Zone Defense

[sk7326]

I forget that zone defense that the Wolves used regularly back in the day ... vague memory of it ... under Flip Saunders with Kevin Garnett at the top of the key. Was it two bigs and two wings? A 2-2-1?

Using his long wingspan to bother point guards and playing great help defense by overloading onto the strong side wing or dropping deep to double the post.

That zone was very effective. It would be worth testing to see if that would work here.

it was a matchup zone - so the trick is handing off players when they move from one area of the floor to another.  but most teams already run some sort of zone principle on the weak side anyway. 

[manl_lui]

i think the celtics uses the zone defense rather well against teams with superstars like kobe and lebron, we can definitely try that man-zone defense the above was talking about...

[Celtics4ever]

Too good of shooters, you must be joking?  A lot of these guys can't make two with a pencil.

[Michael Anthony]

Good three point shooters in their Top 5 Guys:

MIA - 1
ORL - 4
ATL - 2
LAL - 1

The zone should work well against three of our four main competitors.

[Fafnir]

Good three point shooters in their Top 5 Guys:

MIA - 1
ORL - 4
ATL - 2
LAL - 1

The zone should work well against three of our four main competitors.

I don't think Zone will work well against Miami.

[Snakehead]

Good three point shooters in their Top 5 Guys:

MIA - 1
ORL - 4
ATL - 2
LAL - 1

The zone should work well against three of our four main competitors.

I don't think Zone will work well against Miami.

Not really a reliable statistic for that three pt shooters info you put up.  LA has two in their starting 5 (Kobe and Fish) and should have 3 with Artest (though he forgot to shoot all last year until game 7... sigh).  Miami also will have Miller and LeBron is pretty good at about 33%.  They also have House and Jones that are 3 pt shooters and Z can even step out there.  They have a number of guys who are good midrange shooters as well, if they don't step quite that far out reliably.



Anyways, the zone is not the lane clogger in the NBA that it is in the college game because of, like other have pointed out, the 3 second defensive call.  Miami may not have the most 3 pt shooting but LeBron, Wade, and Bosh are all good midrange shooters and they are all very good and unselfish passers.  They draw so much attention and are so good at finding open men and cutting when they are open that a zone would be absolutely torn apart by them, as Fafnir says.

Interior passing and ability to cut and penetrate are good tools to use against zones without the 3 second call, with the 3 second call its a joke.  The zone will not be useful against Miami.

[GreenEnvy]

Good three point shooters in their Top 5 Guys:

MIA - 1
ORL - 4
ATL - 2
LAL - 1

The zone should work well against three of our four main competitors.

Did you really just say Atlanta was one of our main competition? Over the Bulls? I think the Bucks are better in the East and a handful of teams in the West.


I think the Celtics will mix up their defensive schemes against the different teams.