Basketball Tournament Pressure
By: Dick DeVenzio
Of course this makes these games a lot more fun to watch. And this year, especially, there are probably more "bubble" teams than ever before, so a lot of the tournament games are going to have that special intensity, even in early rounds.
During the next few weeks, many games will likely go "down to the wire," adding to the pressure the players feel and of course adding to the interest we as fans feel.
Here are some points which I think are the most interesting to think about -- and learn from -- at the end of big, close games:
1. The stars usually take the shots near the end, and they almost always move to their right on the way to taking those shots. What does that tell you about how to play defense when you find yourself in those situations? Force left, force left, force left. Even when a player starts to the left, he or she is very likely to come back to the right before shooting. (Of course the opposite is true if one of the stars is left-handed.)
2. The team that is ahead near the end always wants to make the other team earn their points and use up time. The one thing a team with the lead does NOT want to do is stop the clock and let the other team score uncontested shots (free throws). So, when you're playing with the lead, not only should you not foul, but you should -- at every opportunity, over and over again -- remind your teammates not to foul.
3. The team that is behind near the end ought to understand their opponent's desire not to foul and, consequently, should take the ball to the hoop and challenge the defense. Watch during the conference tournaments and during the NCAA playoffs how many players will shoot fadeaways and long, off-balance shots when they should be concentrating on going to the hoop, even risking a charge.
4. Many teams that are losing know that their opponents want to use up time before shooting the ball; therefore they can apply more than usual pressure and get away with steal-attempts and denial defense because the offensive team isn't really looking to take advantage of defensive mistakes during the first 20 seconds on the shot clock. This should be "pressure time" for defenders, but notice how many defenders are passive at this time, just staying between their man and the basket, as though it's early in the game. This is BAD basketball. When you have an opportunity to apply extra pressure without much fear of having to pay for mistakes, then apply that pressure big-time! Many players on offense will be nervous near the end of a pressure game and they will be inclined to make mistakes if -- a very big IF -- you give them the opportunity to make mistakes by applying a lot of pressure.
5. Notice the tendency of losing teams to start throwing up 3-pointers -- prayers! -- long before it is necessary. To get back in a game, the important thing is to get scores and then stops on defense, not to just "hope for luck" by going one-on-one and launching long shots. Take a few extra seconds, run your offense, challenge the defense and look for inside "gimmes;" then stop your opponent at the other end. That's the key to making comebacks. There's nothing wrong with taking 3-pointers, but not off one-on-one moves or off perimeter passes that allow hands in the shooters' faces. Threaten to score inside and then take 3's if they come open. Too many teams forget to threaten or to seek the inside gimmes and just try to launch from far out. This is usually a mistake.
6. Referees are quick to blow the whistle near the end of pressure games, because their job is to control the game, and they know that many teams will foul "intentionally" to stop the clock and to send the other team to the line, where hopefully their free throw shooters will choke under the pressure. But... In case your team has a good pressure defense, you don't want the referees to be blowing the quick whistle near the end. You want chances to trap and to force turnovers; but you may not get those chances unless you tell the referees that you do NOT plan to foul. Watch the tournament games and the NCAA playoffs -- especially if you can go to some games personally and observe what the TV cameras may fail to show. Most pressing teams forget to talk to the referees after time-outs and just before free throws. But you have to talk to them if you want to avoid those quick whistles. You have to remind the refs that you plan to pressure without fouling. Sure, they may still call you for a foul, but they will at least call what they see normally, rather than with the quick whistle they use during known fouling situations.
7. Finally, when teams are holding for a last shot, as they often do before the half, or at the end of tied games, watch how easy it would be to double the star so he or she has to get rid of the ball, and then to overplay so the star can't get the ball back in the last few seconds. It doesn't make sense to just let the stars dribble away the time until they are ready to make a play. The best teams don't allow other teams to do what they want. But watch how many teams are passive at just these times when they ought to be active.
For more incredible insights and ideas from Dick DeVenzio, check out these books below:
If you want to see the best basketball on TV in the next couple of weeks, watch the tournaments of conferences that traditionally never get any at-large selections. Those teams are under no illusions. They know they must win their tournament or they turn in their uniforms for the year. For those teams, the tournament games have the same importance as NCAA Tournament games. It's a single-elimination state of urgency from the opening tap; and the intensity level is usually noticeably higher than games during the regular season.
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