Interior Defense

[Fafnir]

the only way they could have prevented LA from killing them on the boards would be by not playing defense.  

Ah the Kevin Love maneuver....

[BudweiserCeltic]

It's what killed us against Orlando 2 years ago. Poor job stopping penetration on the guards, Perk/Centers stepping up to stop it, and leaving Howard alone for an easy Supergirl Dunk.

  This was also one of the reasons Danny gave for the Celts rebounding issues vs the Lakers. Someone penetrates, a big goes to defend them and nobody boxes out Gasol or Bynum, leading to easy putbacks.

That's how defense is played. Perimeter players can try and should be able to steer their man to the baseline or the middle or wherever the help is supposed to be, but they can't be expected to deny penetration by themselves, especially if a pick is involved, but also in isolations.

What Ainge really meant was that Boston rebounders were so bad that the only way they could have prevented LA from killing them on the boards would be by not playing defense.  

Sorry, that's not how it's played. It's one thing to steer a player somewhere. It's another being beat off the dribble through the middle of the floor forcing a player to step up when he shouldn't have to.

Else, they'll find themselves with no player to help rotate over.

[winsomme]

Interior defense

solution: Eddie Curry

Is this sarcasm or are you serious?

unfortunately not. He's the only the guy out there with the bulk to really stuff up the middle. Even with KG playing great tonight, PHO in the second half was cruising through the lane like someone left the windows open...

  According to the espn box scores Phoenix scored 26 points in the paint compared to our 52. Out of all the games concluded Phoenix is the only team with less than 30 points in the paint, and 5 of those teams who scored more points in the paint than Phoenix scored in the 80s for the game while Phoenix broke 100.

but like Chris and I were discussing, PHO was using their free penetration into the lane to get open outside shots....they don't really have bigs who score in the paint.

this is a perfect example of where a stat doesn't tell the story. PHO (especially with our second unit) was moving easily through the interior of our defense.

  And the way to stop dribble penetration against our perimeter defenders is to sign Eddie Curry? So he can, what, guard opposing wing players and point guards? It all makes perfect sense now. When you were concerned about our ability to guard the rim, you meant guard the rim against players who aren't going to shoot but kick the ball out?

maybe a diagram would help, Bball. yes the way you stop dribble penetration THROUGH the lane is <wait for it> to stop people from dribbling THROUGH the lane. funny how that works.

[guava_wrench]

Interior defense

solution: Eddie Curry

Is this sarcasm or are you serious?

unfortunately not. He's the only the guy out there with the bulk to really stuff up the middle. Even with KG playing great tonight, PHO in the second half was cruising through the lane like someone left the windows open...

  According to the espn box scores Phoenix scored 26 points in the paint compared to our 52. Out of all the games concluded Phoenix is the only team with less than 30 points in the paint, and 5 of those teams who scored more points in the paint than Phoenix scored in the 80s for the game while Phoenix broke 100.

but like Chris and I were discussing, PHO was using their free penetration into the lane to get open outside shots....they don't really have bigs who score in the paint.

this is a perfect example of where a stat doesn't tell the story. PHO (especially with our second unit) was moving easily through the interior of our defense.

  And the way to stop dribble penetration against our perimeter defenders is to sign Eddie Curry? So he can, what, guard opposing wing players and point guards? It all makes perfect sense now. When you were concerned about our ability to guard the rim, you meant guard the rim against players who aren't going to shoot but kick the ball out?

maybe a diagram would help, Bball. yes the way you stop dribble penetration THROUGH the lane is <wait for it> to stop people from dribbling THROUGH the lane. funny how that works.

I think you are exaggerating how large Curry is. He is not large enough to completely cover the lane.

Curry will not help the kick out problem at all. He doesn't have the foot speed to do much on rotate where he needs to be on penetration. Guards penetrating can also shoot over him. Perhaps you should provide a diagram.

I don't see how it makes sense to talk about Curry after the Phx game. All he can do is score. He has nothing to offer on defense unless he is bodying someone heavy like Shaq.

[BballTim]

Interior defense

solution: Eddie Curry

Is this sarcasm or are you serious?

unfortunately not. He's the only the guy out there with the bulk to really stuff up the middle. Even with KG playing great tonight, PHO in the second half was cruising through the lane like someone left the windows open...

  According to the espn box scores Phoenix scored 26 points in the paint compared to our 52. Out of all the games concluded Phoenix is the only team with less than 30 points in the paint, and 5 of those teams who scored more points in the paint than Phoenix scored in the 80s for the game while Phoenix broke 100.

but like Chris and I were discussing, PHO was using their free penetration into the lane to get open outside shots....they don't really have bigs who score in the paint.

this is a perfect example of where a stat doesn't tell the story. PHO (especially with our second unit) was moving easily through the interior of our defense.

  And the way to stop dribble penetration against our perimeter defenders is to sign Eddie Curry? So he can, what, guard opposing wing players and point guards? It all makes perfect sense now. When you were concerned about our ability to guard the rim, you meant guard the rim against players who aren't going to shoot but kick the ball out?

maybe a diagram would help, Bball. yes the way you stop dribble penetration THROUGH the lane is <wait for it> to stop people from dribbling THROUGH the lane. funny how that works.

  Maybe a diagram would help, maybe not. So you're say that the way to stop dribble penetration THROUGH the lane is <wait for it> to put EDDIE CURRY in the middle and have him  stop people from dribbling THROUGH the lane? You're right, that is funny.

