Paul Pals once helped me understand that calling isolation plays for individuals wasnt working, because double-teams were blowing up the plan. I needed to stop micro-managing every possession late in a game. Everyone gets involved, something good happens. Thats what Doc Rivers is bringing to the Clippers, which is why I miss him as a Celtics fan. Heres an excerpt from ESPN Magazine on his adjustments in Los Angeles in the quest to make them playoff winners: Under Vinny Del Negro, the Clippers leaned heavily on Chris Paul and Blake Griffin, especially at the end of games and in the playoffs, when the long grind of a back-and-forth series demands superior half-court execution. In these key moments, Del Negro would inevitably run an isolation play for one of his stars. Just as frequently, the defense would send a double-team, and because iso plays arent usually designed with strong second and third options, the Clippers would find themselves exposed like a king on a chessboard -- desperate and surrounded, looking for an escape route that often didnt exist. I think Chris realized last year in the playoffs, holding the ball, getting double-teamed, getting down to late shot clocks every time, youre not going to win that way, Rivers says. Movement, quick decisions, pulling it and swinging it and trusting the pass -- that makes Chris impossible to guard. I love watching the Warriors now, with Iowas own Harrison Barnes and the 3-point shooting of Curry and Thompson. But its a tough task beating a Doc Rivers team in a series when it counts.
Posted on: Sat, 19 Apr 2014 20:32:05 +0000
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