ATL East Semis - New York @ New Jersey (plans up)

[Sky]

The Battle for the Apple is on at the Meadowlands as the 4 seed New York Knicks visit the 1 seed New Jersey Nets.

Nets coach Jamas calls the game rules.

[Critter]

Looking forward to this matchup..

[jamas33]

Old man.. errr Old School Rules...
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[BadNewsBear]

Frazier
King
DeBusschere
Oakley
Reed

Hope to have a good one.
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[jamas33]

Old School Rules
Nets Starting Lineup:
PG - Tim Hardaway
SG - Julius "Dr. J" ERving
SF - Mark Aguirre
PF - Buck Williams
C - Bill Russell

LETS GET READY TO RUMBLE!!!
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[BadNewsBear]

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[jamas33]

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[jamas33]

OPPONENT: New York Knicks
INTRO:
Knicks strength is their backcourt. Frazier, King and Monroe makes for a fantastic triumvirate. Their team is built to fight it out and slug it out in a half court match with a front court of Debuss, Oakley and Reed. We will try to take advantage of a power frontcourt that lacks athleticism and depth. Offensively the majority of their points will come from the backcourt unless they play King in the frontcourt.

MINUTES BREAKDOWN:
PG: Hardaway 30 Minutes, Parker 18 minutes
SG: Erving 12 minutes, Sprewell 30 minutes, Petrovic, 10 minutes
SF: Aguirre 18 minutes, Erving 22 minutes, Prince 8 minutes
PF: Williams 20 minutes, Stoudemire 22 minutes, Prince 6 minutes
C: Russell 34 minutes, Stoudemire 8 minutes, Miller 8 minutes
TOTAL MINUTES PER PLAYER:
Tim Hardaway 30 minutes
Julius Erving 34 minutes
Mark Aguirre 18 minutes
Buck Williams 20 minutes
Bill Russell 34 minutes
Amare Stoudemire 30 minutes
Latrell Sprewell 30 minutes
Tony Parker 18 minutes
Tayshuan Prince 14 minutes
Drazen Petrovic 10 minutes
Brad Miller 8 minutes


SETS:
Offense

Power Offense 30 %


UCLA Offense 30 %



Princeton Offense 25 %



Fast Break 15%



Defense
Man to Man 70 %
Full Court 15 %
Half Court Trap 15 %

OFFENSE
Goal

1. Attack Bernard King with the Power offense running him thru screens and isolating him at the wing with either Erving or Aguirre. This will establish Erving and Aguirre early and Sprewell.
2. When Sprewell Subs for Aguirre we will continue Establishing the wing players (Erving/Sprewell) using the UCLA Offense (Hardaway using High post rubs vs Frazier, Screens coming from high post to the SG, freeing up Sprewell). 1st Option is Erving on one wing or Sprewell on the other wing 2nd Option is Hitting Russell or Stoudemire flashing in the key.
3. Princeton Offense – Ideal offense vs the defensive ability of Frazier and shot blocking of Eaton. This offense relies on passing and movement. Minimizing the dribble and minimizing both Fraziers on ball defense and Eaton’s shotblocking by taking him out to the high post. This offense will be run when Parker and Miller comes in.
4. We will run when the opportunity presents itself.
NOTE: The Power and UCLA offense is geared towards isolation and mismatches it will create on the wing and giving our wing players the space to penetrate to score or put his big men in foul trouble.

IF/THEN:
1, If they bring in Eaton, we counter by bringing in Miller with his passing and outside shooting and running the Princeton offense.
2. If King gets hot, we bring in Tayshaun and start funneling him to Russell.
3. If Frazier gets hot, we put Sprewell on him.
DEFENSE
Goal
1. Man to Man Matchup:
a. Hardaway vs Frazier – will be a tough cover for Hardaway. Hardaway will play Frazier for the outside shot and funnel him to the inside defense of Russell, Buck and Amare.
b. Erving vs. King – Confident in Erving with his athleticism and all defense year. Erving wont be covering King all game. The game plan is wearing King down by attacking him on offense and bringing Prince and Sprewell in to check him.
c. Aguirre vs Debuss – Perfect player for Aguirre to play defense against. Debuss lack of speed and athleticism plays into our defense.
d. Buck vs Oakley – LETS GET READY TO RUMBLE!!!
e. Russell vs Reed – History has shown that Russell has and will dominate Reed.

