Open Game Thread #21: Bulls vs New York Knicks

The solution is to generate movement in the defending team. This is done by driving the ball in to the teeth of the defense or by forcefeeding it down low.

Either one of these gets the defensive players moving, and ideally results in enough passing for a relatively uncontested layup. Or, you guessed it, an open jumper in rhythm.

Although theoretically any NBA team should have a bunch of guys who can just show up on the offensive end of the court and start canning jumpers, it's generally accepted that even decent outside shooters need to get into a rhythm in an offensive set before they can shoot well, or before they can take a "good shot". This is why, for example, in the triangle offense, Phil Jackson used to call out from the bench that he wanted at least 3 passes before a shot was taken.

Of course, there are teams that are talented enough to kill you from the outside once you go to a zone--think what would happen if the Knicks packed their defenders into the lane and dared the Suns to shoot the long ball.

However, especially with a poor shooting team like the Bulls, taking the first jumper available because the Knicks are laying off of the perimeter guys could result in long rebounds, fast breaks, and a deficit. Which would be fine, if these Bulls could score in bunches to overcome quick deficits.

But as we've seen, they need to play hard on both ends of the floor literally every possession to have a chance to win, unlike more talented teams like the Spurs or (again) the Suns.

So yeah, I definitely see what you're saying, but the Bulls have shown themselves to be incapable of just instantly punishing teams from the outside the moment defenders lay off of them at the perimeter.

Thanks for letting me know. Cool that he has a triple double.