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How Role Players Succeed

In N.B.A. Basketball by Brock Bourgase

Richard Jefferson comments on how he adjusted to his role with the Cleveland Cavaliers: “I knew I only could control what I could control. I‘m not a guy that they‘re going to call plays for; I‘m not a guy that they‘re going to run anything for. So I was just like, ‘Richard, just rebound the ball like crazy. Rebound the ball, run the floor, play defense, get on the floor for any loose ball.‘ […] That‘s what I can control, and then try to get shots & try to do some extra things.” Jefferson didn‘t let his limited offensive role …

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Recovery & Regeneration in the Playoffs

In Sports by Brock Bourgase

As the regular season concludes, the Toronto Blue Jays and their fans are wondering whether they should go the extra mile in order to ensure that they surpass the Kansas City Royals in the standings and earn home field advantage throughout the World Series. Manager John Gibbons is making his first appearance in the playoffs and needs to make a good impression but he must be careful not to push too hard. There remain viable arguments as to why the team should try to finish first, featuring their improved hitting at home, but I do not think that home field …

Being Tony Allen

In N.B.A. Basketball by Brock Bourgase

Guarding Klay Thompson and the rest of the Golden State Warriors, Tony Allen has demonstrated tenacious effort and modelled solid defensive skills for younger players to follow. The Grizzlies have played competitively so far and forced the N.B.A.’s highest scoring team into some poor shooting performances. Guarding the Ballhandler: Allen turns Thompson to the left and keeps his hands active. However, he is not riding his man or reaching down. Instead, Allen reaches for the ball between Thompson’s hand and the floor. He pops it loose from below as it is on the way up, avoiding a foul. Allen is able to tip it …

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2014 Finals Preview

In N.B.A. Basketball by Brock Bourgase

On the first day of training camp, Gregg Popovich screened the entirety of San Antonio’s Game 6 overtime loss to Miami in the 2013 Finals. He wanted the team to “park it” and forget about any lingering doubts: Kawhi Leonard’s missed free throw, the offensive rebounds or a play that would have made a difference had it unfolded otherwise. If the process behind the 2012-13 season was solid than they would live with the outcome. From that moment onwards, there was no hangover that could jeopardize the season. Now, as the rematch approaches, the hard fought loss has galvanized Spurs’ …

Every Play Counts

In N.B.A. Basketball by Brock Bourgase

The intensity of playoff basketball manifests itself in the significance of each play. A team cannot take a play off without consequences – ranging from points which impact the final margin, a change in momentum that triggers a critical run or a lasting impression that defines a reputation. In both N.B.A. Conference Finals, the team that won the first game has lost the most recent contest because all four teams have altered how they have approached every play at either end of the court. Initiative, collaboration and attention to detail have triumphed almost all of the time. It is not …

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Can OKC Win without Serge Ibaka?

In N.B.A. Basketball by Brock Bourgase

On the eve of the Western Conference Championship series, the announcement that forward Serge Ibaka would miss the remainder of the playoffs was an inauspicious announcement for the Oklahoma City Thunder. Although the number two seed behind the San Antonio Spurs, the team possessed a certain edge, evidenced by their win in the 2012 Conference Final and a 4-0 sweep of the season series this year. The explosive athleticism of Kevin Durant, Russell Westbrook and Ibaka was a factor that the experience and execution of the Spurs could never match. Despite a seemingly insurmountable obstacle, the Thunder can still win, …

Adjustments and Offensive Execution in the Playoffs

In N.B.A. Basketball by Brock Bourgase

Playoffs progressing from the Second Round to the Conference Finals mean that the level of play in the N.B.A. gets higher and higher. Especially in the Western Conference, every team is very talented and winning and losing hinges on minute defense. Everyone knows each other’s sets so good defenses will strive to eliminate the primary option; great defenses will take away more than that so it becomes incumbent upon the offense to identify the open man and move the ball to them, institute new wrinkles that counter the counter and utilize evolving and improving athletic talents as they develop. Always …

Game 7: The Last Three Possessions of the Season

In N.B.A. Basketball by Brock Bourgase

Towards the end of their 104-103 loss to the Nets in Game 7, the Raptors ran three different A.T.O. sets to attempt to narrow the score. The first two were productive, creating layups for Kyle Lowry and Terrence Ross whereas the final play resulted in a blocked shot in the paint. The spacing of the alignment as the ball was inbounded was diverse and it influenced the quality of the shots that the team attempted. 3rd Last Play: Down 102-99, 22.5 seconds left. Extending a well-known San Antonio Spurs SOB for the length of the entire court offers a mixed …