2. Situational Defense:
a. Bringing in Prince to defend Bernard King or pressure Walt Frazier.
b. A Trapping defense will be implemented in key moments when our lineup is Hardaway, Sprewell, Erving, Prince, Russell

DEFENSIVE PHILOSOPHY:
With the shotblocking of Russell and post defense of Buck, our philosophy is to funnel Frazier/Monroe into the teeth of the defense and seal the passing lanes. Buck and Russell’s defensive IQ allows us to do this.



CLOSING
Looking at the Knicks, The majority of their ball handling will be Frazier and their offense will come from King. We will attack King early and often to take his legs out of him and clamp him down with Prince (Prince with handcheck rules?). Their lack of depth in the frontcourt will be exposed as we attack them and match them physically with Buck, Russell and Amare’s athleticism. The Team is geared towards slowing down Frazier and King. Frazier is the engine in the Knick’s machine. We will run him thru picks and rubs, pressure him with a bigger Prince, funnel him to the teeth of our defense (Russell, Buck). King is the transmission that makes this engine power the Knicks machine. King will be attacked on offense, and defensively play him for the jump shot and funnel him to the strongest part of our defense.



The last 6 minutes of each half will see the lineup of:
PG- Hardaway
SG-Sprewell
SF-Julius Erving
PF-Amare Stoudemire
C-Bill Russell

IN CASE OF EMERGENCY
Russell gets in foul trouble: Stoudemire moves to C and Buck Williams to PF
Dr J gets in Foul Trouble: We use Aguirre who is more than capable of taking the scoring load or Prince for increase in defensive intensity
Any of the guards get in trouble: Depth at PG with a Finals MVP as the backup
if Sprewell gets in foul trouble, we will bring in Drazen for his murderous three point shot or Prince for defensive intensity.

CRYSTAL BALL
We feel that the Knicks will use Bernard King and try to free him up offensively. They will try to control the game with Clyde Frazier and put Debuss on Dr. J ( if this happens, Aguirre will post King all day)

WHY WE WIN:
1. Superior Talent
2. Defensive Intensity
3. Gameplan that exploit their weakness
4. A Bill Russell team is one of the hardest team to beat in the NBA Playoffs.
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[Sky]

Introduction - Scouting Report
New Jersey has a tough lineup from top to bottom, starting with defensive savant Russell and complemented by players talented on both sides. To win, we’ll need to commit to a strong half-court game led by Clyde and an effective defensive plan that prevents fast break opportunities and makes the Doctor work.

1. MINUTES
Walt Frazier - 40 minutes
John Starks - 4 minutes
Bernard King - 30 minutes
Earl Monroe - 28 minutes
Dave Deb - 36 minutes
Bill Bradley - 12 minutes
Charles Oakley - 30 minutes
Willis Reed - 36 minutes
Mark Eaton - 24 minutes

If Necessary:
Otis Birdsong - If Pearl and King are cold/in foul trouble
Allan Houston - If we’re having a drought from the perimeter
Robert Reid - If their press bothers Pearl, Reid can get the ball up

2. SETS

Offense:
Motion Offense/Frazier Creating - 30%
Bernard/Pearl Iso - 25%
Pick and Roll - 25%
Inside to Willis - 20%


Defense:
Straight Man-to-Man - 50%
Sagging Man-to-Man - 35%
Wing Trap - 15%
Erving Rules - 100%


3. OFFENSE
A. Clyde sets the tempo in the half-court. Solid ball movement, the team game. Clyde, Pearl, Bradley, Deb are all smart players and work off the ball to spot up and open lanes. Oak, Reed, Deb, Eaton set tough picks down low.

B. Exploit liabilities Petro and Aguirre; bring in both King and Pearl to force NJ to pick their poison, can’t use Dr. J or Spree to cover their weak spots on D.

C. Pick and roll; Deb and Reed can hit the 17 footer, Frazier and Pearl are deadly from mid range and can explode to the basket if Russell is brought out/shows on the screen.

D. Healthy dosage of Reed inside and King/Pearl isos. Reed won’t dominate Russell, put Russell won’t dominate Reed either; Willis is known for playing his best against the best and is capable on the block and out to 17, even against the mighty Bill Russell. King and Pearl will make Dr. J and Spree work on D and against Petro/Aguirre it could get ugly.

