Michigan State’s Pressure Release Play

In a recent NTL Boston Advanced Clinic, we set-up a high 1-4 offense to introduce players to the “UCLA cut”. The point guard passes the ball to the wing and then cuts off a high post screen to the block. That cut is the UCLA cut. We talked about the issue of getting the ball to the wing if the defender was overplaying there. What to do? What to do? Here’s what we said:

“Bounce pass it to the high post and on the catch, the wing goes backdoor to get a bounce pass for the score. This ‘pressure release’ play is a play that has been around a long time and it’s one that teams like to use coming out of a time-out, if the other team has been overplaying or are all jacked up, for some reason. You make them pay for taking away your pass to the wing.”

So, there I was last night, watching the Michigan State/Carolina game in the 2nd round of The Tournament. Carolina, of course, is pressuring Drew Neitzel and all the other Spartans everywhere and, then, time-out with about 2:30 left in the first half. Feeling somewhat drugged from the previous six hours of watching hoops, I open one eye to see MSU go 1-4, bounce pass to the high post, bounce pass to the cutting wing backdoor for the score. I wanted to email and phone everyone in the clinic and say, “did you see that? Did you see that? That’s how it works!” Instead, I high-fived my wife, low-pawed the dog, got back into the game. State ran the same play at least three more times, all with varying degrees of success (and with an eventual new wrinkle or two). That play brought to mind the Michigan State/Princeton match-up in the first round of the NCAA’s in 1998 when Michigan State turned the table on The Tigers, and in the process totally demoralized them, beat them at their own game, by scoring off that same high post pressure release play backdoor for the last play of the half.

“The One-Handed Off-the-Dribble Pass”

When I was a kid, going to camps and clinics, being coached on teams in school, CYO, and college, even learning the game by listening to pros and former pros (Cousy, Twyman, Russell) commentate on network tv, there were certain things that were considered no-nos: “going one-on-one”, cross-court passes, dribbling or “bringing the ball down” while in the post, one-handed passes. These were givens, cardinal rules: you did not break them. Gradually, students of the game noticed that certain players broke these rules and got away with, even flourished by breaking them. Players copied what the great players were doing and managed to be successful. Coaches then adapted. Take the one-handed pass. The problem with a one-handed pass was, and is, the wind-up. Again, as a kid, you were told not to do it because it “telegraphed” it, i.e., gave it away. The defense, because of the big(ger) wind-up has a chance to read it and react to it, then steal or deflect the pass. Gradually, and I don’t know who started it, but John Stockton was a major practitioner and Greg Anthony favored it as well, players would snap off quick, short wind-up, off-the-dribble one-handed passes. Typically they were made when defense wasn’t near in position to make a steal and typically it was on the break. Or from the top of the key: “DJ to Bird!” Of course, these days, Steve Nash is the player seen utilizing this most. He does it in the half-court on pick and rolls, he does it on the break. The technique: dribble the ball slightly backward and, simultaneous to that backward dribble step forward with the same or corresponding foot. As that foot is landing, the ball should be as far back as it’s going to go (not far, remember, quick, short wind-up) and then a snap quick baseball type pass, but with only a half wind-up at most. Don’t throw sidearm or put sidespin on the ball. Get your hand behind it and fire it quick! Snap it! Remember this: a big wind-up, one-handed pass is STILL a NO-NO!

“The Backdoor Cut Pass”

When there’s a backdoor cut or about to be a backdoor cut, the cutter and the passer need to be in concert. The cutter reads the defender and starts setting up the defender for the unpleasant experience of giving up an easy lay-up and the passer has to recognize what is going on, the carnage that’s about to be wreaked. Remember: it’s all about deception. The cutter looks like he’s coming out to get the ball or coming to the ball to get it. The passer looks like he’s gonna deliver it. If you’re NOT dribbling, with two hands on the ball step (just as you would if you were passing) in the direction of where you would pass, faking a one-hand push pass. The cutter puts her hands up as if to receive. The MOMENT the cutter changes direction, not when they’re half way to the basket, but the MOMENT the change of direction happens, you flick off a bounce pass. If the passer is dribbling, and since dribbling obviously occurs with just one hand, there is no fake, and the pass is made one-handed, a la Nash, a la Stockton. Allah be praised! The bounce pass resembles and presents itself as a long dribble gone to the receiver just beyond the reach and attention of the hapless defender.

“What Exactly Does an Extra Pass Look Like?”

Passing and making the extra pass (and, if you think about it, shooting) is often a function of knowing what you will do with the ball even before you catch it. This, of course, requires good vision, both in the physical and in the mystical sense. If you believe that offensive basketball means finding the best shot for your team, you will be searching for that even before you catch, even before you get on the floor. This requires knowing what the weak side looks like, it requires that you be aware of your screener when you come off the screen, and it requires making the extra pass in a two-on-one, rather than turning it into a one-on-one. It’s simple: can you make a pass to someone who is more open than you and in scoring position? And, are you ready to do that? Head up, see the floor, ready to pass before you catch.

