Cancelling Dominoes
Controlling Penetration to Stay Out of Rotations
Playing beautiful basketball requires players to be unselfish with making the extra pass, utilizing correct spacing to manipulate defenders’ positioning, and capitalizing on a scrambling, frantically rotating defense by attacking bad closeouts.Beautiful basketball is seen when the pass moves faster than defensive rotaitons. Ross McMains has brilliantly painted this picture of a scrambling, frantically rotating defense, at the mercy of beautiful basketball, as a defense in “Dominoes.” If offense’s goal is get defense in rotations or as Ross McMains says, “getting a defense in Dominoes,” then defense’s goal is to stay out of rotations by controlling penetration. There is a sure formula for cancelling Dominoes, enabling your defense to successfully stay out of rotations. Winning defensive possessions requires great conditioning, toughness and communication, coupled with exceptional on-ball defense and knowing when, where, and how to rotate when a closeout is attacked . Our number one goal in any defensive possession is to stay out of rotations as much as possible by controlling penetration. How is this done?
1. Controlling the Ball 1v1
On every defensive possession, “defense must be ready to play defense, before the offense is ready to play offense.” (quote by Liam Flynn). Sounds too simple right? How you defend the ball is the most crucial cornerstone to your team defense because if you can not control the ball you are forced to rotate and defensive rotations opens up a team to Dominoes. If you can not control the ball you can not scheme, if you do not control the ball you give up shots at the rim, open catch and shoot shots or you will foul in the process. Below are my three Key Performance Indicators for controlling the ball 1v1.
a. Chest to Chest- The on-ball defender’s basketball posture should be organic in that we let the defender come to his own stance, but we want the defender’s head lower than the offense’s head. The low man wins! With chest to chest positioning we want to take away the ball’s level of comfort with ball pressure and hand pressure. The goal of being chest to chest is to control the first dribble by winning the first dribble, always keeping defender’s chest in between the ball and the basket. The number one goal with controlling the ball 1v1 is to take away a straight driving line.
b. The Bubble- Our pick-up point is the 4 point line and the “Bubble” is the space in between the defender and ball-handler. We want the on-ball defender to give the perception that they are close-enough-to-touch the ball-handler. The defender gives this perception with his “stick-hand,” the inside arm extended to measure his distance to the ball. The “stick-hand” determines how large or small the on-ball defender’s Bubble will be based on the offense’s personnel. The “stick-hand” is also critical to applying hand pressure to the ball-handler. The “stick-hand” should be over the shot pocket when defending the shot and the “stick-hand” should be down when defending the drive. The non “stick-hand” should apply secondary hand pressure by being active in passing lanes.
c. Feet outside Feet- The stance of the on-ball defender should result in his feet being outside the ball-handler’s feet. This means the ball should always be inside the defender’s feet and this also means that the defender is in chest to chest positioning. Having “feet outside feet” will contribute to our goal of on-ball defense not giving up straight line drives by winning the first dribble. Anytime the ball and ball-handler gets outside the defender’s feet, it’s the on-ball defender’s cue to hip-turn and mini-sprint to re-establish his chest to chest, feet outside feet positioning. We specifically teach a hip-turn and mini-sprint to re-establish on-ball defense’s bubble as oppose to a drop-step and slide. “Opening the door” with a drop-step and slide is a sure method to allowing a straight line drive.
2. Closeout Tactics
Decision-making in a closeout is an undertaught skill. I suggest we teach tactics before we teach technique because the tactical decision a defender makes on a closeout will determine their technique. Closeout tactics are determined by teaching the defender how to read the catch and skillset of the offensive player they are closing out. What is the goal of a closeout and the primary decisions in the closeout? 1. No catch and shoot shots in rhythm. We want no eye-ball shots. These are shots taken right in front of the defender’s face. 2. No blow-by’s on a straight line drives. The closeout MUST win the first dribble! In order to decipher tactical decisions in the closeout we give players three types of techniques for their closeouts.
a. Curry Closeout-The tactical decisions in this closeout will determine the technique of how to close a shooter or a non-driver. On a Curry Closeout the defender must close to a smaller bubble to allow no eye-ball shots. To end the closeout, the defender will not chop his feet as in a ‘textbook’ closeout, but will sprint to the shooter with the first two steps being long and explosive, arriving in a stride stop with the stick-hand up. If a defender ends a Curry Closeout with short, choppy steps to a larger bubble, the shot will not be adequately contested, resulting in an eye-ball shots. When the shot is contested the defender should be the second to leave the floor, being foul-disciplined in case there is a shot fake.
b. Rondo Closeout- The tactical decision in this closeout will determine the technique of how to close a driver or a non-shooter. On a Rondo Closeout the defender must close to a larger bubble to give space to win the first dribble. To end the closeout, the defender will apply a ‘textbook’ closeout with short, choppy steps, arriving to the larger bubble with stick-hand down. If a defender sprints into a smaller bubble with long explosive steps as in a Curry Closeout, a blow-by drive will be imminent.
c. Kobe Closeout- The tactical decision in this closeout is the most difficult because a Kobe Closeout is against a scorer, a player that is a shooter and a driver. The technique in this closeout will result in the defender closing to his stick-hand over the shot pocket to not allow an eye-ball shot and being ready to mini-sprint, anticipating winning the first dribble on the drive. To end the closeout, the defender will stride stop, arriving chest to chest with feet outside feet.