E. Crash the glass; Oak, Reed, Eaton, and Deb all go hard to the boards and create chances for put backs and prevent the fast break.

IF/THEN

If Spree/Dr. J are on Frazier, exploit the mismatch with Hardaway/Parker. King/Pearl will wreak havoc on NJ’s point guards.

If they press, Pearl comes in as release man; 6’8 Robert Reid if a bigger guard for NJ is giving Pearl trouble.

If Russell goes to the bench, attack the basket. Pick and roll, inside to Willis, King iso from high post; we will go in when Russell goes to the bench.

If Hardaway or Parker is on Frazier, Clyde goes to the post up and hits the cutter/spot up shooter when they bring help. Walt’s too big and too smart to be handled in single coverage from either of their point guards.

If Russell bodies Reed, Willis brings him out to mid-range and creates breathing room for cutters attacking the basket.

If Frazier goes to the bench, Pearl runs the show. Starks mainly used for defensive purposes and spot-up three point shooting.

If King/Pearl is doubled, Bradley, Deb, Frazier, Starks spot up. Both will look for the open man if help is brought.

DIAGRAMS/VIDEOS



Bernard makes a swift V-Cut to create space on the wing and receive the ball.



Oak sets a tough screen for Bernard to run off and receive the ball in the high post.



Deb sets screen to free up Willis on the low block for the post entry pass.



Pearl sets a down-screen on Willis’s man and can flare out to the three point line or post up down low. Willis curls for the pass for the 11-footer or to attack the basket.

Bernard King video -
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wV0I-Ikg1jw
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bqgWmx-VaBA

Earl Monroe video -
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lILFYXr-XKE
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fMNAyAEEWMM

4. DEFENSE

A. DeBusschere’s number one priority will be sticking with Erving. Deb can’t shut down the Doctor, and when Erving is gets inside, we bring the double from Oak, King, or Bradley HARD. Deny the wing pass and make him work off screens. The Erving Rules will be in full effect.

B. A hand-checking Frazier on Hardaway and Parker will have them in unfamiliar positions. Clyde will play them for the jumper and will use his size to guard against post-entry. Will be on the point as soon as the shot goes up to prevent the fast break.

C. Oak is a nasty defender and with old-school rules he can resort to his dirty tactics against Buck/Amare. Stoudemire, a talented young player, had no mid-range jumper in 04-05 and got his points on the break and man-handling weaker opponents. Oak will have none of that; look for him to deny position and push/bump Amare out of his comfort zone. Amare will have to work for his.

D. When the ball goes up, Reed/Eaton/Oak/Deb all crash the glass hard. We’re committed to winning the battle of the boards and preventing easy baskets/fast breaks.

E. Penetration will be funneled to DPOY 5.6 bpg Mark Eaton. Everything they get at the rim will be contested.

F. Aguirre/Spree guarded by Bradley/King/Pearl. They close out on Spree from 3 and Aguirre is played from 18-in. Doubles brought if needed, usually from the other guard or point (if Parker is in).

G. If they try to pound it inside, our wings should have some success with preventing post entry, forcing lobs which get their bigs off balance and out of position. We’ll also trap the wing at times to prevent post entry.

H. Close out on Petrovic/Steve Smith. They aren’t getting open looks, if they drive inside our All-D bigs will be waiting.

IF/THEN

If Dr. J gets in a groove, the double comes even faster. Having him go off for 35+ is not an option.

If Amare/Buck get baskets inside, help from other big comes faster as neither are adept passers out of double teams.

If they’re getting points on the break, we call a timeout, to settle things down. We’ll come back with Reed/Oak/Deb pounding the glass.

If they’re winning the battle on the boards, Pearl comes in with Frazier/Deb/Oak/Reed pounding the glass (6.8/11.1/11.8/13.9 rpg respectively).

If Hardaway is doing his thing, double comes from off-guard quickly to prevent release pass.

Diagrams/Videos



Wing Trap - Frazier brings the double hard on the perimeter after Dr. J receives the ball.

