In early March each year one of the most exciting sporting events takes place ... March Madness. The NCAA tournment is an exciting event, a peak athletic event, featuring amazing story lines and some of the most dramatic games.
These games are often decided by a point or two and often the games are a drastic battle of different styles. When recruiting and running a program, not every school has the advantage of a steady stream of talented 6'8" or taller forwards.
How can you ever combat the obvious advantage of the taller, more powerful opponent? Basketball has five key advantages that can counteract the height and power of the 6'8" power forward.
1 - Style
Often teams conform to one of two different styles of play - smaller and faster or a larger, power game.
The New York Knicks in the early to mid - 1990s were a team that prided themselves on playing the power game. This style of game was originally made popular by the Detroit Pistons and coach Chuck Daly. These teams featured large front lines and bruising players who pushed the boundaries of the rule book. Intimidation is the key to the success of this style of play. They ground the other team into submission with an onslaught of punishment. Foul trouble results for the opposing team trying to match their intensity. This style of play works best with a large team and requires less depth.
The speed game is often played by teams without size of brute strength. The Phoenix Suns of the 2000s were the masters of this type of game. They specialized in the transition game, moving the ball quickly and lighting up the score board. They run the floor and force the other team to match their intensity and drive. This often tires the other team out and makes them take stupid fouls due to being tired and lowers the minutes able to be played by the opposing team's star players. These teams require more depth, as these teams run the full game.
2 - Three Point Shooting
The great equalizer in basketball is the three point shot. Getting the extra point for the distance shot is a huge advantage. The three point shot also increases the ability to run the motion offense.
Statisically speaking, a good three point shooter will hit approximately 40% of their three point attempts. A good strong inside player will hit around 50% of there shots from the floor. Let's analyse how this plays out in reality.
3 point shooter
10 shots at 40% success equals a total of 12 points scored
2 point scorer
10 shots at 50% success equals a total of 10 points scored
As you can see, the advantage lies with the three point shooters over the inside player.
3 - The 'X' Factor
Successful basketball teams seem to have an 'X' factor that pushes them to the highest levels of success. I call this factor the craziness factor. Most successful teams that win championships feature a player that walks the line of mentally unsound. Recent examples of "dynasty" teams all had their "x factor": 1980s Lakers featured Kurt Rambis, the 1990s Knicks featured Charles Oakley, the 1990s Bulls had Rodman, the 2000s San Antonio Spurs with Bruce Bowen and the 2000s Lakers have Ron Artest. I think the Piston's teams featured a team full of these type of players.
This type of player keeps the other teams from feeling fully comfortable on the court. They are a wild card that might do just about anything to win the game, including hard fouls, the occassion elbow, etc. This player keeps the other team honest and aware of where said player is on the court.
4 - Motion offense and the preferred match up
Motion offense is a great way to counteract a size advantage. It forces the other team to move their big players around and not "anchor" them in the key. Bringing a huge 7 footer out twenty five feet from the basket on offense or defense is a win for the smaller teams. This takes away a major rebounding presence for the other team and allows you to move into the second phase of offense design - preferred match ups.
Remember Michael Jordan in his hey-day, as a 6'6" shooting guard being covered by smaller, less athletic guards? Where did MJ take them? He often went to the post. Those amazing Bulls teams didn't have the prototypical inside scorer like a Shaq, Ewing, Hakeem, etc. Those teams did not have any prototypical players. Pippen was the definition of point foward, who preferred the ball in his hands, BJ Armstrong was a great shooter, but not much of a point guard, MJ had a great post game, but in the body of a guard.
What did the Bulls do better than anyone else? They worked their match ups. They forced the other team into mistakes through match up issues. The common offensive line up the of the triangle with MJ in the post, Pippen on the wing, Longley or Cartwright at the elbow and BJ up top, not only accetuated their unique abilities but it often brought the bruising 6'8" forward away from the basket and let MJ physically dominate the smaller shooting guard on his back.
5 - Moxie
This is tough to define. This is the "us against the world" attitude. The self belief in yourself and your teammates that you will win the day, in the end. Often this quality in a smaller player is called "Napoleon syndrome" after the diminutive french leader who almost conquered the world.
Moxie is a team attitude that we are not going to back down, that we are not going to give an inch. Teams like the Pistons of the 1980s were famous for their intimidation tactics. A team would often fold under their pressure and style of play. A few Laimbeer elbows would often sway even the most ardent individual. Teams didn't like to play the Pistons in the playoffs because the Pistons, although not the most talented team, they came with an intensity seldom seen in non-Championship groups.
Finding players with a chip on the shoulder, who play with an emotion can be the tide that swings a game and a season. Smaller players cannot afford to be robots, they have to play their hardest and on the edge or they may not be around any longer.
How this translates into a successful team
Combining these strategies is the key to success in basketball when you do not have the advantage of recruiting the 6'8" power forward. You have to use different strategies when genetics doesn't deal you the best hand. Playing a speed game with lots of motion offense and creating mismatches on the offensive end will lead to more open distance jumpers and more offensive rebounds as you are pulling their bigs out from under the hoop.
Controlling the tempo on the other team will allow you to maximize your offensive opportunities and force them into an uncomfortable style of game. The biggest advantage is the three point shot, changing the dynamics of the game and opening the lanes for driving and getting the easy two. The pump fake, ball on the ground, into the lane is a great way to get other team's bigs in foul trouble as well.
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