Game 6: A Series of Unfortunate Events

In N.B.A. Basketball by Brock Bourgase

No to belabour the point, but I wanted to look at two plays: one from Game 5 that shows DeMar DeRozan receiving the ball as he curls towards the hoop and finishing in the paint and another from Game 6 when a Kyle Lowry fade away three point shot proves to be an outlet pass for Alan Anderson.Although Toronto has strong guard play, it is imperative that all other players on the court play a concrete role in constructing a successful possession. When other players are bystanders, it enables Brooklyn to close the paint and force tough shots. Game 5: …

Game 5: Highs and Lows

In N.B.A. Basketball by Brock Bourgase

Leading a seven game playoff series against the Brooklyn Nets, the Toronto Raptors are fortunate because they can say that they have not yet played a fundamentally sound forty-eight minutes but still have two chances to win the series. Since Game 1, the team has improved their execution at both ends of the floor but the forty-four point comeback allowed in the fourth quarter of Game 3 shows that there is still room to improve. The Raptors must remember what they need to do well and go back to those core objectives when the Nets respond and the game tightens …

Games 3 and 4: Two Good Plays, Two Bad Plays

In N.B.A. Basketball by Brock Bourgase

To summarize the weekend split that Toronto gained in Brooklyn over the weekend, I wanted to focus on two things that the Raptors should continue to emphasize and two things of which they must remain mindful. Certainly, it was an uneven performance, featuring a fruitful outcome (regaining home court advantage) but lacking a consistent process (reducing errors at both ends of the floor). Toronto Must Feed their Bigs: If the Raptors will maintain their size advantage, they must make the Nets pay by going inside early and often. Paul Pierce does not want to play physically with Amir Johnson and …

Game 2: Improving Toronto’s Screen and Roll Game

In N.B.A. Basketball by Brock Bourgase

When all five players are involved in a screen and roll, the defense cannot simply collapse and play the drive and the roll. Passing lanes open, space in the paint expands and high percentage scoring chances develop. The increased movement also permits those away from the ball to crash the offensive glass. In Game 1 of the playoff series, Brooklyn was able to blitz Toronto’s ball screens and limit their passing chances. down 1-0, the home team performed much better in Game 2 at the offensive end (when they did not turn the ball over as a result of an …

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Game 1: Hopes for the Remainder of the Series

In N.B.A. Basketball by Brock Bourgase

Since the Toronto Raptors have made the playoffs after a six year drought, fans want them to do well so a lacklustre fourth quarter and a copious moments that can be most optimistically linked to inexperience was frustrating. It’s not that beating the Brooklyn Nets in a playoff series is an impossible dream but that there is a way the series must unfold for Toronto to win whereas other storylines may better suit Brooklyn.

Protect the Rim

In N.B.A. Basketball by Brock Bourgase

Not only did the outcome (a buzzer beater to win the game) suggest that Indiana should have defended Miami’s last shot differently but the process behind the Pacers defense was also flawed. Michael Jordan may have said that he would force LeBron James to the left (however, I think that he would have cut him off before the rim). The zone shooing percentage of the Heat players suggested that the Pacers should have used 7’ Roy Hibbert, helped from anyone but Ray Allen or double-teamed the ball to force LeBron to pull-up or pass. Indiana could not have been surprised …

Good Shooters

In N.B.A. Basketball by Brock Bourgase

Don’t give a great shooter time and space to get a good shot off and don’t help off a great shooter and let them take an open shot. It seems as if the Lakers had not read the scouting report – as not only did Metta World Peace give Kevin Durant enough room to do whatever he wanted but left other viable options like James Harden and Russell Westbrook open – but were unaware of the time and the score. World Peace could have lowered Durant’s shooting percentage by making him dribble and rush a shot, or, even better, made …

What Metta Saw

In N.B.A. Basketball by Brock Bourgase

Given the time (five seconds running down), space (defender six feet away, not looking) and difficulty of the pass (open passing lane), hitting Steve Blake was Metta World Peace’s best option. Unfortunately, Blake didn’t hit the shot like Steve Kerr or John Paxson did.  The lob to Andrew Bynum or skip to Bryant (who had turned his back to the inbounder) would have required challenging passes.