Oakley giving tough fouls and working hard on D -
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CsG2aMwEA6c
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KZLUV_Hc2_I

5. CLOSING
At the end of the game, we’ll close with our starting lineup. Frazier runs the show, King continues to have his number called in iso, and we keep up the tough, hard-nosed defense and continue to crash the boards. If our bigs have less than 5 fouls, we foul Russell when he gets the ball. Not quite hack-a-Russell, but why wouldn’t you foul a 60% foul shooter at the end of the game, if he gets it inside? For the final two minutes, Clyde will have the ball in his hands and he’ll make the necessary plays to close it out.

6. IN CASE OF EMERGENCY
If Frazier is in foul trouble, Starks comes in to hound Hardaway/Parker and Pearl runs the point. If Bernard is in foul trouble, Pearl gets iso. If Reed is in foul trouble Eaton comes in and we run iso for King and P&R with Frazier/Deb to keep their D honest. If Oak is in foul trouble, Eaton comes in at C and Reed goes to PF. If two of our three main bigs get in foul trouble, Deb goes to 4 and we run Frazier/Pearl/King at the 1/2/3. If one of their shooters gets hot, we bring the double quicker from the PG.

7. CRYSTAL BALL
New Jersey will say that Russell negates any offense we get inside, which isn’t true. Willis is known for playing his best against elite opponents and should provide a steady income inside. New Jersey will try to use Dr. J and Sprewell to cover Aguirre and Petrovic on defense, but we’ll run screens with Deb to free King/Pearl on Aguirre/Petrovic as well as run P&R with Deb for Frazier to take them off the dribble. New Jersey will say that they are more athletic, and will give us trouble on D, but from top to bottom we are a better defensive team with 6 1st Team All-Defenders as well as all-hustle Bill Bradley. The Nets will try to have Dr. J dominate offensively, but with him working defensively on King/Pearl as well as the tough defense by Deb and the Erving rules which brings quick doubles, the Doctor will have to work for his.

8. WHY WE WIN
1. Tough defense, nothing easy for Dr. J or the rest of the Nets. 6 All-Defenders.
2. Frazier at the point controls the game offensively and gives the opposing points trouble on D.
3. Offensive options. We’re an intelligent team with many spot-up shooters, Pearl, King, and Reed.
4. Toughness, experience, basketball intelligence.

[BadNewsBear]

Bernard makes a swift V-Cut to create space on the wing and receives the ball.



Oak sets a tough screen for Bernard to run off and receive the ball in the high post.



Deb sets screen to free up Willis on the low block for the post entry pass.



Pearl sets a down-screen on Willis’s man and can flare out to the three point line or post up down low. Willis curls for the pass for the 11-footer or to attack the basket.



Wing Trap - Frazier brings the double hard on the perimeter after Dr. J receives the ball.
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[Sky]

ATL East Semis

New York @ New Jersey

1

Knicks Plan: strong points
I like the commitment to challenge Russell with the stronger Reed
Plan to exploit the smaller Net PGs
Attacking the basket with Russell on the bench for 14 minutes
Eaton’s extra minutes slows penetration

Knicks Plan: weak points
Unclear in some cases what position your players will get their minutes
DD trying to stay with Doctor J on the wing ISO
Clyde playing faster Net PGs tight on J opens the drive
Nice wing trap slows Doctor J but leaves dangerous PGs open

Nets Plan: strong points
Smart to attack BKing & wear him down off screens
Solid offensive plan emphasizing the right matchups
Smart to counter Eaton with Miller outside but only for 8 minutes
Aguirre’s D liability hidden by DD’s lack of scoring


Nets Plan: weak points
52 SG minutes / 50 C minutes?
Too few minutes for Russell
Emphasizes Prince’s role on D but he is only on court 14 minutes
I think Parker’s speed could have been effective against Frazier
Speed advantage is not a big focus of plan

This game was so close for me to call that I changed my mind three times. The Nets have a speed advantage while the Knicks have a power advantage. Eaton’s minutes clog the middle, but Russell / Amare will beat him down court every time. Doctor J is just too quick and athletic for DD on the wing. Nets by 3.

New Jersey 1-0

2

New Jersey / New York: NJ has one of the better built teams in the ATL. A powerhouse in Russell which can almost guarantee anyone a legit run in the playoffs. Reed will have a tough challenge on his hands, one that he can't beat. Russell is one of, if not the best defender up front. New Jersey has a a tough-minded group of guys coming in with the the intensity and commitment on D along with a gameplan showing some of NY's weaknesses, however New York is also making a concerned effort to stop Erving and the rest of New Jersey's team - but not all will be shut down. New Jersey in a very close, competetive game.

