So you want more Xs and Os, eh?
Posted April 23rd, 2007 by bwindhorst
I got a great deal of feedback on my column on Sunday, which was about two things. One, it was my view of the five different levels at which people watch games. Second, it was an in-depth breakdown of the Washington Wizards offensive and defensive sets including what the sets are called and how the Wizards signal them to each other. If you have a second, give it a read, I hope you’ll find it entertaining.
There’s two things I’ve learned from reading the e-mail. 1. People overestimate where they rank on my scale (I mean my own mom said she ranked in the "educated fan" level. I love you, mom, but you’re a "casual fan."). 2. Many wanted more detail, craved it in fact, saying the wished the story go on longer. Well, that’s what the net is for.
This is ironic because I specifically watered down the content somewhat so as to not completely lose the reader. My editors were concerned about too much basketball jargon. Understand, I just consider myself on the third level, an "insider" as I call it, and the concepts I presented and will give you more of are from the fourth or "pro" level. What I mean is, I don’t get it all either.
WARNING…the following is not for the faint of heart, it is very complex. If you leave now, no one will think less of you.
So here’s some more. Now, understand that many of these plays are run all across the league. I’m sharing them with you not so much so you can understand how the Wizards play, but also just how in depth teams are in their systems.
When Eddie Jordan calls plays, they have two parts: the set and the play. Mike Brown’s often have three parts: The set, the players involved, and the play. As I discussed in the column, the Wizards have five primary sets: Chin, Forwards Out, Basic, Power and Same Side. As a note, the Wizards have other more basic sets not included in the five. Jordan uses hand signals to call them. He touches his chin for a "chin" set, wipes his forehead for "forwards out" and touches his ear for "same side" and so on. The Cavs sets are called things like "thumb," "fist" and "early."
There are about 15 different plays for each. As we get into the nitty gritty here, I’m just going to talk about what the Wizards do out of their "forwards out" set. In general, when the point guard brings the ball up, the forwards will swing from the baseline out to the wings and pass the guards on the way. Meanwhile the center often sets up around the foul line.
Before we continue, it is out of this play Zydrunas Ilgauskas got caught out of position a few times on Sunday when there was a back cut behind him because he was up on the foul line with Etan Thomas. Moving on.
Normally, the play the Wizards run most out of this set is "Forwards Out 15." It is when there is a dribble hand off (known as a DHO in NBA jargon and further in our discussion here) on the wing. It means the point guard passes off the dribble to a swinging forward and then there’s a middle pick-and-roll at the top of the key. As a note, the Wizards’ favorite play with Gilbert Arenas is called "Chin 15." Chin is a two guard out front set and 15 is…anyone, anyone…a middle pick-and-roll.
There’s "forwards out strong" which is a DHO into a post up. There’s "forwards out slash," when after the DHO the ball is dribbled across the court and the other "forward out" runs a backdoor basket cut. Not to be confused with "forwards out slash 2," where both a guard and forward cut backdoor. There’s "forwards out fist," which is a DHO into a side pick and roll.
There’s "forwards out reverse" which is a DHO followed by a reverse dribble to a post up. And "forwards out keep," where there’s a fake DHO and the guard goes to the rim. Plus "quick fist" where there’s an wlbow pick and roll for top guard. That’s a play the Cavs run as well. Then the Wizards will run combination sets, going from a side DHO into a two-guard set and then run pick and roll or post up action out of "chin."
Tired yet? I am. And that’s still barely 10 percent of the Wizards attack. But I hope it is enough for my point.
April 23rd, 2007 at 5:21 pm
Hey Brian,
That was cool and nerdy at the same time. How does the complexity of the Wizards offense compare to the Cavs offense? In other words, without revealing team “secrets”, is the Cavs offense comparatively simple in design (as it often looks on the court)? Or is it the play-calling or execution that is more the issue?
April 23rd, 2007 at 6:19 pm
Brian
As a life time Cleveland fan I believe you all are missing the issue with this team. I applaud Brown’s decision in the second half of the year to go with Sasha and Hughes at the point. But does’t anyone get the feeling that it was not his decision?
I am from Canton and have several friends that know E. Snow personally and they all speak of what a class individual he is, but he can not shoot period!
This team can run the table in the East if Brown would just settle on a rotation. Name another team in this playoffs other than the Wizards (due to injuries) still figuring out their rotation!
I do not get it. Guys want to know when they are going to play to get their comfort level.
April 23rd, 2007 at 9:01 pm
Hey JIm, you were name dropping as if you were going to give us a revelation, behind the demotion of esnow, dude keep your who you know to yourself unless you are going to give us some jaw dropping information, example, esnow threaten to kick potato head butt. you know what i mean.
