with a drive that starts almost the instant the ball arrives. Wait too long, and Korver can gather himself.

These are the kinds of plays the Nets have too often failed to make during their drab Brooklyn existence, save for an exciting half-season of small ball¹ under Jason Kidd. Atlanta was banking on facing the same predictable Nets — the slowpoke team that keeps the ball on one side of the floor, dribbles it into dust, and burps up a contested midrange shot.

Atlanta’s defense smothers that kind of team. The Hawks are fast and long, and every player has the good habit of moving around on defense with his arms spread wide. If you bring the ball to one side, the Hawks will slide all five of their players there and try to pin you. There will be arms in every easy passing lane.

The only escape is to fling a lob pass to an open man all the way across the floor, and the Hawks fly fast enough to be pecking at your face by the time the ball arrives — unless it’s a LeBron-esque frozen rope. Stop the ball there, and the Hawks can re-create the trap as the shot clock dwindles. It’s move or die against Atlanta, and if you can keep it going, you can find an open 3 or challenge the Hawks’ undersize front line at the rim.

The Nets moved it on Monday, and that is the most important reason they’ve managed to give us a second 2-2 series. It required some luck: a Williams bailout 3 late in regulation, and a crucial Lopez and-1 in overtime, when the ball squirted away from Williams and landed in Lopez’s lap in the paint. But those things tend to even out over the course of 48 minutes. The Nets earned Game 4, and the insertion of Bogdanovic and Thaddeus Young into the starting lineup has stocked it with willing ball-movers around the Johnson/Lopez combination — a duo that can get sticky hands.

Some other notes:

• The Nets have held Atlanta’s offense to just 99 points per 100 possessions, way below the Hawks’ regular-season mark. The Hawks have missed some bunnies, and Al Horford’s injured right pinkie is clearly messing with his jumper.

But the Nets deserve a lot of credit for a good Hawks-specific game plan. They’re switching on a ton of Korver screens, both on and off the ball, and Korver has had a harder time than usual getting open. Bodganovic can’t keep up with him, but switching mitigates that — especially with a speedy power forward like Young.

They’ve dared Jeff Teague to beat them from the outside, dialed back their pick-and-roll coverages to keep themselves out of rotation — Pero Antić can have an open pick-and-pop triple anytime — and gotten braver about letting Horford jack from midrange. A hard hedge like the one Young uses on this Teague/Mike Scott pick-and-roll could leave the Nets in a desperate scramble mode if Teague hits Scott rolling into open space:

 

 

But Teague can’t thread that pass, because Lopez hangs back off Horford. The possession stalls out from there.

• Still: The Hawks found some new ways to spring Korver in Game 4, and Brooklyn will see them again in Atlanta on Wednesday. Atlanta knows now that Brooklyn will switch picks for Korver away from the ball, and the Hawks players setting those picks in Game 4 began slipping away before really setting them at all. Watch DeMarre Carroll, having a wonderful two-way series, pull the trick here:

 

 

It’s a way of jumping the switch — of using the threat of Korver’s shooting to get someone else open. Horford nearly got a dunk out of it later:

 

 

The Hawks are also working to run Korver off screens that are less switch-friendly — picks from Atlanta players being guarded by bigger, slower Nets. One way to do that is have an Atlanta big set a typical high screen for the Hawks point guard, and then roll right into a pindown for Korver:

 

 

That forces a tough choice upon the Nets: Switch Mason Plumlee onto Korver, or play traditionally, allowing Korver to run ahead of Bogdanovic. The Hawks even had Korver run a pick-and-roll himself, a rare thing that had the same effect. He hit a long 2-pointer out of it in the fourth quarter.

The Nets benched Plumlee for all but 18 seconds of the second half, playing more than ever before with a super-small lineup featuring four wings and Young as the nominal center. If Mirza Teletovic can’t go again, that may be the way Lionel Hollins is most comfortable resting Lopez.

• There are a lot of fun size-vs.-speed matchups in this series. When the Nets go center-less, the rangy Hawks suddenly become the big bullies, with the potential for a post-up advantage at multiple positions. The Hawks played the all-speed big-man combo of Paul Millsap and Scott against Lopez more than usual last night, wagering their edge in shooting and wheels would outweigh Lopez’s mammoth size advantage.

