Hack-A-Ben Is For Losers

[jochhejaam]

What kind of strategy is that by Cavs coach Brown especially in the first half? That's garbage coaching by Brown, is that the best he can come up with as a coach? Get a real coach in there!

From Larry Lage (AP) and Rob Parker (Detroit News)

Parker: For sure, Cleveland Cavaliers coach Mike Brown will tell you it was a strategy. In these parts, where the basketball season ends in June, it was the ultimate white flag.

Cavs coach Mike Brown was so desperate late in the first half Tuesday that he resorted to a hack-a-Ben strategy, having his players intentionally foul Ben Wallace late in the first half. The tactic backfired, perhaps because Brown might've sent his players a message that they couldn't slow the Pistons down any other way.

When Brown instructed his players to foul Wallace, Detroit was ahead by 16. After Wallace went 2-of-4 from the line and Rasheed Wallace made a 3-pointer off the glass, the Cavs were trailing by 21.

"I've seen it before, but not in the first half," Billups said. "I was shocked. We were pretty much like, 'Wow, they showed their trump card.' :lol But when you're a coach, especially a young coach, and you're playing a veteran group like ours, after a tough Game 1, you can get a little desperate.

"He was just trying to help his team out, and it didn't work."

Brown acknowledged that he didn't like telling his player to put Wallace on the line.

"But I didn't want to use all of my timeouts, and I wanted to stop the bleeding," he said.

Ben Wallace on the strategy: "I thought it was too early," said Ben Wallace. "You're not going to give your team an opportunity to go out there and play the game."

Wallace of course wasn't happy about it and let Brown know so.

Bad message

It should have been the Cavs who balked at the dumb idea. In fact, it appeared as if some of the players were a little reluctant to follow orders. At the half, players held a players-only meeting in the locker room.

Basically, Brown let his team know that they couldn't stop the Pistons.

http://www.detnews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060510/SPORTS08/605100432/1127/SPORTS0102

[jochhejaam]

Here's one from Mitch Albon of the Detroit Free Press.

MITCH ALBOM: If you can't attack, you can always hack
May 10, 2006



Look, if you don't want to play, you don't have to. But don't start hacking Ben Wallace. In the second quarter? If that's the best the Cleveland Cavaliers can come up with, maybe they should rethink this whole second-round thing.

True, they were already trailing by 20. And yes, they were clearly out of ideas. They had already used the 24-second violation, the five-second violation and the three-second violation. There's not much left. Maybe pass interference.

But Hack-A-Ben? Yep. With two minutes left in the second quarter. Zydrunas Ilgauskas, the 7-foot-3 center, was clasping Wallace the way a wife clasps her husband before he leaves for war. The idea was to send Ben to the foul line, where lately he has seen more air than a bike tire.

This is desperation, of course, but desperation, by definition, usually comes near the end of things -- not before halftime. What were they going to do in the third and fourth quarters? Hide the ball?

"I was shocked," Chauncey Billups said. "When it first happened (Ben and I) were both pretty much like, 'Wow, they showed their trump card, you know?'

"But when you're a coach playing against a group like ours, a veteran group, and you're down, you can get a little desperate."

By the way, Wallace made one of two free throws. So the strategy didn't work. Unless the idea was to unnerve him. I'm guessing that in all his life, Ben never dreamed he'd be love-hugged by someone named Zydrunas.

But then, we're seeing a few strange things in this series.

Rip's well-timed basket

For example, Hack-A-Ben was matched only by Smash-A-LeBron, which went on all night, the great King James sandwiched between two Pistons defenders, sometimes three.

The result? LeBron, no dummy, figured maybe his teammates should carry some of the load. Slowly, he began to disappear from the game, a 97-91 Pistons victory. He had just seven points at halftime. And he started the second half letting the lesser lights try to shine. Heck, for a few minutes, I thought he was pulling a Kobe.

"It wasn't by plan," Cavs coach Mike Brown lamented. "We just didn't attack."

In time, James started shooting again, and he helped get it close down the finish -- pulling the Cavs within five points. Maybe LeBron, a curious young man, wanted to see how his teammates could fare against the Pistons by themselves.

Here's the answer, kid: They can't.

Here's why. Without LeBron, Cleveland would have had 61 points. And while the Cavaliers were feeling good about their closing stretch, did they notice that Rip Hamilton, the Pistons' leading scorer, didn't have a basket all night -- until the final 58 seconds, when his lay-up down the lane effectively iced the game?

Rip Hamilton, one basket?

Don't count on that happening again.

A rotating cast of stars

Meanwhile, Rasheed Wallace was terrific. He made huge shots in the first half to pad the lead, and when things got tight, he grabbed tough rebounds and hit a three-pointer from Macomb County. He finished with 29 points and nine boards -- and his rebounding is never talked about enough. "I'm just trying to beat Ben to the ball," he joked afterward.

But that's the thing. The Pistons come at you from so many angles. In Game 1, it was largely about Tayshaun Prince. In Game 2, Rasheed was everywhere. In Game 3, it's liable to be Hamilton or Billups, who was also fairly quiet Tuesday.

The Pistons are like a Beatles album. Some are John's songs. Some are Paul's. Some are George's. And some, not a lot, but some, are Ringo's.

