My assignment Tuesday night at Staples Center was to examine the Utah Jazz and figure out why they’re the playing the best basketball in the League. Utah has been running much of the same stuff since the Harding Administration through its flex offense. Aside from its cool name, the flex has a lot of appealing qualities, not the least of which is its egalitarianism.
Every player is screener and screenee, a passer and a recipient. Everyone moves and everyone has the ability to make a play no matter where on the court he’s standing. There’s something democratic about that, but the flex works because players who can do that many things in the half court are extremely difficult to defend. The hurler with only a single pitch is far more hittable than the maestro with a full repertoire. The same thing holds true in basketball. A guy who never moves off the block is an easier defensive assignment than the same big man who darts all over the place — setting screens, coming hard off screens, working high as a facilitator, working on the low end of that facilitation down in the post. It’s tough to defend someone who might do any thing at any time.
Prior to the game, Clippers coach Kim Hughes described the difficulty of defending the flex. “If you cut hard, you cause players to move at a high rate of speed and make decisions on the move,” Hughes said. “Players notoriously have a tough time doing that.”
As we witness tonight, the flex offense might be old, but it isn’t stale. The Jazz shred the Clippers, generating 109 points on 93 possessions. For all the Clippers’ failures Tuesday night, they actually score at a reasonable rate (106.5 per 100 possessions, which is Lakers/Orlando territory), measurably better than their average efficiency — the anemic fourth quarter notwithstanding. And as bad as that fourth quarter was offensively (15 points on 21 possessions, 71.4 efficiency), it was just as miserable defensively (138.1).
The Clippers simply can’t get stops. They lead 84-80 to begin the final period. After a driving C.J. Miles gets whistled for the charge on the opening possession of the quarter, the Jazz convert on seven of their next eight possessions, an 18-5 run that leaves them with a 98-89 advantage.
“I’ll tell you one thing,” Carlos Boozer says after the game. “Ronnie Price got us that lead all by himself and we took off from there.”
- (4th, 11:24) We have a Mehmet Okur screen up top for Price that absolutely baffles Chris Kaman. After his initial show, Kaman has his weight shifted left and is caught off-guard when Price turns the corner to the left of the screen.
- (4th, 10:31) Nobody’s fault here. Ricky Davis stays with Price and lures him into a 27-footer at the top of the floor deep into the shot clock. Coming into the game, Price had drained 8 of 27 3-pointers on the season. He goes 3-for-3 from beyond the arc on Tuesday.
- (4th, 9:42) Again the Clippers defend well. With :04 remaining on the shot clock, Price buys himself a modicum of space with a little shoulder-shake, steps back and nails a 25-footer.
The latter two of those three possessions (Price’s improbable 3-pointers, neither completely uncontested), along with the next, break the Clippers.
- (4th, 9:10) Want another reason to like what Utah does? They actually set back screens for perimeter players to get paths for offensive boards. That’s how C.J. Miles is able to fly in from the wing and slam home Andrei Kirilenko’s missed 20-footer (not a great shot).
- (4th, 8:22) Price collects the remains of a very short Gordon 19-footer. He kicks ahead to Wesley Matthews on a run-out layup. For a team that says it 37wants to run, the Clippers aren’t quick to flip the switch over to defense. They hand this transition bucket to Utah.
- (4th, 7:45) “[Miles] made some great plays,” Boozer says after the game. “He was a playmaker out there coming off that pick-and-roll. He hit me a couple of times.” This is one those times, aided by lousy pick-and-roll coverage by the Clippers. I can’t imagine the smart way to defend a C.J. Miles-Boozer high S/R is to have both Al Thornton and Craig Smith trap Miles, leaving one of the most sure-handed roll men in basketball a completely open lane to the hoop. Kaman is way too late. He fouls Boozer on the finish — a basket + one. Kaman then barks something to Smith. An incredulous Baron Davis also scampers over to direct traffic. An expressionless Eric Gordon shakes his head.