April 23rd, 2007 at 9:22 pm
hey was that tyrone corbin sitting on the utah jazz bench? just checking, he was my dude when he was with the cavs, do anybody remember, he was a real hustler.
April 23rd, 2007 at 11:28 pm
Righteous blog entry, BW. This is the kind of in-depth stuff that’s often lacking in sports newspaper reporting, (especially in Cleveland).
I thought it was very interesting.
April 24th, 2007 at 7:50 am
How about more picks for James off the
ball. They run all these plays at the top
of the key with the pick man running out
to the dribbler(usually the GI). Everybody
in the arena can see the picker coming
for miles and the inevitable gang up on the
GI or the baseline forward or center coming
to the middle to stop it. How about some
backdoor picks by Tarzan WT or DG. Also
that play they run when Z comes to the foul
lane and Larry passes in high and runs down
for a baseline screen for the GI and Z passes up high at the basket for the GI.
Anything thats better camoflouged(sp?)than
the fire drill picks at the top of the key.
April 24th, 2007 at 8:10 am
The Wizards favorite play for Arenas should
be Shoot 35 were Daniels drives to the top
of the key and does a DPBTWNWGY to Arenas
who promptly cans a 35 footer.DPBTWNWGY=
DRIBBLER PASSES BALL TO WHERE NOBODY WILL
GUARD YOU.
April 24th, 2007 at 9:13 am
haha that’s too funny…poor wesley can’t get into the locker room. maybe he can be in charge of cleaning the ball when it gets dirty with Z’s “sticky substance” of Game 1.
April 24th, 2007 at 9:24 am
All that fancy schmantzy play-calling seems kinda wasted right about now. Watching the Wizards is like watching a JV team that should be playing shirts and skins. Jordan may as well whip off off his pinstriped gangster suits and heavily starched shirts, rub his nipples, and call Nip 69. At least it would give Damon Jones a reason to giggle.
April 24th, 2007 at 10:28 am
Now if only we could get Mike Ditka and Michael Irvin to demonstrate these plays during NBA Countdown. I know, they’re not basketball players, but it would be much more fun watching them than Mark Jackson and Tim Legler.
But I wonder if the NFL to NBA analogy is apt when it comes to the passing in the Cavs offense. The Cavs offense is advertised as a “motion” offense, but seems to stagnate when the ball gets stuck in one player’s hands. Is that because they aren’t making the passes that they’re supposed to make, or is it because Brown is conservative, discouraging more dangerous passes that would put the recipient in great position but are more likely to be picked off? Is it like a quarterback going through his reads, only to dump the ball off to the running back for a safe but ultimately meaningless two-yard gain? And is a motion offense a good option in a seven-game series, when your opponent will have a good idea of where the passes are supposed to go? I’m just wondering if the Cavs offense fails more because of poor design or poor execution. But I’m guessing it’s probably both.
As to JMoe’s comments on off-ball screens, LeBron James is terrible at running off of screens. His routes are too wide, and the defender is usually able to simply follow him around the screen. And when he does recieve the ball, he usually holds onto it too long, instead of making a quick decision that keeps the defense off-balance. Again, that’s both the player’s fault and the coach’s fault, but it definitely hurts the flow of the offense, and it’s something that the team needs to improve. But until that changes, they could run 10 screens each possession, and the offense would still stagnate.
Go Cavs,
Mike C.
April 24th, 2007 at 10:53 am
“Motion offense?” As if Al Gore doesn’t already have enough to worry about, now he’s got to contend with tons of wasted NBA analysis.
Want to know why “motion offense” is a contradiction in terms for now and for the foreseeable future? Well, for starters, after Cleveland’s center is done pumping his kettlebells and icing his tooties, perhaps they’ll fit him with mechanical passing arms and a couple of roller skates.
April 24th, 2007 at 10:55 am
I agree that LeBron is bad at taking picks. But how often do you see him isolated on the far wing with 1 defender. Guys will double him when he’s at the top of the key, near the basket, or trying to do a screen and roll, but often he is left by himself in a corner with 1 defender. This is the perfect opportunity to pass into Z and ATTACK THE RIM. Pavlovic does this all the time, and Snow even does this….since LeBron is 10,000x better at finishing than those two guys COMBINED, I think he should try it out.
April 24th, 2007 at 11:10 am
“…pass into Z and ATTACK THE RIM.” Seriously, what other suggestion do you have, Tom? Do you want my cat to assassinate Bin Laden?
