Knicks · When Isolation Isn't Enough (page 1)
The original article has a shot chart and a video one Heat possession to show what was going on.
http://www.nba.com/heat/news/when_isolat...
After Carmelo Anthony’s 3-of-15 Game 1, which he spent being fronted on the post and on the wing by the tandem of Shane Battier and LeBron James, one of the major storylines headed into Game 2 was how the New York Knicks were going to get Anthony the ball in good position to score.The adjustments were simple and predictable, but that’s no knock on the Knicks. It wasn’t complicated to have Anthony handle the ball a little bit more – pushing up the floor on his own rebounds – and to screen for him in the paint to free him on the wing. That’s all it took to counter Miami’s aggressive ball denial, and Anthony didn’t have nearly as much trouble getting open throughout the evening.
What the Knicks were left with when Anthony did get the ball, however, revealed a deeper issue, one that offered a stark contrast to how the Miami HEAT were going about their business.
As we’ve discussed before, New York has been playing more isolation offense under Mike Woodson than any team in the last eight years and Game 2, Miami’s 104-94 victory, was no different. The Knicks put a lot of effort into getting Anthony the space to catch and operate, but the result of all that work too often resulted in one-on-one play, the type of possession that favors the defense – particularly an athletic, cohesive defense – over the long haul.
“He’s a prolific scorer,” Erik Spoelstra said. “When he’s got it going like that, I don’t know if there’s a better shot maker in the league. I don’t know how many times over his career where we’ve said, ‘Great defense . . . but he’s killing us.’
Even though Anthony scored 21 points in the first half, it took him 18 attempts and the shot chart shown on the right to get there. He got open, he got the ball, and he took jumpers, with 72 percent of Anthony’s first-half attempts coming from outside the paint.
In the second half, with almost identical shot distribution, Anthony shot 3-for-8.
He finished with 26 attempts on 14 isolation possessions.
Meanwhile, the HEAT were playing one of their most complete games of the last two years, with 73 percent of their field-goals being assisted, and the same percentage of their attempts coming either in the paint or beyond the three-point line.
“That’s one of the most efficient games we’ve had all year, probably last year and a half, two years that we’ve been together,” James said. “We play as a team like that and we’ll be hard to beat.”
Bear with the numbers here. While the Knicks were using 30 isolation possessions, the HEAT were dishing 28 assists. While Synergy Sports logged the Knicks using a combined 20 cuts and spot-ups – opportunities almost guaranteed to result in an assist should the shot go in – the HEAT used 43.And Miami’s assist-to-turnover ratio of 3.50 was is second-highest in the last two years.
Why the difference between the two teams? Why did the Knicks’ offense slow to a fading pulse when the ball stuck with Anthony on the wing while Miami constantly whipped the ball around, going from corner to wing back to corner and into the paint?
Some of it was scheming. While Miami made Anthony work to get open and work to get his shot off, they didn’t double. They trusted Battier and James and let the percentages play out. But when James or Dwyane Wade caught the ball with their back to the basket or dribbled off a screen, they were swarmed with hard traps and double teams.
“I adjust to what’s going on throughout the game,” James said. “They applied a little bit more pressure on my pick-and-rolls today, tried to keep the ball out of my hands and I found my guys. Found my shooters, and they made shots.”
There’s more to this than just the Knicks and Game 2. The Knicks in Game 2 played a game that was everything the HEAT could have been, a game that provides short-term dividends but reaches as extreme depths as it does highs, but it’s a game the HEAT have spent two years trying to avoid. Miami has strived for diversity and balance, a goal that has added more than a few speed bumps along the way, but it’s been a transformative journey.
Now this is a team with elite scorers that know how to play without the ball in their hands, and that are willing to trust role players when the doubles come and efficiency lies elsewhere. It’s not a perfect team – not every night will be like this – but it’s one that is evolving despite its own limitations.
The clichéd analysis has often been that Miami is no more than the sum of its own parts. Some people will cling to that cliché in the moments when it still appears to apply, but Spoelstra has always pushed his team to be more. On the same court as a team using isolation after isolation, at least, Miami seems to have found more.
holfresh wrote:What point guard do we have to orchestrate an offense??..Who do u suggest could run the pick and roll with Amare??..Do you think its Woody's desire to have Melo dominate the ball and be the only option on offense ..Do you really believe that?
Has Woody shown otherwise? Woody ran the same exact iso offense for Joe Johnson in Atlanta and he had capable players there. he got swept out of the playoffs 2 years in a row with an identical team that's winning with Larry Drew as head coach. I'll never understand this blind support for this mediocre coach. He had a nice regular season run but he's a mediocre coach. He gets whipped in the playoffs because his game plans flat out suck. We need someone better to coach this team.
He fact the he is leaning on JR Smith for one on one offense should tell u something..
