NBA Playoff Notes & Adjustments: Shot Selection Still OKC’s Achilles' Heel

NBA Playoff Notes & Adjustments: Shot Selection Still OKC’s Achilles' Heel

Entering Game 3 there are some interesting items to take away from the previous game, and much to look forward to.

Apr 19, 2018 by Cleft Fielder
NBA Playoff Notes & Adjustments: Shot Selection Still OKC’s Achilles' Heel
Much is made about adjustments from game to game in the postseason. It’s a bit of a fairy tale though, as adjustments are also made all game long. 

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Much is made about adjustments from game to game in the postseason. It’s a bit of a fairy tale though, as adjustments are also made all game long. 

That’s the nature of the NBA, as players are experienced enough to change course on the fly far better than kids can at the college level. 

Entering Game 3 there are some interesting items to take away from the previous game in each series—and much to look forward to as well.

Philadelphia 76ers vs. Miami Heat 

Series tied 1-1 | Game 3: at Miami | Thursday, 7 PM ET (TNT)

Philadelphia ran all over Miami in the opening game, and it seems clear that Heat head coach Erik Spoelstra challenged his team to guard with far more urgency at the point of attack, hoping to throw the Sixers' shooters and ball handlers out of rhythm. Miami was far more aggressive and physical, and it helped just enough to even the series as it heads to South Florida. 

To be sure, Philadelphia took and made a number of tough shots, always a primary focus of any defense, while Miami managed to total a combined 15 blocks and steals in the game (the Heat had 10 in game one). 

Though the Sixers missed open 3s they also missed more of the tougher types of shots, quickening their shooting pace due to Miami’s closeouts or just because the overall type of defense Miami hammered them with threw them off their game, collectively. 

Philly made just seven of 36 3-point attempts—a result that simply can’t happen more than one more time if it hopes to win three more games. 

Miami was helped immensely by the performance of its aging star, Dwyane Wade, an offensive output we don’t expect to see again in the next few games. Older players can put together throwback games, but it is incredibly rare to see them do it for a series. 

However, he was able to get some very easy shots in the paint (and some open jumpers too) against Philly’s guards, and those are shots he can expect to make consistently. At home, it shouldn’t be a surprise to see Wade score 20 points as part of an overall productive Heat showing, which only adds pressure to what the Sixers need to do offensively.

Faster ball movement is one way to exploit Miami’s speedy and aggressive defense, something the Sixers are capable of doing well. 

Another option is quick attacks off the catch, racing forwards as Miami’s defenders fly to them. If the Sixers go small and Miami pulls Hassan Whiteside out (he’s played just 27 minutes in the series), these quick attacks can result in shots at the rim with no one protecting it. If Miami sends help inside to crowd that attack, the Sixers get the open perimeter shots they want. 

Ben Simmons is a key, here, as he might be the only downhill player Philadelphia can trust throughout the game, so he needs to do just that—while also not being a ball stopper, allowing Miami to set its defense. It’s a tough thing to pull off for a young player but it is part of his growth curve. 

Put it this way: Miami likes when Simmons is just standing and dribbling 30 feet from the basket better than when he is attacking or the ball is flying around.

Oklahoma City Thunder vs. Utah Jazz 

Series tied 1-1 | Game 3: at Utah | Saturday, 10 PM ET (ESPN)

After another bad start for the Thunder, listless on both ends, OKC regrouped and seemingly took control of a pivotal Game 2 against one of the hottest teams in the league down the stretch of the regular season. 

And then, as is the case often with Oklahoma City, the shot selection fell flat and Utah stormed back to tie the series. These teams are very evenly matched, so wasted offensive possessions in which a team just comes down and takes crazy shots tips the scales of winning to the other side just a little more each time. 

That is a fair assessment of how the Thunder handle way too many possessions. Down the stretch, Carmelo Anthony took three contested 3-pointers, all with lots of time on the shot clock. He missed them all, and going back to April 3 he is now 9 for 41 on his 3-point shot attempts. 

This loss is not to be pinned on one man. Not even close. Russell Westbrook took an absolutely amateur 3-point shot down the stretch, too. Oklahoma City's shot selection has to be adjusted going forward because it played great defense for most of the game on Donovan Mitchell, and in the end, he just proved to be unstoppable.

The Jazz didn’t shoot great and can be expected to have at least one great shooting game at home—and Mitchell’s drives will always be a factor. So to win a game in Salt Lake City will likely require far better game management from the Thunder veterans. 

Some teams are willing to take quick shots against elite defenses because trying to get a perfect shot is often too difficult. What OKC did in Game 2, though, does not measure up to that ideal, as being able to get off a shot is not the same as getting a quality look. 

Plus, with one-on-one talents like Westbrook and Paul George, breaking down the defense to draw help is less of a challenge for this team than most others.

Indiana Pacers vs. Cleveland Cavaliers 

Series tied 1-1 | Game 3: at Indiana | Friday, 7 PM ET (ESPN)

As LeBron James came out to set a tone at the start of game two, making seemingly every shot he took (on his way to 46 points), Victor Oladipo picked up his second foul two minutes into the game and was immediately taken out. 

The Cavs took a 16-1 lead and the Pacers never again had the game even. 

A very similar thing happened in reverse back in Game 1, Indiana took a lead it never relinquished. Unlike the description for winning defined in the OKC series above, this series hinges as much on the start of the games as that one does on the endings. 

Cleveland has a great offense, typically, and still a punchless defense. The Pacers have a good defense and a mild offense that is not likely to put up huge 3-point numbers. Add them together and it is clear that both teams will struggle to recover from huge deficits. That the Pacers had chances to tie the game after such an awful start shows their doggedness to fight all game long—this is a tough-minded team without question. 

It is not a surprise that Indiana is not killing the Cavs' defense from the perimeter. However, the Pacers are not attacking the rim often enough and that is a surprise. Cleveland does not have a rim protector and it also doesn't do a great job of being disciplined on contesting shots without its players leaving their feet or just keeping the ball in front of them. 

The Pacers can get into the paint with good-to-great shots deriving from that initial penetration most any time they want, either mid-range 2s, layups, or open 3s, depending on where the help comes from (if it comes). 

Getting down big and creating a need to hunt more threes is not how Indiana is built offensively (26th in the regular season for 3s taken per game). The Pacers are far more effective when they choose to take them because it is the right read, as they did in game one. They want to force the Cavaliers into having to defend all of their shots and not let them focus on taking away deep ones to protect their lead. 

Remember, Cleveland is mostly defenseless inside, but those shots are only worth two points. It’s hard to recover from a big deficit just making a high percentage of 2-pointers when facing an offensive talent as elite as LeBron.