April 24th, 2007 at 11:35 am
Also, when they pass into Z or Gooden, LeBron generally hangs back on the wings. I don’t know if this is because Mike Brown wants him back on defense or if he’s not supposed to clog the paint or what. But it seems like having LeBron crash the boards on Z’s fadeaway hook shots and Gooden’s fall aways could lead to some exciting finishes. At any rate, LeBron is clearly most effective on offense when he is near the hoop and he spends so little time there.
April 24th, 2007 at 11:41 am
zzzzzzzz….. next time write an article about the intricacies of how mike brown chooses a clothing ensemble. Buck teeth jutting out means wire rimmed spectacles with yellow-ochre suit. Furious patting of sweaty bald dome means reach for the tweed jacket with penny loafers.
April 24th, 2007 at 11:55 am
Speaking of Mike Brown’s clothing ensemble, doesn’t it seem like he could use a better tailor? From the rear, it looks like he’s carrying around two bulldogs in a bag.
April 24th, 2007 at 1:00 pm
Tom: I’ve always wondered why LeBron does not crash the boards more. I’ve always assumed it was because of Brown’s defense-first attitude. He doesn’t want the other team to fast break after the miss. If this is true, I would think he could solve this problem by instructing the two guards to get back on defense as soon as the shot goes up. The way it is now, it’s always LeBron the first one back on defense if he is not taking the shot. This has got to be planned, the more I think about it. And it’s another example of the coaches failure to dictact the tempo in the game that will best suit his star player. He always seems to let the other team set the pace.
April 24th, 2007 at 1:26 pm
Turtles don’t run fast and cougars don’t run slow. How can anybody possibly blame Brown for dictating tempo? It’s idiotic.
Brown didn’t acquire his players, he’s playing with the hand he was dealt. If you’re going to blame him for something, then blame him for his suits that fit like a parachute.
April 24th, 2007 at 1:39 pm
Alan,
Since you’ve clearly been ogling Mike Brown “from the rear” all season, can you please weigh in on where Cleveland’s head coach’s posterior ranks in comparison to other coaches around the league?
I’m hoping he scores well. It would be so nice for him to finally rank in the top 10 in something other than Bill Duke look-alike contests.
April 24th, 2007 at 1:46 pm
“Idiotic” yourself, blowhard. LeBron slow? Gooden slow? Hughes slow? Sasha slow? Wild Thing slow? Tell me Tucker, do you suffer from diareah of the mouth? ’cause you just can’t control yourself, can you?
Knowing full well you don’t give a sh*t ’cause the only thing that gets you hard is reading your own posts, consider yourself officially ignored from here on out.
April 24th, 2007 at 1:52 pm
Lebron is an MVP candidate and he cannot
run his man into a screen? With his strength
and quickness? I suggest the Cavs have him
do two things during practice.
1) Borrow a tackling dummy from the Browns
and have Damona guard James. Have Lebron
run Damona into that tackling dummy until
Brown bellows “thats enough” and Damona
staggers off the floor.
2) Have James and the tackling dummy have
a free throw contest at the end of practice
and if James loses he must run himself blind
into that dummy 100 times. This will teach
him how to avoid them defensively which he
also seems to have a problem with.
If he continues to shoot 68% at the line you
can call any plays you want they will just
foul him. And if he doesn’t start running
his defenders into picks and continues to try and dribble through everybody he will
get hurt like he did Saturday.
April 24th, 2007 at 2:17 pm
Aww Dpl did Tucker make you mad. Poor baby.
I suggest you read the very popular business
novel Dealing with Difficult People. Mr. Tucker belongs in Memphis rooting for the
Grizzlies. He could even join the Damon
Stoudamire mighty mouse club as a mousketeer. Or my personal favorite the
Chucky Atkins schitzo team club. You root
for whoever you feel like that day. If your
team is having an off night just bash and switch. However if your team just won the
trophy hop on the bandwagon. It’s called
a FWF or strong team rotation whichever you
prefer.
April 24th, 2007 at 4:49 pm
What’s up with these schedules? Two week series? Games 3 days apart? Obviously, so they can put EVERY game on TV, but todays Toronto-NJ game is on NBA tv, the HOTEL I’m staying in doesn’t even have it. Bunk! Two month playoffs - it’s absurd.
I applaud every time Snow is taken out - the guy is an offensive liability and if he wasn’t effectively benched earlier this year we’d be 5th or worse. He’s OK on defense - about 12-15 minutes per is appropropriate…
Some of you comment-posters clearly have too much time on your hands - get a life! You know who you are. 22 comments above mine and most of em are by the same two losers, neither of whom seems to know much about hoops or the Cavs…
April 24th, 2007 at 6:47 pm
Just thought I’d stop in and say “Alan is a moron” !!!!!
