Help Defense (Strategy)

[spur219]

How exactly does the help defense system that the Spurs use work? Is it when one man beats you every one shifts down one man?

[Sense]

isn't that obvious? :rolleyes

Double teaming perhaps?

Depends on the player?

[SWC Bonfire]

Mike D'Antoni, is that you AGAIN? :lol

[1Parker1]

Mike D'Antoni, is that you AGAIN? :lol


:lmao

[HB22inSA]

How exactly does the help defense system that the Spurs use work? Is it when one man beats you every one shifts down one man?
Simply put, that's right. But Pop's defensive schemes are very difficult, because they are mainly based on player reads.

Offenses trying to beat Pop's defense will try to "bait" the defense into rotating a certain way, and then come the opposite way. But Pop's sytem does a very good job of preventing that, which is why the Spurs do not get back doored alot.

The best offense I've seen that breaks Pop's rotations is Sacramento's cutting motion offense. But there is no substitute for good help defense, which the Spurs do better than any other team in the League.

[LilMissSPURfect]

Mike D'Antoni, is that you AGAIN? :lol
:lmao :lmao :lmao

made my day........ :spin

[LilMissSPURfect]

How exactly does the help defense system that the Spurs use work? Is it when one man beats you every one shifts down one man?

Trusting your teammates to have your back!

ROTATIONS !!!!!

[LilMissSPURfect]

http://www.sports.fr/fr/images/200430/bowenhoriz.jpg http://www.nba.com/spurs/0001images/robinson_defense_ap_010218.jpg http://www.nba.com/media/spurs/zone_defense.jpg http://www.sports.fr/fr/images/200325/duncan_contre_finale.jpg

[TheTruth]

Scheme + Extremely Good Defenders = What Spurs Have.

[Spurologist]

Mike D'Antoni, is that you AGAIN? :lol

:lmao

[Spurologist]

It would help if your players wanted to actually play defense

[Solid D]

Pop has a rule that says never allow a player to get to the middle with his dribble-penetration. Defenders have to make sure, by stance/foot positioning that they pressure the ball and force any drive toward the baseline or sideline. If someone lets his man drive into the middle, Pop will call time and/or sit the defender down who made the mistake. Normally, once a player is forced baseline, help defense comes from the player nearest the baseline, then usually the next nearest player slides down "help-side" to cover for the guy who helped out. There are also some rules about not allowing an offensive player in the corner to be open. That's also a big no-no with Pop. No middle and no open corner shots.

Then there are some special doubling strategies Pop will use to help during any game, as needed. One of the "special" strategies against Detroit was devised because Tayshaun Prince was so good at going down to the low block. Tayshaun's use of his height and length advantage over most wing players to go with his sneaky, elastic moves for finger rolls and leaners was very effective. He had killed the Spurs in Detroit earlier in the year.

Pop came with a special strategy that any time Tayshaun posted up and the ball was entered to him, the big nearest the baseline, usually Horry or Nazr would immediately leave his man and double on the baseline side and force Prince to pass out of the double. The defender nearest the FT line would slide down to cover the man or area Horry/Nazr had left. This defense was very effective and forced the pass back out to the perimeter or into a more difficult skip pass (to a player 2 passes away).

I am not privy to the Spurs defensive playbook so I am just stating what Pop and a few of his players have revealed, to go with watching with a critical eye over the years.