Which brings us back to the bass drum of the Pistons, Wallace and the Hack-A-Ben strategy.

"That was the Dunleavy play," Rasheed sneered, referring to Clippers coach Mike Dunleavy, who tried this strategy during the season. "It didn't work then -- and it didn't work now."

It was, however, the rare chance to see a 7-foot-3 Lithuanian slow dancing with Big Ben. That alone was worth the price of admission

[Dunc]

That was ridiculous. I thought we were really in for a long one when that started with 3 minutes to play in the FIRST HALF!!

[admack35]

What made me mad was the last hack came with 1:57 left in the half. Anything under 2 minutes should have resulted in 2 shots & the ball but no one said anything because the were too embarassed anyway.

[jacobdrj]

I like it. It is a sign of respect. I like respect. The Pistons should too.

[Cant_Be_Faded]

I agree, the hack-a-X is the lamest, pussiest tactic of all time.

I lost respect for Nelson when he did that to us with Bowen. The mavs entire strategy against hte spurs was HACK BOWEN. Guess what Bowen did the second game they tried it? He nailed 5 free throws in a row, boosting our lead. Mavs ended up getting owned.

GOOD THING WALT WILLIAMS WAS THERE TO SHOOT SOME THREES

[RON ARTEST]

i have an idea. how bout wallace imnprove his freethrow shooting?

[jochhejaam]

i have an idea. how bout wallace imnprove his freethrow shooting?
Give him time, keep in mind he's only been in the league 10 years. <joke>

It's a gimmick (not sure if it's ever been effective) and takes away from the integrity of the game. The NBA recognizes it as such and has penalties for using it during the last 2 minutes of the 4th quarter.

[Vinnie_Johnson]

That was some weak ass shit second quarter down by 20 and they just quit like that.

[Trainwreck2100]

Is it pussy? Yeah, is it taking the game out of your players hands?Yes Is it taking advantage of your opponents weekness? most definitely

[greyforest]

its not necessarily pussy, unless there is an intent to injure a player.

it is a valid tactic, and is within the rules of the NBA to use, but it sure looks like it isnt going to work.

[Vinnie_Johnson]

its not necessarily pussy, unless there is an intent to injure a player.

it is a valid tactic, and is within the rules of the NBA to use, but it sure looks like it isnt going to work.

I have never seen it work yet.

[TxJudsonRocketTx]

Wasnt Hack-A-Bowen also used in the first half? I swear it was in like the 2nd quarter of one of our home games.

[Vinnie_Johnson]

Wasnt Hack-A-Bowen also used in the first half? I swear it was in like the 2nd quarter of one of our home games.

I thought that was hack a Duncan :lol

[NuGGeTs-FaN]

big deal, learn how to shoot ft's......

people think Hack a Shaq is ok but when its against Ben then its an atrocity

if he wasnt so pathetic at freethrows the majority of the time then he wouldnt be in that situation...

[cheguevara]

Yeah, it's nothing new. Teams tend to use that tactic when they're physically and mentally defeated.

[CubanMustGo]

Don "gimmick but no rings" Nelson used Hak-a-Bowen many times. And lots of teams have resorted to Hak-a-Shak.

AFAIC they are intentional fouls and should be treated as such (FTs plus possession).

[MikeSchafer]

As a Clipper fan, i remember us doing that late in the game, and i was still kind of disgusted. You are basically throwing in the towel. I'm not against it if you throw it to him in the post and we immediately foul him, but they have to change the rules for fouling a guy off the ball intentionally. I mean, i don't believe the Hack-a-Shaq/Hack-a-Ben strategy has ever worked.

[Spurologist]

This all stems from when then mavs coach Don Nelson often did a heck-a-bowen and a hack-a-shaq. :lol The funny thing is it never worked.

[Dunc]

big deal, learn how to shoot ft's......

people think Hack a Shaq is ok but when its against Ben then its an atrocity

if he wasnt so pathetic at freethrows the majority of the time then he wouldnt be in that situation...

I don't think Hack-a-Anybody is ok. If my team has to pull that trick out of the bag, I'd be disgusted.

[samikeyp]

IMO its chicken shit no matter who its done on. To me its ranks up on the chicken shit list with throwing the ball at someone when you are falling out of bounds or jumping into someone to try to draw a foul. Just a personal thing.

[Dunc]

Actually I like throwing the ball off someone when you're falling out of bounds, lol. I remember a game in Feb when Lindsey Hunter took a loose ball away from LeBron and whipped it off his shins for possession. That was a classic play, imo :)

[DarkReign]

IMO its chicken shit no matter who its done on. To me its ranks up on the chicken shit list with throwing the ball at someone when you are falling out of bounds or jumping into someone to try to draw a foul. Just a personal thing.

Yeah, Im not trying to pile on, but the 2 things you mentioned are not the same.

Throwing the ball of the other team is smart! Its your ball! No free throws!

Jumping into someone is also smart! Make the shot and its an "and-1".

Thats just smart, headsy basketball, IMO.

[samikeyp]

IMO they are. Guys relax. I am not saying that is what the rule should be...I was just stating a personal preference. I don't like the afore mentioned practices but if ya'll do, that's cool. I am not saying anyone is wrong, just voicing one man's opinion not a suggested course of action.

[DarkReign]

I was relaxed. :lol