(Photo by Gary Bassing/NBAE via Getty Images)
The Miami Heat were eliminated from the NBA Cup, losing to the Orlando Magic 108-117 in the quarterfinals. There is never a single reason for a loss, but shooting 45% from the field and 8 for 33 from beyond the arc surely didn’t help.
NBA geek community, me included, marveled at Erik Spoelstra’s new high-octane no-screens offense. But the Magic exposed its main flow. When the only option to create offensive advantage is off the dribble, with the offense stagnant and no screens, players tend to over-dribble against decent defenders. And the Magic’s defenders are more than respectable.
Jamahl Mosley’s Game plan wasn’t too complicated: No over-help from the wing defenders, just stunts; sagging one-on-one coverage, without getting beaten off the dribble (easier said than done, but the Magic have the right personnel), and late paint help by Carter and Bitadze - only when the heat drivers commit for the lay-up. As a result, the primary weapon of every drive and kick offense - the kick for a 3-point shot - was denied. The ball didn’t move, and the Magic’s defense didn’t have to commit long closeouts. Most of the Heat’s shots were tough, off the dribble, and contested. You can watch some examples yourself in the video below.
Kel’el Ware, the Heat’s 2nd year center, had a rough night in an otherwise fine season. He scored only 4 points and had only 1 field goal - Ware dunked off a ball screen. One of Ware’s most effective moves last season was converting ball screens to points as a screener. Per Synergy, he scored 160 points as a screener in the pick and roll, with 1.203 points per possession. This year, Ware scores at an even better rate - 1.556 per ball screen - but has posted only 14 points in 25 games. The Heat’s new offense just doesn’t use ball screens, and Ware has to score off offensive rebounds, cutting behind the defense, or shooting from the perimeter. But why not use such an excellent downhill cutter out of ball screens? Watch: Ware converts a rare pick-and-roll action into a dunk
On Monday, The Athletic published a long piece, raving about the Heat’s offense. Noah LaRoche, who was the mastermind behind the Memphis Grizzlies’ Wheel/no screens offense as their assistant last season, and this year a consultant to Erik Spoelstra, said the following about ball screens: “All the ball screen is, is a combination of that: Someone’s going to cut off that screen, or someone’s going to drive off that screen. So, what’s more efficient: To just drive the ball to the paint, or cut to the paint, or to screen and then get a drive or cut to the paint? And what does the screen give the defense? It gives you more time. I’m dribbling the ball, waiting, giving two, three seconds for a screen to come.”With all due respect, that’s not accurate, to say the least. First, there’s very little cutting in the Heat’s offense. In most possessions, someone drives to the basket, i.e, dribbles, and then the other four players move accordingly - mostly to create space or relocate for a pass. There are some diagonal cuts and baseline cuts, but ball screens create downhill cutting that this offense lacks.Furthermore, ball screens force opposing centers to move away from the paint area, out of their comfort zone. It forces double coverage, which in turn leads to a 4:3/3:2 advantage. And guess what? Trailing in the 4th quarter, and in need of quick points, the Heat abandoned their offense and started using ball screens. Is it a sign of an imminent change, or at least some tactical flexibility? You can watch for yourselves the ball screens in the video below: