Why zone worked for a while vs PHO - Page 2 - Dallas-Mavs.com Forums

Poindexter Einstein · 11-18-2004, 06:21 PM

I have one question for you, KG ... re the use of the zone...

... I dont have tape on the game, so I cant go back and look ...

...but, my sense as I watched the game was that the Mavs were in a zone when they went super-small. Now that I sit here and ponder, I am wondering why I didnt focus on zone early in the 3rd, before Dirk went out, but only after he left.

Maybe I am wrong, but did they really play a zone the whole 2nd half? Now that I think about it, I really wonder. Did they play a bunch of man, or switch between man and zone, til they finally went small? I dont have any way to go back and look, but I wish I could.

kg_veteran · 11-18-2004, 06:32 PM

Bottom line, I was encouraged by the game in the sense that if we'll use Bradley in stretches, he can keep the defense at a high level with Dampier out.

kg_veteran · 11-18-2004, 06:34 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by: Poindexter Einstein
I have one question for you, KG ... re the use of the zone...

... I dont have tape on the game, so I cant go back and look ...

...but, my sense as I watched the game was that the Mavs were in a zone when they went super-small. Now that I sit here and ponder, I am wondering why I didnt focus on zone early in the 3rd, before Dirk went out, but only after he left.

Maybe I am wrong, but did they really play a zone the whole 2nd half? Now that I think about it, I really wonder. Did they play a bunch of man, or switch between man and zone, til they finally went small? I dont have any way to go back and look, but I wish I could.

To my recollection, they played a zone most of the time Bradley was in the game. I can't remember if they played zone when Bradley was out or not.

Day1MavsFan · 11-18-2004, 06:41 PM

I know this sounds like hindsight. But, I was screaming at the TV when Nellie put Booth in. My thoughts were, "there goes Nellie letting the other team dictate who he puts in the game, rather than playing our best players and dictating to the other team". Of course, when Bradley comes in the dunk-fest stops, as always when he plays. But Nellie is too bone-headed to see what's going on and think "hmmm, why don't I put the dunk-stopper in?". I mean, how much more obvious could it be after all these years. When the other team is doing layup and dunk drills, it's time for Shawn. Shawn was obviously our 2nd string center this year from how he and Booth have played so far. I'm not trying to say Nellie is alone in this, but geez, sometimes he just can't see the forest thru the trees, and it seems so idiotic. I mean, who in their right mind thinks they can match the Suns athleticism. You can't. You have to beat them with size. Duh!

grndmstr_c · 11-18-2004, 07:39 PM

I've said elsewhere I really don't have a problem with Nellie going to Booth in the first half. After Damp (and excluding DJ) Calvin's probably the best guy we have to matchup one-on-one with a guy like Amare, and I'm betting Nellie wasn't in a hurry to go to the zone given the way Phoneix has shot the ball this year (not to mention Nash's familiarity with our defensive schemes). As for his extended use of Bradley in the 2nd half, I suppose things might have gone differently in the 4th if Shawn had gotten some rest when Amare sat down, but as I was watching I remember thinking to myself that in so far as things were going well with Shawn, and as much ground as the Mavs had to make up, I was hoping Nellie would just stick with the Mantis until we lost the momentum, whether fatigue on Shawn's part or the Suns figuring out the defense was the cause (in retrospect I think both came into play). The only things I was personally unhappy with in Nellie's substitution patterns were sitting Devin in the 4th, and going with Henderson instead of DJ or Booth in the 4th.

Max Power · 11-18-2004, 10:10 PM

LOL

I think the funniest thing about this thread is that PE is accusing someone else of being nitpicky. Talk about the pot calling the kettle black.

Bayliss · 11-18-2004, 10:32 PM

Quote:

Maybe I am wrong, but did they really play a zone the whole 2nd half? Now that I think about it, I really wonder. Did they play a bunch of man, or switch between man and zone, til they finally went small? I dont have any way to go back and look, but I wish I could.

Just another "quirk" that Nellie uses. As soon as Henderson came in, the Mavs went back to man to man. And Amare pretty much blew right past him on every single possession, including a couple of "and-1s" while he was on his way.

The Mavs could've and should've have won this game, despite the injuries and refs. But Nellie putting Henderson in in the 4th was a huge mistake. And Nellie giving Bradley a breather at that stage was a huge mistake.

FreshJive · 11-19-2004, 12:04 AM

A big part of the difference between the third and fourth quarter was Nash. Our zone was shutting Nash down in the third and he had 1 assist to 4 TO and went 2-6 from the field. In the fourth Nash started getting inside our zone and dishing the ball to Stoudemire, and had 6 assists to 2 tournovers and went 3-4 from the field.

Poindexter Einstein · 11-19-2004, 12:13 AM

The fact that Nash did NOT get inside makes me think once again that for the bulk of the 3rd, even with Bradley in the game, the Mavs were playing man not zone. I recall vividly several different plays in the second half where, as I looked at the offensive sets for Phoenix ffrom the stands, the defense was manned up on the shooters at the 3-point arc, even on the weak side. That is NOT a zone set. I recall the play where Dirk got his 5th foul, and he was manned up on Stoudemire on that play all the way. If Dampier is out for an extended period of time, I want to look closer while Bradley plays, to see if they might have indeed changed tendencies against the Suns (or maybe even before) without anyone noticing.