Built Ford Tough Posted January 4, 2012 Report Share Posted January 4, 2012 The Heats' struggle against the zone is no secret after the NBA Finals last year, the game against the Celtics where they blew the big lead and almost lost and last nights loss against the Hawks, but it is a bit surprising just how much they struggle against a zone in comparision to a man-to-man defense. Check this out: Vs. Transition Plays - 125 Points - 152Efficiency - 121.6FG% - 69.7TO% - 15.2FT pct - 4.4 Vs. Man Plays - 567 Points - 441Efficiency - 94.4FG% - 48.0TO% - 15.0FT pct - 12.8 Vs. Zone Plays - 50 Points -37Efficiency -74.0FG% -38.1TO% - 12.0 FT pct - 4.0 (FT pct is the percentage of plays that end in free throws, not the percentage shot from free throws) To be clear, most teams don't fare as well against the zone compared to transition. It's just easier to pick apart a backpedaling defense than a settled one that packs the paint. That much is obvious. But the key here is that the Heat's efficiency has fallen off a cliff even more so than we'd expect. The average team scores 112.8 points every 100 possessions in transition; the Heat have scored 121.6 points. The average team scores 101.9 points every 100 possessions against the zone; the Heat have scored a paltry 74.0 points. The gap is enormous and teams are undoubtedly taking notice. Look at the Heat's free throw rate (FT%) in the chart above. A team that features LeBron James and Dwyane Wade -- two of the best whistle-drawers in the game -- has only reached the foul line in four percent of their possessions against the zone, or just two times in 50 possessions. That's probably the biggest effect of all. When facing man-to-man, that free throw rate triples to 12.8 percent. In transition, it rises even further when teams have no choice but to arm-tackle LeBron and Wade barreling through the lane. But on Monday, the Heat only forced 10 turnovers, which kept their transition triggers to a minimum. A possession late in the first quarter illustrates the Heat's main issue of penetration against the zone. With the Hawks packed into their zone after a score, Mario Chalmers walked up the court and passed to LeBron James who stood 30 feet from the basket. From there, the Heat played a game of hot potato, volleying the ball around the perimeter eight times before finally puncturing the 3-point arc 20 seconds into the shot clock. And only then, with a 24-second violation near, LeBron took a dribble inside the arc and pulled up for a contested 22-footer. The Heat's numbers against the zone are indeed horrifying, but they should creep up as the season progresses simply because of comfort and regression to the mean; they didn't just suddenly abandon the free throw line. And it's worth repeating that the Heat faced man-to-man for most of Monday's game. Furthermore, if the Heat generated more turnovers on defense, the offense would be running in transition instead of playing hot potato. But if the NBA is looking for an antidote for the Heat's up-tempo attack, the Hawks and Celtics has offered a compelling blueprint. Now that a possible Achilles' heel has been exposed, expect to see more teams apply the zone in the future. If you want to slow down the Heat, neutralize their strengths and force them to play a different brand of basketball, the zone could be the game-changer you're looking for. http://espn.go.com/blog/truehoop/miamiheat/post/_/id/11102/putting-the-brakes-on-miamis-run-and-gun Why do you believe the Heat struggle so much against a zone and are so reluctant to attack it, like they do so aggressively when facing a man defense? What do they need to do in order to change this and become more effective against a zone? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Owner Real Deal Posted January 4, 2012 Owner Report Share Posted January 4, 2012 What do they need to do in order to change this and become more effective against a zone?A true low post threat. It's that simple, honestly. Zone defenses are created to stop superstars (obviously not a perfect definition, but that's basically it) and there are only two ways to beat a zone: raining threes, or attacking it with a low post threat (one that can facilitate out of the post, that helps) and an excellent post-entry passer. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AboveLegit Posted January 4, 2012 Report Share Posted January 4, 2012 The thing that surprises me the most is that traditionally, the way to attack zone defenses is to attack from the high post. Miami has three great high post threats, two of which are elite passers in the league. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SRV Posted January 4, 2012 Report Share Posted January 4, 2012 I have no idea. Its mainly our own fault. We start shooting jumpers, they get the rebound and run, and then we play crap defense which gives them time to set up the zone again as opposed to them missing and us running the fast break. They know they suck against it, but they haven't done much to get around it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Art Posted January 4, 2012 Report Share Posted January 4, 2012 I have no idea. Its mainly our own fault. We start shooting jumpers, they get the rebound and run, and then we play crap defense which gives them time to set up the zone again as opposed to them missing and us running the fast break. They know they suck against it, but they haven't done much to get around it. think by LeBron actually going into the post where he can use his wit's and not just his athletic ability is a step for you guys in the right direction. Bosh needs to follow suit; then this team will have three guys that can not be defended. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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