- (4th, 7:20) Good teams are always one step ahead. The Jazz go back to the Miles-Boozer S/R, but this time the Clippers have it covered. Thornton and Camby (now back in for Smith) run a quick trap at Miles while Kaman immediately rotates to pick up Boozer on the roll to the basket. All well and good for the moment, but keep in mind that Kaman has left Okur out on the arc to pick up Boozer low. Gordon now has to attend to both Okur and Matthews along the weak side arc, with Davis chasing Price around. The instant Price clears from the right side to the left along the baseline, Matthews dives hard to the basket underneath Davis. He’s met there by a pinpoint laser from Miles. It’s gorgeous to watch: Layup + one.
The Clippers’ offensive ineptitude down the stretch contributes to the loss, but it’s not nearly as debilitating as their incapacity to stop Utah. After this series, the Clips get a wide open look from beyond the arc for Eric Gordon, then a layup + one for Gordon. On the six possessions that follow, then actually score score on four of the next six trip downcourt after that. For theatrics, Baron Davis’ missed layup carries some tragic symbolism as the coup de grace, but do you have any inkling the Clippers could beat Utah Tuesday night down four, without the ball, only 76 ticks left on the clock?
24 Responses
Utah’s offense looked undeniably amazing. Even in the first half when they couldn’t shake the Clips. However, for all the ‘dunleavy’s gone and we’re still losing’ crap, I thought what I saw from the Clips’ offense in q2 + q3 was a thing of beauty. I hope somebody saw this and mentions it. I’m by no means a believer(certainly was ready to scrap the idea after Saturday night), but it least ignited a belief that maybe, just maybe the Kim Hughes running game might actually work. I see + hear a lot of impatience that the Clips are still gagging away winnable games, but let’s be honest, we are only TWO (2) games into a new style of play, and to EXPECT to pull off a W against the hottest team in the west might be a little mucho to ask. EXPECT some big wins after the break.
Posted on February 10th, 2010 at 6:35 am
Even though bd missed that easy layup, I didn’t think The clips could come back and win. We were terrible in getting the defensive rebound
Posted on February 10th, 2010 at 7:22 am
Hughes will win when he gets ” His Players”………
Posted on February 10th, 2010 at 7:40 am
Aside from the 4th , I liked the hustle and flow in the 2nd and 3rd.. Although this season is a wash , I will still hope to finish close to .500 .
Posted on February 10th, 2010 at 7:42 am
Good game. Few things I liked:
1. Baron’s confidence.
2. Bobby Brown’s playmaking skills.
3. Kim Hughes the Coach.
4. Mardy Collins playing during crunch time.
Few things I didn’t like:
Marcus Camby & Chris Kaman. Only Clippers would play Camby heavy minutes. We should limit his min.to 20mpg. And KAMAN continues to buckle under pressure. Somebody needs to remind him 2 things: Hey Kaman, we are into crunch time man. Only 2 minutes to play and we’re behind 4pts. Step it up man…step it up… test test…can you see my face now? Hey Kammyman…just let you know, there’s no CRAZY GLUE on your palm. When you get the ball and trapped, just pass the ball. Just do it man, we need to WIN this game.
The guy is just unbearable sometimes.
Posted on February 10th, 2010 at 9:35 am
They can’t give it to Kaman in the paint. He’s great off the pick and roll and taking a 15ft jumper, but that’s the only time he should touch the ball.
And to the above, Camby needs minutes because they need to trade him by the 18th.
Posted on February 10th, 2010 at 9:45 am
Saw interview on ESPN with AVERY JOHNSON. He’s dying to coach again and said he’s just waiting for the phone to ring. I see Johnson as a younger, more energetic version of JOHN LUCAS. Johnson is a respected motivational speaker and was brought in to help build the confidence of the N.O. Saints players. How’d that turn out? I would sign him today.
MG Reply:
February 10th, 2010 at 12:38 pm
I think what hurts Avery is the way things ended in Dallas, with the players reportedly all turning against him and demanding that he get fired. It’s not often a whole team turns against a coach like that. For all the discord between Baron and Dun, nothing like that ever came close to happening. It’s not like guys like Dirk are known troublemakers either.
