Play Of The Day - San Antonio Spurs

Another San Antonio Spurs entry into our Play Of The Day archive. This play is run ATO, which is an acronym for After Timeout. Coach Popovich draws up a play to get a get a wide open 3 for Danny Green:

Actions in Order: (Timing is essential)

• Parker (1) dribbles to the wing 
• Duncan (4) down screens for Leonard (3) 
• Parker (1) passes to Leonard (3) and makes a "Carolina" cut to the opposite wing with Splitter (5) setting a screen to help free Parker.
• Splitter (5) then sets a "Step-Up" Pick (Ball screen) for Parker (1) 
• As that Step Up Pick (Ball Screen) is being set for Parker (1), Duncan (4) is setting an angled back screen for Green to drift to the corner for the 3. 

Play Of The Day - San Antonio Spurs

Today's Play Of The Day comes from the San Antonio Spurs series clinching win against the Golden State Warriors.

Actions In Order:

Duncan downscreens for Neal then pops to the elbow
Neal passes to Duncan and receives a flare screen from Bonner
If Neal doesn't receive the pass from Duncan, he cross screens for Green
Followed by a downscreen from Bonner.

First option: Neal off the Flare Screen
Second Option: Green off the Flex Cut
Third Option: Neal off the Down Screen
Fourth Option: Bonner second cut to the middle

Play Of The Day - Golden State Warriors

With the series tied at 2, the Warriors and Spurs will face off tonight in a critical game 5 in San Antonio. You may watch the Warriors and think all they do is Isolate players and use the Pick and Roll game. Well here is a great action they use on their first possession of the game to get a wide open look for Klay Thompson.


Bogut sets a flex screen for Barnes
After the reversal, Landry sets a downscreen for Curry
After making the pass to Curry, Thompson runs off a Triple screen

Play Of The Day - Chicago Bulls

In honor of the Bulls taking game 1 of the Eastern Conference Semi-Finals against the heavily favorited Miami Heat, the play of the day will come from Chicago.

Its amazing to see how well the Bulls are playing right now without Rose, Deng, and Hinrich. Tom Thibodeau has done a great job managing his team throughout the playoffs. His response to the endless questions of how are you going to handle the injury situation says it all, "We have enough to win.".

Winning a critical game 7 on the road against Brooklyn and stealing game 1 on the road against a team who has only lost 4 of their last 50 games including the playoffs, is pretty impressive.

This play makes the defense have to guard multiple screening actions. The key to this play is the timing, setting good screens, and the use of those screens.

Play Of The Day - San Antonio Spurs

Today will be the first of many "Play Of The Day" posts. I won't be posting a POTD everyday, but there will be at least 3 or 4 every week. Not every POTD will come from NBA teams, but since it is playoff time, all of the POTD posts will be plays ran from only the current playoff teams.

So in honor of my Lakers being swept by the Spurs on Sunday night, my first POTD will come from Gregg Popovich and his Spurs.

Coach Popovich does such an incredible job getting his players into spots in which they are comfortable. I've always enjoyed watching the Spurs' run their half court offense because their attention to detail in their execution.

The Spurs do a great job here of reversing the basketball. This makes the defense have to shift multiple times.  They also have to fight through screens from different angles, making hard for the defense to help.