I have been watching the NBA Playoffs very closely, and I love listening to former NBA Coach Jeff Van Gundy break down the game as a commentator.  He talks about the game from a coaches perspective, and always shares great information.  In the Heat v Celtics Game 3, JVG made a point of emphasizing the importance for players to incorporate fakes in their game.  In the 3rd quarter, Lebron James caught the ball in the right corner and drove to the middle of the paint.  He came to a quick stop using a pro hop, used a freeze fake which got the defender in the air and he created contact to draw a foul and finished the shot.  Following the play JVG said…

“The ability to shot fake after picking up the dribble is such a weapon because almost everyone reacts after the dribble is picked up.”

In Game 6 of the Heat-Celtics series, Lebron started the game making a bunch of jump shots.  This creates “shot credibility”, in other words the defense begins to aggressively contest shots in an attempt to bother the shooter.  In the 2nd quarter, Lebron posted up on the left block and turned towards the baseline, he shot faked to sell a turn-around jumper.  On the play, Rondo left his feet to contest the shot and LBJ created a foul.  JVG said…

“It shows the value of making jump shots, now he shows the shot and they’re over reacting to the shot fake and he gets to the free throw line.”

In both situations, JVG had great teaching points.  The first is utilizing fakes after the dribble is picked up, which I call a freeze fake, to keep the defense off balance to create both scoring and foul opportunities.  The second point by JVG, was that players need to have “shot credibility” for fakes to work consistently.  Once players have established the ability to knock down shots, both shot fakes (fakes before the dribble is used) and freeze fakes become a great weapon.  Players need to work on both shot fakes and freeze fakes during skill workouts for this to become a habit.  Both of these skills are a staple of my teachings on the court, and as players get comfortable using fakes they become extremely difficult to guard.

Here is a short video edit of players using fakes during the 2012 NBA Playoffs.

The ability to change speeds with and without the basketball is a very important skill for players to develop.  In some situations, that means going from slow to fast and in others, it may be fast-slow-fast.  The art of changing speeds needs to be a staple of a skill development program and has to be practiced routinely for players to grasp the concept.  I like to teach changing speeds on a scale of 0 to 10, with 0 being a dead stop and 10 being an all out effort.  The ability to change speeds is extremely useful in transition, isolation, and coming off screens (with and without the ball), just to name a few.  Off the dribble, players should work on changing speeds with the ball in the same hand, changing speeds with a change of direction move, and adding hesitations before/between/after dribble moves.  By changing speeds, it allows the offense to keep the defense off balance, and thereby gives the offensive player the advantage.  Here are some clips from the 2012 NBA Playoffs of players utilizing the change of speed with the ball.

The floater is a great tool for players to have in their toolbox.  It is a quick shot to use against help defenders and shot blockers when a drive to the basket is cut off.  The key is to develop a soft touch with a high arc to get it over the outstretched arms of defenders around the paint.  Players need to be able to shoot the floater with both hands, off of 1 or 2 feet.  Tony Parker is one of the best in NBA game, as he uses a quick short push of the ball which keeps shot blockers off balance keeping them from timing the shot.  Below is a edit of Parker’s floaters from the 2011-12 season.

“Be strong with the ball!”  Players hear it, and coaches typically yell it.  But what does that mean?  It could be chinning the ball and using pivots against an aggressive defender, while keeping the head up to see the court.  It could be using a protection or pull-back dribble against a trapping defense.  But the situation I want to discuss is the ability to protect, and “be strong” with the ball through traffic.

Most young players swing the ball before a lay-up, which exposes the ball to the defense and eliminates the ball-body-defense relationship coaches strive to instill in their players.

Experienced players are able to keep the ball on the outside hip/shoulder when driving and finishing at the basket.  Good players develop the ability to cover up the ball through traffic, and resemble a running back carrying the football through a hole at the line of scrimmage.

Great players utilize the advanced method of covering the ball with 1 arm.  This allows them to keep their off hand free to use as an arm bar or to swipe away a defenders hand. Another method of protecting the ball, is to pull it over the top of the help defenders hands.  In contrast, the picture below shows D Wade exposing the ball to the help defense and his only option is to muscle through both defenders.  This is where most players lose the ball and coaches start yelling/pulling their hair out.

