Why our defense has been so good this season

Any other takes would be greatly appreciated. I am only going to add one of the things that really jumped out at me recently.

How we switch off the pick and roll....

There was a possession on the defensive end last night where the wing was setting up a pick and roll on the right block. Lopez's man came to set the pick, while blake was fighting through the screen. After the pick, Lopez first cut off the roll, then moved back to the rim to protect it (where Aldridge's man was), while Aldridge slid across and covered Lopez's man. Blake used a small amount of time to body the pick player, then immediately recovered back to the guard that set the pick.

That series of events are really hard to do unless you have full participation from all three of the players. Also, Matthews and Batum stayed with their man on the perimeter to cut off any passing to the open J. The outcome was a very contested, top of the key shot by Dirk.

This happened again a few times last night with our team using this same technique. It netted 2 turn overs and a missed shot. When the players get this swarming defense down as the season progresses, it will be even more efficient. I think our long players and 2 efficient shot blockers (Lopez and Kaman) make this work to perfection. I want to see more of this!

 

Yapping!

Players are constantly taking to each other and talking about whats going on defensively. We have seen a lot less of a player cutting straight to the rim and getting the pass with Lopez's back turned and Lopez having to try and stop the player getting to the rim while turning at the same time. Thats the biggest thing i'v noticed, and its a great thing. Teams that talk on D constantly are good on D, just look at the Bulls they NEVER stop talking about whats going on on the defensive end.

 

That type of thing is what comes from playing together as a unit for a length of time, knowing how each other player reacts.

 

Both great points but honestly, I think it's the fact that they saw it firsthand against the Spurs in the playoffs and studied the film to adapt to their style of play. Credit to the coaching staff and players for actually doing it. It's paying off big time. The returning bench players have improved and Kaman and Blake are the foundation of that improvement

 

Also a very good point!

 

I thing the conventional wisdom is:
+2 years of the same coach
+ Kaman
+ Blake
- Mo
- Hickson

 

This. And I would expand that to say I heard a few times from Stotts I believe that the defensive scheme was going to take a few years in stages to get up and running. Which I dont fully understand but here we are.

 

I haven't been able to notice that they're talking. If that's the case, that's a huge part of defense.

I did notice a few instances of switching/recovering on the P/R. I've been asking for that for years now! Hope it's a trend that continues.

This early in the season I think it's too early to pin our defensive improvement on new schemes. So, for now, the single biggest improvement to our defense is the fact that we have Blake and Kaman coming off the bench rather than Mo and Leonard/Freeland.

 

First and foremost I credit Stotts and his coaching staff. They adapted and addressed a gap in the team with impressive results

 

Next game, watch what the scheme is. Stotts is FINALLY doing what some of us have been imploring both he and Ass Clown to do on defense. Towards the end of last year, the Blazers started funneling players to the week side of the offense, then back trapping. What this does is push players to spots on the floor where they may seem open, but shoot a poor % from. Notice how many times Dirk caught the ball 10 or so feet out on the left block? He shoots 55% from that spot, clearly his best spot. 48% from the exact same spot on the right side. Lebron also prefers the left side, but in our game he was funneled right. While open, he's not nearly as effective .

 

Throwing Lamarcus, TRob, Kaman and Rolo at Dirk just wore the old guy down all night. He got tired and his jumper started falling short. TRob was a handful for Nowitski

 

Steve Blake even gave him issues.

 

Even more recently, that heartbreaking loss to Golden State was a valuable lesson that showed this team how defense wins games. The Blazers had that game won until Golden State forced three turnover in less than 10 seconds. I don't think our guys want to be on the receiving end of more losses like that.

They've really turned up the defensive intensity in the second half of the two games they've played since. They held LeBron to 0 second half points and Dirk to 2. That's a combined 2 second half points for two of the greatest players in NBA history. When you can completely shut down your opponents best player like that, you're going to win a lot of games.

Last year, we got off to a great start because all the guys bought into Stotts' offensive scheme. They played very unselfish and made the extra pass, which created lots of open shots for everyone. Now, the team seems to be buying into Stotts' new defensive scheme. Both schemes, offense and defense require the players trust each other. I think the continuity in our roster breeds that kind of trust, and the two new guys we added are both veterans who are very smart and very coachable. Kudos to Olshey for building this roster and coaching staff and keeping them together so they could grow into a TEAM.

Makes me wonder where all the idiots went that wanted to fire Stotts after the Sacramento loss...

BNM

 

Were there people that really said that?!

 

It's going to take more than 5 games for me to change my opinion. As a skier/snowboarder I often think of the "Early Season Conditions Exist" warnings when there's not much snow cover. Once all the teams in the league are up and running at full speed, that's when I'll take stock of how our team is performing. Come late-December, into January, we'll have a decent grasp on what this team is and isn't doing.
There are certainly good signs to be excited about, but conclusions can't be made at this point.

 

I hope your theory holds true. I will be at that game and will be anxious to see how they keep Cp3 from his favorite spot. Whenever they need a basket he goes towards the right block and pulls up for that 8-10 footer. Seems like he shoots about 80 percent from there.......

 

This might interest you from the game recap by Freeman:

 

Ya, it's pretty obvious if you watch the games. Starting late last year, really.

 

I don't think you really have time to talk out defensive instructions. By the time you say it, the other person hear's and reacts it's too late. You have to KNOW what you're doing and react immediately. It's gotta be a trained response.

 

Of course. There are after almost every loss - especially to a team that is considered non-elite.

BNM