  By the way, is your diagram going to include the fact that the second unit we played against Phoenix had never played together, and we were playing people that haven't been on the team long enough to figure out how to play our defense?

[barefacedmonk]

Not what we need...

[Megatron]

I thought I had seen it all when people were suggesting Kwame Brown over the off-season. This takes the cake.

Eddy Curry is the worst big man in the league.

[winsomme]

Interior defense

solution: Eddie Curry

Is this sarcasm or are you serious?

unfortunately not. He's the only the guy out there with the bulk to really stuff up the middle. Even with KG playing great tonight, PHO in the second half was cruising through the lane like someone left the windows open...

  According to the espn box scores Phoenix scored 26 points in the paint compared to our 52. Out of all the games concluded Phoenix is the only team with less than 30 points in the paint, and 5 of those teams who scored more points in the paint than Phoenix scored in the 80s for the game while Phoenix broke 100.

but like Chris and I were discussing, PHO was using their free penetration into the lane to get open outside shots....they don't really have bigs who score in the paint.

this is a perfect example of where a stat doesn't tell the story. PHO (especially with our second unit) was moving easily through the interior of our defense.

  And the way to stop dribble penetration against our perimeter defenders is to sign Eddie Curry? So he can, what, guard opposing wing players and point guards? It all makes perfect sense now. When you were concerned about our ability to guard the rim, you meant guard the rim against players who aren't going to shoot but kick the ball out?

maybe a diagram would help, Bball. yes the way you stop dribble penetration THROUGH the lane is <wait for it> to stop people from dribbling THROUGH the lane. funny how that works.

  Maybe a diagram would help, maybe not. So you're say that the way to stop dribble penetration THROUGH the lane is <wait for it> to put EDDIE CURRY in the middle and have him  stop people from dribbling THROUGH the lane? You're right, that is funny.

  By the way, is your diagram going to include the fact that the second unit we played against Phoenix had never played together, and we were playing people that haven't been on the team long enough to figure out how to play our defense?

Well, yeah...I think it would be harder to get through or around Curry than what we saw in the PHO game...

but leaving Curry aside, at least you now are seeing that stopping players from freely moving through the lane is part of your interior defense. you just think Murph et al are going to get enough better at preventing that with more time playing together.

[BballTim]

Well, yeah...I think it would be harder to get through or around Curry than what we saw in the PHO game...

but leaving Curry aside, at least you now are seeing that stopping players from freely moving through the lane is part of your interior defense. you just think Murph et al are going to get enough better at preventing that with more time playing together.

  I still don't see what you're expecting to happen. When players get into the lane the bigs protect the rim. This seemed to be at least part of your original point. But now they're supposed to be stopping players that get into the lane from kicking the ball out to shooters on the perimeter? A big who clogs the middle will cut down on the layups these guys get but won't be able to stop kick-out passes.

[winsomme]

Well, yeah...I think it would be harder to get through or around Curry than what we saw in the PHO game...

but leaving Curry aside, at least you now are seeing that stopping players from freely moving through the lane is part of your interior defense. you just think Murph et al are going to get enough better at preventing that with more time playing together.

  I still don't see what you're expecting to happen. When players get into the lane the bigs protect the rim. This seemed to be at least part of your original point. But now they're supposed to be stopping players that get into the lane from kicking the ball out to shooters on the perimeter? A big who clogs the middle will cut down on the layups these guys get but won't be able to stop kick-out passes.

When your bigs can't stop the free movement of players through the lane your defensive rotations are affected leaving more people open including perimeter, driving, and low post players. When you have a team with players who shoot threes, that's where they take their shots, but they are open because you have let their offense move freely through the lane...forcing your defense to collapse and messing up your defensive rotations...

Shaq has done a good job at clogging the middle but I would much rather having him doing that with our second unit.

[BballTim]

Well, yeah...I think it would be harder to get through or around Curry than what we saw in the PHO game...

but leaving Curry aside, at least you now are seeing that stopping players from freely moving through the lane is part of your interior defense. you just think Murph et al are going to get enough better at preventing that with more time playing together.

  I still don't see what you're expecting to happen. When players get into the lane the bigs protect the rim. This seemed to be at least part of your original point. But now they're supposed to be stopping players that get into the lane from kicking the ball out to shooters on the perimeter? A big who clogs the middle will cut down on the layups these guys get but won't be able to stop kick-out passes.

When your bigs can't stop the free movement of players through the lane your defensive rotations are affected leaving more people open including perimeter, driving, and low post players. When you have a team with players who shoot threes, that's where they take their shots, but they are open because you have let their offense move freely through the lane...forcing your defense to collapse and messing up your defensive rotations...

Shaq has done a good job at clogging the middle but I would much rather having him doing that with our second unit.

  I'm still not sure exactly what you're trying to prevent or how you're expecting to prevent it, especially since your original complaint involved not having players who could protect the rim. Say Dudley or Brooks get by their defenders and they're preparing to dribble into the lane? What comes next in your scenario? Do they go to the rim, pass the ball out to a perimeter player, or simply dribble into the lane and dribble back out of the lane? Our our interior defenders supposed to keep opposing players out of the lane somehow, keep those players from making layups, prevent the player from making a kick-out pass? KG and Perk didn't really prevent players from getting into the lane, and they didn't swallow up those players so they couldn't shoot in one direction or pass in the other at the same time.