The Nets have also used Johnson at power forward, and Millsap during those minutes has not been able to abuse Johnson in the post. The Hawks can get that matchup whenever they want; Brooklyn is switching a lot of Carroll-Millsap actions, leaving Johnson to battle Millsap down low. Atlanta didn’t care much to go there until last night, and Johnson generally held his own. Still, it’s a place Mike Budenholzer might look to keep Millsap revving, draw help, and open up 3-pointers:

 

 

• When the Nets go small, the Hawks keep Carroll (or Kent Bazemore) on Johnson, and their second big man on Alan Anderson. Anderson has hurt Atlanta in those setups with the kinds of catch-and-go drives Bogdanovic whipped out in Game 4. If Anderson and Bogdanovic continue to give strong minutes, the Nets have a shot to stay competitive. They have to keep the machine moving and resist the old temptations of iso-ball.

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[RandomFan]

http://www.sbnation.com/2015/4/28/8506427/hawks-nets-breakdown-nba-playoffs-2015-series-tied

 

This link is another good article from Mike Prada talking about what BKN is doing right versus us, and how they are giving us problems. A lot of it has to do with their final item - Horford and Millsap are both not healthy, and our effectiveness stems from the sum of our parts all being strong links in a chain - but right now, the two most important links are weak due to their injuries limiting their impact.

 

There are many Gif's in the article, so view it on their site.

 

___________________________________________________________________

 

The Nets and Hawks are tied, and it's not a fluke

By Mike Prada

@MikePradaSBN on Apr 28, 2015, 12:04p

 

The Brooklyn Nets have a real shot of pulling off one of the biggest upsets in recent NBA history. The No. 8 seed hasn't just tied their series with the Atlanta Hawks at 2-2 because of a couple fluke victories. They've tied it by playing the East's best regular-season team to a draw through four games. The aggregated score in the series: Nets 394, Hawks 393.

 

It's tempting to focus on the Hawks' problems. They've been far too good at their peak to be in a dogfight against a sub-.500 regular season team with the point differential of a 33-win club. Even if they win this series -- and they still have the edge thanks to home-court advantage -- they have shown major weaknesses that teams can exploit down the road.

 

Yet, it wouldn't be fair to analyze what Atlanta is doing wrong without highlighting what Brooklyn is doing right. The Nets have slowed the Hawks' vaunted offense to a crawl and are slowly figuring out ways to attack Atlanta's pressure defense. They could have defeated the Hawks in Game 2, even with an average Deron Williams game, then they did hold off the Hawks' best offensive performance in Game 4 thanks to a vintage one.

 

Why is a series that was so lopsided on paper tied? It's a combination of multiple factors.

 

1. Cutting off Kyle Korver

 

Nets coach Lionel Hollins scoffed at reporters after the all-star shooting guard hit 5-of-11 from three-point range to lead the Hawks to a Game 1 victory. His implication: Korver wasn't important enough to change the game plan.

 

But Hollins' actions speak much louder than his words, because the Nets have changed their game plan to make sure Korver doesn't get any clean looks. He's making just 28 percent of his threes since Game 1 and has barely had any room to fire without at least one hand in his face. Even those numbers don't measure all the times he's curled off a screen prepared to shoot, only for the Nets to be right there with him.

 

"How many shots did he take yesterday and how many did he miss? See, if he's that good, he'd make all of them." Hollins said. "Everybody misses, man. He's a good shooter, I acknowledge that, we acknowledge that as a team, we game plan for him because he is a great shooter. But until he starts shooting 100 percent, we've got to play and be in position to help, and then recover, and close out.

"It's not like we're talking (Stephen) Curry. Korver, he's a great come-off-the-screen guy, he's great with moving without the ball, but he rarely puts the ball on the floor like Curry and shakes you up."

 

 

The Nets decided that because they don't have one single player that can chase Korver around screens, nobody should have to try. Instead, they're are playing similar-sized players at the 2, 3 and 4 positions and switching all screens. It's hard to get Korver open when Bojan Bogdanovic is picked off, only for Joe Johnson or Alan Anderson to help him out.

 

Stopping Korver has become a collective effort. Even when he escapes the switching wings, other Nets have stepped up to prevent his opportunities. Watch the lumbering Lopez jump out to prevent a Korver three.

 

And notice here how Williams very subtly comes off Teague to help prevent Korver from getting a look in transition.

 

The Nets have correctly identified Korver as the most important member of Atlanta's offense. During the regular season, the Hawks scored nearly 111 points with Korver in the game and less than 99 with him on the bench.

 

Hollins was right with his crabby comments in one respect: While Korver can hit jumpers from anywhere, he's not a driving threat like Stephen Curry. Take away his threes -- a difficult, but doable task -- and he doesn't have too many other ways to score. Better yet, by switching effectively, communicating and addressing threats only as they present themselves rather than overreacting to decoys, the Nets can take away Korver's threes without giving up openings elsewhere.

 

That's the holy grail teams haven't pulled off all year. As the Nets are showing, though, life is different in the playoffs.

