Kupchak: Some Coaches Tell Teams Only Score with 3's, FT, or Layups

[UK2K]

And the coaches who employ this strategy, will never win a title.

You can't play the game purely for efficiency. Coaches generally should want their team to value possessions, but you can't avoid the mid range area altogether. The in between game in basketball is essential.

That is the area on the court that good defensive teams concede. If you have a player who is proficient in his attack in that area on the court, you will most certainly force teams to lose discipline defensively, thus more efficient opportunities will open up. The corner three, the paint will open up a little bit as result as well. You will also draw some fouls.

Take a look at LaMarcus Aldridge right now, who is just killing Houston with his mid range game. Houston has clearly become flustered on defense, and as a result will become more and more undisciplined. They will likely have to start doubling him from those spots, and once that happens, it will be floodgates for the Portland shooters.

Basketball is a simple game.

Disagree. It's a low percentage shot taken only by those who have perfected it. 9/10 players never attempt them for a reason, and of those who do attempt them, generally miss. Aldridge just has perfected the mid-range game.

And no, the rest of the Blazers have shot terribly. The mid-range game hasn't opened anything up, LMA is just playing that well.

Because Houston doesn't have a competent defender at PF. Griffin, Duncan, Serge all killed Jones. This is nothing new.

[hawksdogsbraves]

Moreyball getting exposed by the Blazers

[toooo]

He's one of the best in the league at that shot and he's still inefficient. 50.7% TS this season=NOT GOOD EFFICIENCY. I get it, he just had two great games, but that doesn't change years of evidence. He can be Dirk level from mid range and still not put up good efficiency without getting to the line a bunch or shooting 3's.

Your argument is not valid. We are in the post season here, not the regular 82 game season. Defenses tighten up, they shut the three down. Let's look at the Rockets 3 point % over the entire series so far....... .216%. That is straight up trash. Talk about efficiency

LMA on the other hand is beasting with his mid-range game. Not just in the post season, he's been doing this all year long.

[kentatm]

It's simple math. Those are the most efficient shots. A 3 pointer, layups, and foul shots. 2 point shots are inefficient. Might as well take a 3.

Simple is right b/c it doesn't pay the **** attention to the realities of the game.

missed 3s = long rebounds = more fastbreak opportunities for the opposing team = higher chance of losing due to boom and bust of shooting.

working out of the mid range ala Dirk = easier time setting up GOOD 3s and cutters while also allowing your team a better chance at getting back on D if the shot misses. Never mind that hitting in the midrange is easier thus you hit it more meaning you give even less fastbreak opportunities for the other team to counter you.

[hawksdogsbraves]

Your argument is not valid. We are in the post season here, not the regular 82 game season. Defenses tighten up, they shut the three down. Let's look at the Rockets 3 point % over the entire series so far....... .216%. That is straight up trash. Talk about efficiency

LMA on the other hand is beasting with his mid-range game. Not just in the post season, he's been doing this all year long.

I think this is the biggest thing. Strategies which work over the long haul of the regular season, when most teams barely play defense and half the teams are god awful aren't going to work the same against elite teams playing defense at 100%.

D'Antoni's strategy has been shooting threes and drawing fouls for years, for some reason it hasn't ever worked in the playoffs...

[ralph_i_el]

Your argument is not valid. We are in the post season here, not the regular 82 game season. Defenses tighten up, they shut the three down. Let's look at the Rockets 3 point % over the entire series so far....... .216%. That is straight up trash. Talk about efficiency

LMA on the other hand is beasting with his mid-range game. Not just in the post season, he's been doing this all year long.

you can't just declare an entire basketball philosophy null because of 2 games where one guy is hot and one team is cold. The "hunt 3's, avoid 2's" strategy worked perfectly fine for the Spurs and Heat last season. Both those teams took SMART 2's though instead of just avoiding them.

[GimmeThat]

if you want to disregard your players physical advantage because...

nope, I can't solve this one.

[Jailblazers7]

you can't just declare an entire basketball philosophy null because of 2 games where one guy is hot and one team is cold. The "hunt 3's, avoid 2's" strategy worked perfectly fine for the Spurs and Heat last season. Both those teams took SMART 2's though instead of just avoiding them.

Miami and SA averaged around 2 fewer 3FGA in the playoffs compared to the regular season last year. The way the game is played changes in the playoffs. Not saying 3's aren't good shots in the playoffs but a good look from 3 is harder to come by in the playoffs.

[BlackVVaves]

Simple is right b/c it doesn't pay the **** attention to the realities of the game.

missed 3s = long rebounds = more fastbreak opportunities for the opposing team = higher chance of losing due to boom and bust of shooting.

working out of the mid range ala Dirk = easier time setting up GOOD 3s and cutters while also allowing your team a better chance at getting back on D if the shot misses. Never mind that hitting in the midrange is easier thus you hit it more meaning you give even less fastbreak opportunities for the other team to counter you.

Someone understands that percentages don't capture the full scope of effectiveness in sports

[The-Legend-24]

Lowkey shots at D'Antoni.

[BlackVVaves]

you can't just declare an entire basketball philosophy null because of 2 games where one guy is hot and one team is cold. The "hunt 3's, avoid 2's" strategy worked perfectly fine for the Spurs and Heat last season. Both those teams took SMART 2's though instead of just avoiding them.

The Heat and Spurs don't follow this Moreyball philosophy; Pat Riley ridiculed this shit earlier in the season

The Heat and Spurs take more threes, because their crisp ball movement, plus the threat of a mid-range jump shooting big (Bosh/Duncan), creates open threes due to slow defensive rotations.

They don't do this because they don't believe in the mid-range game being less valuable or some dumb shit. Riley and Pop have been around the game long enough to know that's offensive approach to "hunt threes and avoid 2s" is "fool's gold," which is literally what Riley said.

Just because a team takes a lot of threes, doesn't mean they devalue 2s.

[ralph_i_el]

The Heat and Spurs don't follow this Moreyball philosophy; Pat Riley ridiculed this shit earlier in the season

The Heat and Spurs take more threes, because their crisp ball movement, plus the threat of a mid-range jump shooting big (Bosh/Duncan), creates open threes due to slow defensive rotations.

They don't do this because they don't believe in the mid-range game being less valuable or some dumb shit. Riley and Pop have been around the game long enough to know that's offensive approach to "hunt threes and avoid 2s" is "fool's gold," which is literally what Riley said.

Just because a team takes a lot of threes, doesn't mean they devalue 2s.

The entire value of 2's is relative. Both teams have offenses designed to get lots of open 3's. If they're valuing the 3 more by design they are devaluing 2's

[HOoopCityJones]

LOL, D'antoni has an entire league thinking the 3pter is more efficient than a mid-range 2 or even a post up play.

[ZenMaster]

The entire value of 2's is relative. Both teams have offenses designed to get lots of open 3's. If they're valuing the 3 more by design they are devaluing 2's

The design is to get a lot of 3's because you have to, whenever you go into drive and kick spacing won't work unless 3-4 players are either behind the 3pt line or moving from it towards the basket.

[Heavincent]

Every team wants open 3's and layups, but the problem with Houston is that they take it way too far. They took a ridiculously low amount of mid range shots this year. It's gimmicky and is getting exposed in the playoffs. I said it throughout the regular season. Their offense is nothing more than a gimmick.