Check out the videos below of Kyrie Irving demonstrating the 1 arm cover-up and Steve Nash with the pull-over.

Watched this movie on Michael Jordan yesterday, and had to share.  There are so many great take away messages from this movie.  Jordan had an unbelievable will to win, and coupled that with a one of a kind work ethic.  He turned his weaknesses into strengths, and always attacked challenges without a fear of failure.  His mental toughness, and ability to deliver in pressure situations was truly remarkable.  Enjoy!

The best skill coaches in the country will tell you that shot fakes are a great tool for players looking to add space-creating elements to their offensive games. They are downright deadly addition to those whose games boast (as Jay Bilas puts it) “shot credibility.” Seth Curry, the 6’2” junior from Duke, is one of those players. Any defender closing out on him must make contesting Curry’s shot attempt their number one priority or risk having their face moisturized by his wet J. With that type of urgency to closeout, a shot fake will send a defender hurtling past Seth in frenzied attempt to stop the shot.

In the following video, Curry shows off one of the more advanced shot fake attack games in all of college basketball. Curry’s shot fake technique itself isn’t perfect, but his movements and reads out of it are very sound. From the standard one and two dribble mid range pull-ups to the more advanced lateral side-step, you’d be hard pressed to find more than a handful of college players with the same level of nuance on a shot fake.

The technical flaw (shown in the second clip) is something Seth must iron out if he wants to maximize his potential for the next level. In that clip, you will see the fake actually takes the ball across the midline of his body. This type of flaw can work in college because the combination of his shooting prowess and college defenders not being particularly disciplined or savvy allow him to get away with it.

But getting away with something at the college level doesn’t do much for a young kid, who, like most, aspires to play at the highest level of basketball. That side to side may seem subtle, but it doesn’t allow for Seth to counter effectively after it, something he will need when longer defenders at higher levels close out under control and generally do a better job of staying on the ground during any challenge.

In particular, swinging the ball from side to side in a shot fake doesn’t allow him to formulate a quick, efficient shot fake-shot attack. That progression is best used when a smart defender (adjusting after already being beaten a shot fake attack from Seth), closes out quickly enough to force Seth into using a shot fake.

After being unable to lift or move the defender to drive around him, Seth’s read versus a defender playing the drive (presumably with his hands down) is now “shot”– but only if his shot fake is compact and quick from chest to release point on his right side (because Seth is right handed). That split second of swinging the ball across his body will cost him the ability to get a shot fake-shot attack off at the next level, something that in combination with his other minor flaws, could limit his potential in the eyes of executives around the globe.

Article by Brett Koremenos – follow Brett on Twitter @BKoremenos

Article posted on HoopSpeak Coaches Forum - http://hoopspeak.com/

Here is a short video of Michael Jordan knocking down a game winning shot against the Jazz in Game 1 of the 1996-97 NBA Finals.

Derrick Rose Hang Dribble

In case you didn’t notice this past season, that Derrick Rose guy was pretty good. While much of the credit goes to his unparalleled speed, power and explosive athleticism at the point guard position, it’s how Rose combines those physical gifts with solid techniques like a “Hang Dribble” that make him elite. What’s a “Hang Dribble”? A hesitation, pull-up attack used to create space for a jumpshot. And in the following video’s case, a vehicle Rose uses to make defenders downright helpless. Enjoy.

John Stockton Shoulder to Hip Attack

A European influence, added pages to the rulebook, and players that seem more athletic every year, the NBA has certainly changed quite a bit over the last decade. In an era where fancy, combination dribble moves are en vogue, we can look to the past in order to get a reminder on the basic points of successful dribble penetration. Every in-out, crossover, behind the back move in the world won’t do you any good if you don’t move your defender off the line of attack and engage the defender shoulder to hip. With his usual balance, grace and economy of motion, John Stockton and the “Encore” instrumental take us for a stroll down Fundamental Lane.