New Jersey 2-0

3

Tough matchup where both teams aren't sure of the other. The bigs are good but I don't see any player making a serious mark on the game except for Frazier. The strategies are mostly pedestrian.

The edge to New York by a hair. Close game but the superior team and individual defense makes up for Russel in the middle.

New Jersey 2-1

4

Game of one upmanship. NETS start Dr.J in the backcourt - I'm not sold on this move. But quickly moves him to frontcourt. Knicks over reliance on King was addressed by Nets. Not sold on Reed, Debuss or Oakley over Russell, Williams and Stoudemire. Two things key to game, Knicks lack of athleticism up front and Knicks misuse of Frazier (their biggest weapon) proves their downfall, King loses his legs thru constant attack by NETS. Tight game In the end when King's shot isnt falling Nets pull away to win by 7 points

Nets 104 Knicks 97

New Jersey 3-1

5

NJ

very good offensive plan...starting to attack with the athleticism at the wing will get the relatively "unathletic" Knicks players into troubles and open up the game for Amare...Russell wasn´t much of an offensive weapon but still good for put backs and dunks and he will get plenty. Also a good anticipation of what NY will likely do...

the defensive plan is not exactly what I would have expected but sometimes the unexpected can get things done that expected things couldn´t. One thing that helps is to attack King and tire him out on the other end.

good rotation as well...

not sure old school rules help NJ...its rather the other way around. NYC will put a hand on those athletic players and take away their freedom offensively.


NY

I love this team...great chemistry and very balanced between offense and defense....I think they are just tough as nails defensively. I think the offense will run smoothly because the best options have been mentioned and executed. Defensively I would have expected more wing trap with all the athleticism of NJs wing players....

solid gameplan defensively...but with those players any system can be effective. He has the doberman at 1, the anchor and a tough iron man in Dev.

game

very tough game to call...chemistry and balance against extremely athletic and well coached NJ team...I expect this derby to be dirty...lots of hard fouls and really really a fight for every possession. I expect NY to comeout poised and confident and use their experience as a team to take the lead...as the game goes on the Nets will eventually catch up on them and then there will be lots of lead changes....at the end of the fourth when the money time comes, I will go with NY and their stable balance on both ends. I don´t think that NJ is that good defensively even tho Russell will be a force and swat everything...NY has plenty of weapons that can score from different spots....King for the win at the buzzer.

New Jersey 3-2


6

New York – Frazier’s lethal midrange game off the dribble is underutilized in the game plan. Walt could have opened the floor for his teammates by beginning the game as the primary scorer, particularly given that he has Tim Hardaway on him and can score away from the hoop and Russell. Instead Frazier posts up and passes, sharing some spot up with teammates as King and Reed are the designated scorers. Missed opportunity with Clyde.

King has to work for it but gets his. Willis Reed had 37 and 16 on Wilt in game 1 of the finals in his selected year, but he was an inconsistent shooter in the playoffs at .471 vs. regular season .507. So imo it’s fair to say that Reed will end up with a good scoring game but it’ll take a high volume of shots to get there. Russell was also a better defender than Wilt away from the hoop.

Defensively the high iq old school Knicks and Oakley will clamp down the Nets, but King and Monroe are both vulnerable targets. Particularly King late since he has been targeted all game defensively and has been the focal point offensively.

So this comes down to Erving and King getting theirs but having to work for it and neither team scoring consistently inside. Jersey has a big edge in bench scoring with superior speed and athleticism from Spree and Amare and imo that gives them a 6 point margin heading into crunch time.

The Knicks yet again turn to King to close, but Tayshaun defends him, making it tough for King with his legs fading. The Knicks plan on Frazier making the plays to close it out in the last two minutes, but it needed that role in the first and last 5. King struggles to close from 5 minutes to 2, Frazier is too little too late in the final two and the Nets hold on for a very narrow win.

New Jersey wins 4-2 and advances to the eastern conference final.

[TIME]

Congrats Jamas.

Good season BadNews!
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[jamas33]

Great game Badnews... Looking at the gameplan, this could have gone either way. I feel fortunate to beat you. Good luck next year.
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[BadNewsBear]

Congrats Jamas, you have a great team! Good luck in the next round.
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