 

2. Giving the point guards space

 

By contrast, the Nets seem willing to let the Hawks' point guards do all the creating they want. Jeff Teague was an all-star and Dennis Schröder was one of the league's most promising backups, but given space to roam they've both been confused at not having to create every inch of the way. Teague broke out in Game 4, but has otherwise been quiet. Schoreder has been worse than quiet, alternating spectacular drives with out-of-control attacks that have killed his team.

 

Brooklyn has varied their coverages on both players, but generally are willing to give them space to shoot jumpers. Neither is an expert marksman and both like to dribble into their shot, which ruins Atlanta's offensive flow. These are logged as open shots, but they're not the type of look Atlanta wants.

 

The correct thing for both players to do is to attack the space given, but they're struggling to do that effectively. Teague went back to being a tentative player overwhelmed by his options against soft coverages earlier in his career before a Game 4 breakout. Schröder is attacking, but lacks the precision to actually make the most of those attacks. He in particular has missed open teammates multiple times in an attempt to be "aggressive."

 

The Nets' blueprint will be copied if the Hawks manage to pull out the series. If Teague and Schröder can't improve against these coverage, they're in for a world of pain against Washington's ferocious pick and roll defense in the next round. If they make it that far.

 

3. Brooklyn's "short rolls"

 

The Nets' offense struggled against Atlanta's relentless pressure in the first three games, but came alive in Game 4. Deron Williams' revitalization was a major reason, of course. The former superstar turned big-money albatross poured in 35 points after the Hawks, convinced his shooting slump would continue, stopped defending him.

 

Williams converted wide-open looks early in the game and carried that confidence and hot shooting for the rest of the contest.

 

But the Nets' offense broke out for many other reasons. Brooklyn generated plenty of good looks at the three-point line, taking advantage of a Hawks weakness that hadn't been exploited during the regular season. The Hawks surrendered the most three-point attempts in the league, but teams hit just 34 percent of those shots because they were under duress from the Hawks' aggressive traps.

 

Brooklyn's answer: Accept that the traps are coming, quickly move the ball and profit before the Hawks can rotate. Brook Lopez is no longer rolling all the way down the lane. Instead, he's stopping at the free-throw line -- NBA people call this a "short roll" -- and taking the pass from the point guard or a wing sliding up to the ball. Once he gets it, he can either swing a pass to the open shooter in the corner ...

 

... or taking a floater himself.

 

And if the Nets miss the initial shot, they often had Atlanta's defense scrambled enough to get an offensive rebound.

 

This is how Brooklyn is using Lopez's size. Calls for formulaic post-ups missed the point, because Atlanta can help and recover on those. As long as the Nets can manipulate the floor before these pick and rolls happen, he can get the ball at the free throw line in the middle of the floor and be a difference-maker.

 

4. The Hawks' All-Star frontcourt isn't at 100 percent

 

It should be noted that the Nets' strategy is working because Al Horford and Paul Millsap are not themselves health-wise. Under normal circumstances, these two play in concert with Korver and the point guards perfectly. Both roll smartly to the basket, either can score from the perimeter or inside and each has a strong understanding of spacing so they don't get in the way.

 

But both are feeling the effects of injury in this series. Millsap's right shoulder is not fully healed and he is thus reluctant to mix it up inside. He's making his perimeter shots, but those slippery drives and dives to the rim aren't as quick, which slows Atlanta's motion. He's oddly been more comfortable driving and finishing with his left hand, which was not the case when he was healthy. Most importantly, he hasn't been effective punishing smaller players in the post, which allows Brooklyn to switch perimeter assignments to cover Korver without worrying about the consequences.

 

Horford has not felt comfortable since suffering a pinky injury earlier in the series. When he's going well, he fires mid-range shots with confidence and nails them at a very high rate. The Hawks' offense may be three-point oriented, but it needs Horford as a bail-out option, particularly when teams send extra help to Teague and Korver. That bail-out option isn't there anymore and the other Hawks scorers are suffering.

★★★

This series illustrates how the Hawks are only the Hawks when all of the links are strongest. The Nets are shutting off Korver, which in turn forces Teague to do too much, which is especially difficult because Horford and Millsap are not themselves. The four All-Stars thrived because of their symbiotic relationship, but that also means they're only as good as the weakest link in the chain. Without DeMarre Carroll, the forgotten fifth starter that's having the series of his life, Atlanta would be losing this series.

 

As it stands, the Hawks are in trouble, and the Nets should be credited for that.

Edited April 28, 2015 by RandomFan

[Nicholasp27]

Well they did injure millsap during regular season and Horford in game 1, so they def get credit for weakening our links

[TheNorthCydeRises]

How ironic that it's the "Woody" switching defense that has got them back on track.