Somehow, Avery lost complete control of that team and it got ugly quick. That gives a lot of teams serious doubts.
benoit benjamin's two left shoes Reply:
February 10th, 2010 at 2:01 pm
The word on Avery is he was such a control freak/micromanager that the players rose up and refused to play for him.
If true, going from MDSr. to Avery would seem to be a step in the wrong direction given that the players thought MDSr. was too controlling..
Posted on February 10th, 2010 at 9:58 am
They’re certainly not going anywhere this year, we’ve know this for awhile. I didn’t expect them to start winning with Hughes at the helm(although it would have been a pleasant surprise.) There’s reason he’s been an assistant all these years. But it’s still better without Dunleavy, who we know can’t motivate players. Let them see if Hughes can pull it together and if not, the worst that can happen this year is that the team will end up with more ping pong balls.
Posted on February 10th, 2010 at 10:01 am
The Clippers showed that they’re potentially on to something as demonstrated by the first three quarters, but the woes of the ‘Dunleavy Era’ still resonate throughout this team: unable to close games out and unable to sustain leads.
It’s evident that Chris Kaman is great for the team in the first half, but once the opposing defense tightens up, Kaman buckles. He brings the ball down low and just gets stripped by smaller defenders i.e. Boozer and Williams. Baron Davis needs to be that ‘Go-To’ guy in the closing quarter, but for unknown reasons, he can’t carry the team through.
It’s extremely disheartening watching this team blow leads going into the 4th quarter and/or blowing the game when they’ve had a double digit lead at least once during the game. Not to mention, the turnovers are killing us. The team may have done a better job of protecting the ball, but they need to start matching or improving the turnover ratio to that of the opponents.
Let’s hope Hughes is the cure for these problems.
bongstradamus Reply:
February 10th, 2010 at 1:32 pm
Hughes is a stop-gap measure, which really kinda sucks for him.
Im still surprised Lucas didnt get the interim job, but it makes sense that Hughes got it since hes been an assistant for so long. Hed have felt slighted if Lucas was promoted over him since hes only been around for this season.
There was a report in hoopshype a week ago that Sterling was hoping Dun walked away completely, that he didnt want Dun as GM either. Maybe Dun kept Hughes as a way to still have some control over what happens on the floor. One thing Dun has always excelled at was the politics of the business.
Either way, I seriously doubt Hughes or Dun will be involved with this team next season. Thats great for fans, but bad for Hughes unless he really can get some traction with the team.
All I know is i am happy Isaiah Thomas isnt being considered for the job. That would just sap all my hope for this team.
Posted on February 10th, 2010 at 10:24 am
The problem with this team is that we don’t have a clear #1 option. When Kaman is that person down the stretch, you know we’re in trouble. Sure he’s an all-star, but I still believe that he’s just a stat stuffer. He’s just putting up numbers on a bad team. His turnovers, missed shots, and inability to defend and rebound just kills us at what seems like the most crucial parts of games. He looks for his shot way too often. Until this team can find that clear #1 guy, whether it’s Blake, a FA signing or through a trade, we’ll continue to lose games like the one last night.
Mike Wr Reply:
February 10th, 2010 at 11:10 am
Agree. I’d love to see a stat which shows offensive efficiency when Kaman’s in a position to catch and shoot/pass right away versus holding the ball for more than a few seconds. He seems to be a turnover machine in that scenario.
Posted on February 10th, 2010 at 10:57 am
Great analysis as usual KA. What do you think about increasing the offense’s focus on Gordon? Aside from Griffin, he has the biggest upside of this team and has all-star potential. Kaman is probably close to his ceiling. While he is very skilled, I don’t think he has the leadership qualities to be the focal point. Everyone always pegs this team’s success on Baron, but Baron is also close to his ceiling. I believe we need to increase Gordon’s shot attempts, but don’t have X’s and O’s insight to know how to get this done. what do you think KA?
rmb Reply:
February 10th, 2010 at 12:00 pm
Baron Davis wants Gordon to be #1 option. But at the same time he cannot ignore Kaman. We need NEW offensive strategy involving Davis-Kaman-Gordon. Unless Kaman learns to scan the floor & pass the ball to an open man, this team is going to struggle until Griffin returns.