“Make the Extra Pass”

Passing is more important than shooting. An oversimplification? Yes. But a good group of passers who aren’t great shooters will still fare well because with good passing, they would eventually find a good shot, or a shot that even a not-so-good shooter would make. On the other hand, a good group of shooters who are not good passers won’t get good shots. Eventually that team will break down, alienate one another to the point that the game will degenerate into one big argument amongst team members and eventually someone, probably the guy who brought the ball, will say, “I’m goin’ home”. Basketball is movement, player movement and ball movement. The idea is to move and in moving, manipulate and tire the defense. When readying yourself to shoot - and even before - you should have in your mind and in your eye: is there someone somewhere on my team, who is more open the I am? “Nice pass” (along with “good hustle” and “good d”) are the sweetest words one can hear on the basketball court.

“The Art of the Outlet Pass”

You and your team want to score, and you want to score as easily as possible as often as possible. The best way to do that? Fast break basketball. Once your team has established the mentality to run, the next step is to change — transition — from defense to offense as quickly as you can. Can your team change more players from defense to offense than the opposing team from offense to defense? That’s the tussle. It all begins with the outlet pass. The rebounder should rebound with both hands or at least have two hands on it before he hits the floor. While still in the air, before hitting the floor, the rebounder should be turning his or her head, to the outside of the court, toward the sideline, where, hopefully, the point guard is yelling “outlet”. The passing arm elbow should be out and back and the ball gripped tightly in front of the armpit. At the moment of impact between feet and floor, there should be a strong step in the direction the pass is to be made and the pass should fire out. I’m thinking Russell; I’m thinking Embry; I’m thinking Cowens, and Bill Walton, too. They often made that same pass, with similar technique, but before even landing! You can, too!

“The Beauty of Ball Reversal”

If when playing offense, your team did the same thing over and over again, you would find no success, especially if there was no movement of players or of the ball. Moving the ball makes the defense move and moving defenses are defenses that get tired. The best place to move the ball is from one side of the court to the other, from wing to wing. This gives you the optimal angle/angles into the post and maximizes the territory the ball covers; it makes defense take away certain things, too. By moving the ball and making the defense commit to taking something away, it always leaves another “look” open. That is the essence of team offensive basketball.

“The Two Player Game”

In the last “Tip”, the idea of “relocating” after feeding the post was discussed. It’s automatic: you have to move after you dump the ball in. This creates the “Two Player Game”. Like the “pick-and-roll” or “give-and-go”, it’s standard and simple: just two players involved. In fact, much of offensive basketball synthesizes to that: a separating out of players to lend simplicity and manageability to what is going on out there. Who, unless you are Gary Kasparov, can keep track of the movements of more than two or three things at once? Isolate the post feeder and post player and feed and relocate and get the ball back from the post and pass it in again if you have to. Make a five-on-five into a two-on-two. It’s effective and a lot of fun (especially if you’re one of the two).

“Relocate on the Post Feed”

As soon as you feed the post, here’s what happens: your defender, like a dog who’s looking for a stick you’ve thrown, turns his head and moves in the direction of your toss (post pass). So, while looking for the ball, the defender only knows only one thing: where you were when you passed the ball. Which leads me to the point of this Tip: after passing the ball, RELOCATE! Make sure you go somewhere; don’t stay where you were when you dumped the ball in. There are two possible directives that will help you decide where to relocate. 1) Go to the best open space away from the defender - maybe the corner if the defender has dropped to the middle, or the middle if the “d” drops baseline, 2) Cut behind the head of the defender, most players not having eyes back there, you know?

“The Skip Pass”

Little kid basketball players all run at the ball; their parents and aunts and uncles, grown-up neighbors and friends –let’s call them “recreational players” - all cut to and clog the middle. This is what happens, this is what infects our gyms, and this is the bane of the basketball coach. However, we are here to say, if running at the ball and clogging the middle - poor spacing - is the poison, the skip pass is the antidote. (If not available, try the sweet elixir, dribble-reverse.) Of course, every passer, in this instance, “the skip passer”, needs someone to pass to. Here someone, anyone, has to step back when he or she is on the “weak-side”, the side opposite the side that has the ball (“ball side”). If the ball is on the right wing, say, almost to that sideline, be a basketball genius and establish a weak-side presence by stepping back to the sideline opposite the ball. Put both hands up in the air over your head. This 1) gives your teammate – the potential skip passer - a target and 2) draws the defense out of the middle and out toward you because you, with your hands up in the air look like, um, you want the ball. (“Better get out there and guard him.”) Technique to the skip pass? Ball up over your head in two hands, elbows out at 30 degrees, without bringing the ball too far behind your head, snap a pass that does not spin, does not float, apex ten to twelve feet off the ground, and propels heroically to its appointed home. Watch the defense run. Watch the defense tire. Watch the defense lose concentration, the will, the capacity to compete and continue.