12-27-2019, 07:55 AM
On the national television broadcast from TNT they commented in some detail on the way the Mavs use Kristaps Porzingis offensively, particularly the relatively lack of inside play or 'Post up play'. The remarks were replied to directly by Rick Carlisle Carlisle responds about the post up after a reporter referenced the criticism that aired on the National Broadcast.
While acknowledging respect for Coach Carlisle, a coach with an NBA championship on his resume and respected as a top coach in the NBA around the league, the remarks got pretty, pretty sharp at points from Barkley, Shaq and even Kenny respectfully criticized the general way Porzingis offense is being used saying the ratio of inside shots, close to the basket should be more like 7 to 3 inside vs 3 pointers rather than the reverse it seems to often be now.
https://youtu.be/L1UzpWZgu_Q?t=767 - Inside The NBA | Charles & Shaq "strong reacts": Mavericks 102-98 Spurs, Jazz
Its all part of the bigger trends in NBA offense, guard dominated vs center dominated, 3-point revolution etc.
My general thought is Rick is right overall about the trends of the league and the facts bear that out especially when we talk about post up play and its massive decline across the league.
On the other hand I do agree somewhat that there is a problem evident sometimes in the way some coaches, Rick Carlisle included, skew perimeter offense even at times where inside play from big men would make much more sense.
The massive case in point came just the other day when the Mavericks rotations and offense blew a massive late game 30 point lead to go into the history books as one of the worst blown leads of all time in the league.
In fact the Mavericks as a franchise have some history for blowing these massive leads. It may well have to do with fact that several Mavs coaches and Mavs teams have tended to be perimeter oriented and lacked high percentage reliable inside big men scoring which can help stabilize offensive spurts and preserve leads against counter runs.
That said there's no denying that Carlisle is right about post up play in general The Post-up Is Deader Than Dead in the NBA
Where the discussion and disagreement might be misleading regarding the Mavs and Porzingis is that it wasn't necessarily just about Post up play but about getting baskets that are close to the basket. As Shaq said, shots close to the basket are simply higher percentage.
Rick Carlisle has other ways of getting those shots for KP however including many of his great rim runs, slashes, rolls leading to dunks and great finishes.
Another good point Barkley made is that its not as though Porzingis and many other big men are shooting the great 40% 3 range and in fact sometimes the % is quite low. So its worth questioning if perhaps a few of those shots would have been better taken inside, and maybe drawing a foul as well.
Then on the other hand again, when suddenly KP drains 3 3's in a row it can help blow a game open quickly.
In terms of the 1/2 court offense however, this debate will continue no doubt and be fun to watch especially since the Mavericks have a some of the biggest BIG men in the league and a unicorn star at 7'3" with a size (length anyway) advantage to exploit almost every night.
While acknowledging respect for Coach Carlisle, a coach with an NBA championship on his resume and respected as a top coach in the NBA around the league, the remarks got pretty, pretty sharp at points from Barkley, Shaq and even Kenny respectfully criticized the general way Porzingis offense is being used saying the ratio of inside shots, close to the basket should be more like 7 to 3 inside vs 3 pointers rather than the reverse it seems to often be now.
https://youtu.be/L1UzpWZgu_Q?t=767 - Inside The NBA | Charles & Shaq "strong reacts": Mavericks 102-98 Spurs, Jazz
Its all part of the bigger trends in NBA offense, guard dominated vs center dominated, 3-point revolution etc.
My general thought is Rick is right overall about the trends of the league and the facts bear that out especially when we talk about post up play and its massive decline across the league.
On the other hand I do agree somewhat that there is a problem evident sometimes in the way some coaches, Rick Carlisle included, skew perimeter offense even at times where inside play from big men would make much more sense.
The massive case in point came just the other day when the Mavericks rotations and offense blew a massive late game 30 point lead to go into the history books as one of the worst blown leads of all time in the league.
Quote:It ended up being the biggest comeback in franchise history for the Raptors, who trailed by 30 points late in the third quarter. According to ESPN Stats & Information research, it was the first 30-point comeback by an NBA team in a regular-season game in a decade
In fact the Mavericks as a franchise have some history for blowing these massive leads. It may well have to do with fact that several Mavs coaches and Mavs teams have tended to be perimeter oriented and lacked high percentage reliable inside big men scoring which can help stabilize offensive spurts and preserve leads against counter runs.
That said there's no denying that Carlisle is right about post up play in general The Post-up Is Deader Than Dead in the NBA
Quote:the post-up is much deader now than five years ago. Since the 2014-15 season, the leaguewide post-up rate has been cut nearly in half, down to just 4.7 percent of possessions thus far in 2019-20.
Where the discussion and disagreement might be misleading regarding the Mavs and Porzingis is that it wasn't necessarily just about Post up play but about getting baskets that are close to the basket. As Shaq said, shots close to the basket are simply higher percentage.
Rick Carlisle has other ways of getting those shots for KP however including many of his great rim runs, slashes, rolls leading to dunks and great finishes.
Another good point Barkley made is that its not as though Porzingis and many other big men are shooting the great 40% 3 range and in fact sometimes the % is quite low. So its worth questioning if perhaps a few of those shots would have been better taken inside, and maybe drawing a foul as well.
Then on the other hand again, when suddenly KP drains 3 3's in a row it can help blow a game open quickly.
In terms of the 1/2 court offense however, this debate will continue no doubt and be fun to watch especially since the Mavericks have a some of the biggest BIG men in the league and a unicorn star at 7'3" with a size (length anyway) advantage to exploit almost every night.