I still like Kaman. Sometimes he’s great. Sometimes mediocre(against aggressive teams). But we cannot ride on his back every game. Simply put, he’s not ELTON BRAND.
Kevin Arnovitz Reply:
February 10th, 2010 at 1:17 pm
This is a great question.
Right now, Gordon has some limitations that are holding him back from being that #1 option.
First, he has limited playmaking ability. When you’re the #1 perimeter option, defenses pay attention, which will require you to make a play when those defenses collapse. Gordon struggles with this. No draw-and-kick game to speak of, either.
Second, He doesn’t quite have that pull-up ability like, say, a Joe Johnson. It’s either spot-up or all-the-way-to-the-rim. Now, I’m no fan of mid-range jumpers, but #1 options must have the ability to find space and drain them, if need be.
Third, he has trouble posting up. Think about all the 2s in the league who are the focal points of their teams’ offenses. Almost all of those guys have the ability to back a defender in, turn around and hit a fadeaway. Seen Gordon do that lately?
He’s only 21 years old. He’ll expand his game. But EJ isn’t there yet.
bongstradamus Reply:
February 10th, 2010 at 1:39 pm
Theres not very many dominant 2′s in the game. They are almost as rare as true centers.
EJ’s got a great set of skills and is still growing. Whether he can turn the corner and become part of the elite is really the question. I have faith in the little guy, but theres always the chance that he becomes just another long range gunner. Theres very few 2′s that can play like JJ, Ty Evans, Mayo or Kobe.
I’m hoping EJ can be a player like Ray Allen.
Frank H Reply:
February 10th, 2010 at 1:41 pm
Thanks for the insight. Makes a lot of sense- hopefully will be able to improve yearly. While it makes sense that he isn’t the #1 option, I was thinking of just a couple of more shot attempts per game; not a whole-scale change, just tinkering. Maybe they could run two or three more sets a game with him as the primary option.
Posted on February 10th, 2010 at 11:23 am
Nice analysis… the amazing thing is that this was probably the worst the Jazz offense has looked during this 9 game win streak.
Posted on February 10th, 2010 at 12:18 pm
I love that Kim Hughes says the team needs to get in shape. Thus inferring a) dunleavy sucks and b) kin Hughes sucks (dude you were an assistant, you couldn’t affect that the team wasn’t in top physical condition?)
Get a new coach. I’d like to suggest the drunken Billy bob bad news bears Thornton.
benoit benjamin's two left shoes Reply:
February 10th, 2010 at 2:10 pm
I think you misinterpreted what Hughes said. If you want to be a 7 seconds or less Phoenix or Golden State-type team, you better work on conditioning over all else in training camp, and start on Day 1. If you have primarily a half-court set offense (which most successful teams do), you spend training camp working on X’s and O’s, weight training, etc. as well as conditioning. Put another way — do you think wide receivers have the same training camp regimen as offensive lineman?
You can’t switch from a set offense to D’Antoni ball mid-season without expecting your guys to keel over from exhaustion.
Posted on February 10th, 2010 at 1:34 pm
Why is mardy Collins getting playing time over R. Butler in the 4th. Don’t blame Kaman blame the coaching. With a 4 point lead in the 4th why not stick with butler or bring in Novak at least those guys keep the other team from double teaming. But Collins does not give us anything.
Posted on February 10th, 2010 at 3:19 pm
Hey Kevin,
On the ESPN Los Angeles page they have a depth chart on the clippers where they have Sebastian Telfair as the backup SF and no mention of Al Thornton.
Someone needs to have a chat with the webmaster methinks.
Posted on February 10th, 2010 at 4:43 pm
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