April 24th, 2007 at 9:36 pm
Thank you, dpl. My childhood dream has come true. You’re ignoring me.
So, since you’re ignoring me, you won’t be able tell me how Gooden is going to get back on defense, considering he plays close to the rim. Besides, that guy’s head is in the clouds half the time, anyway. Defense? You’ve gotta be kidding me.
Tell me how Ilgauskas or Marshall are going to get back on defense, no matter where they play.
Tell me how Pavlovic is be effective on defense. If he get burned out of his shorts one more time, he’s going to be standing there with no shorts and his Eurowang exposed.
Varejao plays around the rim, so he can’t get back on defense on a fastbreak, either. Besides, he spends have the night flopping on the floor like a hungry carp. You can’t play defense when you’re trying to eat canned corn off of somebody’s fishhook.
Hughes can’t play defense unless it involves gambling in passing lanes.
Snow moves like he’s wearing chains affixed to snow tires.
Which leaves James, the only guy that seems to have any idea where he’s going. Although, after seeing one play where Josh Smith completely humiliated him on a baseline drive, I think James is a little too egotistical for his big britches. That guy has a ton of work to do to learn what the hell he’s doing on the defensive side of the court.
So, when I say Brown doesn’t dictate tempo, I mean that Brown doesn’t dictate tempo. The players dictate tempo. No, check that. Ferry has dictated the tempo.
And Terry Pluto’s Hair, that is a superb idea. It’s going to take some time to list the 30 coaching posteriors in order. Although, bad tailoring may affect the outcome. Don’t you agree that a good tailor can sometimes fool the butt judges?
April 24th, 2007 at 10:16 pm
Six and half hours later and yes, Alan is still a moron!!!!!
April 24th, 2007 at 10:23 pm
Thanks, JoeHoops. Or whoever. Not sure anymore.
By the way, I’m reading in-depth about the Wizards’ play-calling, but what about the Cavs’ plays?
April 25th, 2007 at 12:20 am
i love the cavs and lebron is my hero, please forgive me for being arogant, i just cannot help my self. go cavs all the way to the playoffs, where i think they will make it to the finals, and joe hoops please call me tonight maybe we could get together. your friend alan,
April 25th, 2007 at 12:27 am
hey bw, you have the best sports blog in the city, the abj was smart in putting you on the staff, keep up the good work. by the way can you get me tickets to the game, i want to see my hero lebron close up and personal, i love everybody, contrary to popular belief i am not an a hole. just love me anyway. i have no one in my life, i need the blog to help me feel good about my self, please keep the insults coming it gives me self esteem, to keep going in life, helps to stop the suicide ideation thoughts that goes through my mind every time the cavs lose a ball game. go cavs all the way to the finals, i love lebron, and coach brown is a doll with his nice suits. wish i could afford those suits. im just a fat slob. but enough about me, hey joehoops lets call a truce, me and you, lets be friends, catch a game together, hang out, you know you could be the son i never had. what cha think, email me you got my address. your friend Alan Tucker.
April 25th, 2007 at 1:27 am
Suicide ideation? Sounds like somebody might know just a wee too much about the subject of suicide.
Nobody has raised the point, but what happens if Toronto wins their series? Windhorst v. Toronto will be a blockbuster series in itself. No way to take personal days and get the editor to send Terry Pluto, George Thomas or Stephanie Storm on this assignment. An admitted Toronto/ Canadian hater will be forced to collide with all that is Dudley Do-Right. Will Toronto pelt the reporter with rocks and garbage? LET’S GET READY TO RUMBLE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
April 25th, 2007 at 4:03 am
well actually on second thought, im not suicidal anymore, the prozac has help, its the viagra that gets me down (pardon the pun) anyway joehoops give me a call, maybe we could go to the game together and talk about all of your different personalities, try the prozac it will help.
April 25th, 2007 at 5:54 am
Tucker: How many personalities/alter egos
do you have? I think you and the Cavaliers
need a psychiatrist! I wonder who will show
up tonight Damona in hot pants or Zydrunas
in a Lithuanian gangster suit. Did anyone
stay up to see the Suns dismantle Kobe
and the rest of that rag tag bunch from LA.
Fat Boy said that Kobe needs to save himself
for crunch time. He would have needed 50 in
the 4q against that bunch last night. They
look unbeatable with Amare back. Bell, Barbosa, and Nash is easily the best backcourt in the NBA. And to think boat
shoes had a shot at Barbosa. Damn! We could
have had the Brazilian blur and the Brazilian fur.