JamesKPolk wrote:holfresh wrote:What point guard do we have to orchestrate an offense??..Who do u suggest could run the pick and roll with Amare??..Do you think its Woody's desire to have Melo dominate the ball and be the only option on offense ..Do you really believe that?Has Woody shown otherwise? Woody ran the same exact iso offense for Joe Johnson in Atlanta and he had capable players there. he got swept out of the playoffs 2 years in a row with an identical team that's winning with Larry Drew as head coach. I'll never understand this blind support for this mediocre coach. He had a nice regular season run but he's a mediocre coach. He gets whipped in the playoffs because his game plans flat out suck. We need someone better to coach this team.
He had a point there. Who past prime Bibby?
Anthony really helped us that first half. The second half I wish he would have played a bit smarter. I think Reggi Miller pointed this out. You know Melo is getting the ball and they started to double him consistently. A few times I saw him driving right with two guys on him and a WIDE OPEN NOVAK to his left at the top of the key. But he never looked over. When you are doubled that means someone is open.
All I ask from Melo is to play a little smarter, slow down the ISO a bit. I realized he was the only guy scoring but that is the thing, we can't do this with just him alone. We need more Stat involved and with Novak out there I'd like to see plays run to get him open with Melo the centerpiece.
Basically, on offense in the second half, we were too predictable. We had an offensive team out there and nada.
MDA had a much better defensive intensity this year but the offense was not working.
Woodson dumbed it down and got better defense which was a better mix and quite effective.
I thought we had a higher upside with MDA but only with Linsanity would it work.
We are playing true to what a 7 or 8 seed play to. Basically warm up fodder for the top 1-2 seed.
Don't discount the mental factor either. It happens.
While its great to have a breakdown PG you can still have ball and player movement without one if everyone buys in and the coach calls for it. Woody went away from a team oriented approach over the last month and so the team isn't as sharp or disciplined running it now. You have to be committed to it and this team has only done it in spurts. Woody had the team go with the spread offense, PnR and motion plays only a couple of games during the regular season. A healthy mix of that and ISO would've been best to prepare for the playoffs!!! Especially against the Heat! This is not to say we'd win every game but it would give them a better chance!
Clean wrote:This is basically beating a dead horse. We know Woody has an orgasm with ISO plays. It is a fact and we have to live with it. I just wish we could sprinkle in some other things to keep the D guessing. A Novak play here a JR smith back screen Ally there. We have gone from one extreme to the complete other. MDA was all about ball movement to Woody all about ISO.
when you have so many poor defenders on the team you have no choice but to switch. Who can Novak, Fields, Davis or Amare guard??? Those guys defensively have an Open Door Policy to the rim.
LOL @ scathing, there is nothing scathing about this article, I can look up stats and regurgitate them.
holfresh wrote:MDA got three and a half years to implement his plan and his system..Woody falters only against the Heat, the best team in the NBA... How about we give Woody a shot to implement his plan after going 18-6...
This
Really makes that 1 poster I forget his name, that would ride that 
ther coaches sack to the cows came home because he needed XYZ plus 2years time, have zero integrity in my eyes.
holfresh wrote:MDA got three and a half years to implement his plan and his system..Woody falters only against the Heat, the best team in the NBA... How about we give Woody a shot to implement his plan after going 18-6...
that's a blatantly misleading view of looking at MDA's timeline.
Once Melo was brought in and Walsh pushed out, the team was no longer in sync in terms of the front office and the Coach and the direction they wanted to go. If you have a coach like MDA then you should be looking to build a team that you know he can win with, not force him to figure it out with a team that is not suited to him. Once they found out that Lin could actually run the offense, there was a glimpse into what it could look like with a team that was built to fit with MDA's style. It only fell apart when Melo came back and refused to buy in. We had the best of both worlds. Woody and MDA was a good team. This team could've succeeded with both coaches doing what they do best.
Some of us have been warning for a month about the ISO style Woody was relying on not working in the playoffs against the better teams. Woody did return to a more team oriented style for a few games towards the end of the season, but he didn't really stick with it and you can't just throw that out there and expect the team to execute perfectly and remain disciplined for 48 minutes. Woody has also had some issues with his rotations in the playoffs. It's just a tough situation, but it wasn't helped by the choice Woody made to go away from a more team oriented offense.
martin wrote:holfresh wrote:MDA got three and a half years to implement his plan and his system..Woody falters only against the Heat, the best team in the NBA... How about we give Woody a shot to implement his plan after going 18-6...that's a blatantly misleading view of looking at MDA's timeline.
If Woodson is being judge on his body of work including the playoffs...Please provide me with the suitable timeline that MDA should be judge..
nixluva wrote:As usual you guys totally miss the real point being made. It's about the direction of the team and what is best for the team. This team had an opportunity to have the best of both worlds. Woody did get the team to focus on D, but he also oversimplified the offense to the point where it was not going to be good enough to win against a team like the Heat in the playoffs. The Heat are doing the very thing that MDA was trying to get this team to do. It was the CORRECT approach. There are many reasons this team didn't win over the 3 years MDA was here and it wasn't because what he was trying to get them to do was wrong!!! You guys can just ignore the 2 rebuilding years if you want to, but the fact remains that last year was the 1st time they actual built a team to win.Once Melo was brought in and Walsh pushed out, the team was no longer in sync in terms of the front office and the Coach and the direction they wanted to go. If you have a coach like MDA then you should be looking to build a team that you know he can win with, not force him to figure it out with a team that is not suited to him. Once they found out that Lin could actually run the offense, there was a glimpse into what it could look like with a team that was built to fit with MDA's style. It only fell apart when Melo came back and refused to buy in. We had the best of both worlds. Woody and MDA was a good team. This team could've succeeded with both coaches doing what they do best.
Some of us have been warning for a month about the ISO style Woody was relying on not working in the playoffs against the better teams. Woody did return to a more team oriented style for a few games towards the end of the season, but he didn't really stick with it and you can't just throw that out there and expect the team to execute perfectly and remain disciplined for 48 minutes. Woody has also had some issues with his rotations in the playoffs. It's just a tough situation, but it wasn't helped by the choice Woody made to go away from a more team oriented offense.
Nix, you are not being fair in your criticism of Woodson...The Knicks are limited as a group, not having a proper PG, STAT not being entirely healthy, Shump is out, etc...How can you under these circumstance assess the direction of the team??...Woody is making due with what he has...Even me, I don't want to see Melo jack up so many shots but at this point, what choice do we have to stay competitive against the Heat...
Many teams have won with tenets ISO and it needs to be implemented properly...Give it some time won't you???...We don't have all our pieces...We get it..YOu love MDA and his brand of basketball..It hasn't won yet but you believe, we get it...I prefer a team where the best players are taking the majority of the shots, high percentage shots...Miami is doing it with success and no one there is crying for MDA style of ball...
holfresh wrote:There are a million excuses for D'Ant but apparently it is put up or shut up for Woodson after 26 games despite overcoming a huge deficit to get the Knicks into the playoffs and preventing the pick from the McGRady trade being a lottery pick.martin wrote:holfresh wrote:MDA got three and a half years to implement his plan and his system..Woody falters only against the Heat, the best team in the NBA... How about we give Woody a shot to implement his plan after going 18-6...that's a blatantly misleading view of looking at MDA's timeline.
If Woodson is being judge on his body of work including the playoffs...Please provide me with the suitable timeline that MDA should be judge..
holfresh wrote:martin wrote:holfresh wrote:MDA got three and a half years to implement his plan and his system..Woody falters only against the Heat, the best team in the NBA... How about we give Woody a shot to implement his plan after going 18-6...that's a blatantly misleading view of looking at MDA's timeline.
If Woodson is being judge on his body of work including the playoffs...Please provide me with the suitable timeline that MDA should be judge..
one thing doesn't have anything to do with the other.
If you want to argue with someone about Woodson not yet having a good enough chance, please do so. But saying MDA had 3 and a half years to implement anything is utterly wrong.
CrushAlot wrote:holfresh wrote:There are a million excuses for D'Ant but apparently it is put up or shut up for Woodson after 26 games despite overcoming a huge deficit to get the Knicks into the playoffs and preventing the pick from the McGRady trade being a lottery pick.martin wrote:holfresh wrote:MDA got three and a half years to implement his plan and his system..Woody falters only against the Heat, the best team in the NBA... How about we give Woody a shot to implement his plan after going 18-6...that's a blatantly misleading view of looking at MDA's timeline.
If Woodson is being judge on his body of work including the playoffs...Please provide me with the suitable timeline that MDA should be judge..
both you and Hol are arguing against a phantom set of people who you claim want to play on both sides to the same argument, that's not really doing much to make your point.
martin wrote:holfresh wrote:martin wrote:holfresh wrote:MDA got three and a half years to implement his plan and his system..Woody falters only against the Heat, the best team in the NBA... How about we give Woody a shot to implement his plan after going 18-6...that's a blatantly misleading view of looking at MDA's timeline.
If Woodson is being judge on his body of work including the playoffs...Please provide me with the suitable timeline that MDA should be judge..
one thing doesn't have anything to do with the other.
If you want to argue with someone about Woodson not yet having a good enough chance, please do so. But saying MDA had 3 and a half years to implement anything is utterly wrong.
It absolutely does have something to do with each other...How long and when do you begin to hold a coach accountable for his team and his style of play...Nix seems to think its 24 regular season and 2 playoff games ...So how long does MDA have to be in the coaching seat before he is judged or at what point do we start the clock??
The point being MDA failed miserably regardless of how many games you look at...Woody was very successful in the final 24 games of the season...So are we here judging him after two games against the MIami Heat with a depleted roster?... Where is the fairness and what body of work do you compare it to?