3. Your Position is Your Help
How defenders are positioned one-pass away from the ball will contribute to controlling the ball 1v1, which leads to defense staying out of rotations and not allowing the first dominoe to fall. We want one-pass away defenders to be in shallow defensive triangles, playing above their man by getting height on their man. Getting height is a phrase Fortnite gamers use to gain advantage over their opponents by getting to the high ground first. This visual of playing above their man by being higher in position on the court is how we want our defenders playing the one pass away gap. Getting height enables off-ball defenders to play on the passing line, up the passing line, shrinking the floor and taking offenses’s space. Getting height enables off-ball defenders positioning to provide immediate help to the on-ball defender the moment the on-ball defender loses control of the ball-handler. This is why your position is your help.
Why get height and play above your man when in one-pass away defensive positioning?
a. Shrinks the driving gap- We want the ball-handler to not only feel the pressure from the on-ball defender but feel his space being crowded by the defenders one pass away. Sandy Brondello, Head Coach of the Australian Opals, wants her gap defenders to be Early to Help, Early to Recover as they stunt the ball and recover back to their man on penetration. Giving the perception to the ball-handler that he is playing 1v3, because of off-ball defenders playing above their man, could potentially close the driving gap.
b. Extends the Receiver’s Catch- Getting height on your man by playing on the line up the line will force the catch of the receiver to be outside of scoring position. Making each catch difficult by extending the receiver’s catch disrupts offense’s timing by not letting the receiver catch in a preferred position or where the offense needs the ball to be to run its offense.Extending the catch also eliminates a direct scoring pass that leads to positional advantage on the catch of the receiver. If a passer can make a straight line, uncontested pass to a teammate one pass away, because the one pass away defender is in a deep triangle, on the receiver’s catch he has positional advantage to catch and shoot (no eye-ball shots) or attack a closeout to get on his driving line. This describes the phrase we say, “If your deep you’re beat.” Defenders one pass away must maintain their height above their man with a shallow defensive triangle, seeing ball and man, and making each catch difficult as they extend the catch of the receiver they are guarding.
c. Gives on-ball defender confidence- Getting Height one pass away gives the on-ball defender confidence knowing he can put more disruptive pressure on the ball, enabling him to stay chest to chest, feet outside feet and win the first dribble.
4. Helpside Positioning
Helpside positioning’s priority is moving to establish shallow defensive triangles while the ball is in the air as opposed to moving after the ball has been caught. Chris Dial, CEO of The Basketball Embassy, tells his defender’s to “move on the fingertips,” a visual cue to change defensive positioning as the ball leaves the fingertips of the passer’s hands. Defender’s defensive triangles are constantly changing with ball movement and player movement. As the ball leaves the fingertips of a passer to a receiver, we want all five defenders to mini-sprint and re-estbalish their defensive triangles and arrive to their positioning on the catch of the receiver.
The purpose of our help-side positioning is to guard the ball as a team as we shrink the floor. Teaching the concept, Your Position is Your Help, means that if helpside defenders are in correction positioning in their shallow defensive triangles, only one-way movements are needed on closeouts as opposed to two-way movements. If a help-side defender is out of position, hugging his man, a two-way movement of a full help and recover is needed on a closeout. If a help-side defender is in correct helpside position, in a shallow defensive triangle, a one way movement of a stunt and recover is needed on a closeout.
5. When to Rotate- “Even or Leavin”
Although we emphasize controlling the ball 1v1 as the cornerstone to our team defense and the means to staying out of rotations, each defensive possession there are moments when a rotation is imminent. In order for all five defenders to be able to move on a string, giving a teaching cue for when to rotate is critical to controlling penetration and cancelling Dominoes. Ian Macleod, Head Coach of Newcastle Eagles, provides a catchy rhyme to aid helpside defender’s decision on when to rotate…is the ball “even or leavin” the on-ball defender.
a. Even- We teach our help-side defenders to read the shoulders of the penetrator. If on the penetrators first dribble, he has positional advantage, then the on-ball defender is ‘even’ with the penetrator. Anytime the on-ball defender is ‘even,’ the low man should stunt and underhelp by being early to help, early to recover. This will allow the on-ball defender to regain his bubble and chest to chest, feet outside feet positioning by the second dribble. The direction of the drive also determines when helpside should rotate. If the direction of the drive is not in a direction to the rim, then the low man should stunt and underhelp.
b. Leavin’- Full rotation will be needed by the helpside defenders if the ball is ‘leavin’ the on-ball defender. If on the penetrator’s first dribble he has two shoulders past the on-ball defender, the penetrator has chest to the rim advantage and is ‘leavin’ the on-ball defender. When the ball is ‘leavin’ the on-ball defender, a full rotation is necessary. The direction of the drive also determines when helpside should rotate. If the direction of the drive is a straight line drive because it is a blow-by, helpside must fully rotate to not give up a paint or rim finish. On this full rotation, the low man must rotate outside the paint with two high hands to take away any lob to the rim as well as contest any pass out to the weakside. It’s paramount that all help-side defenders guard the ball as a team as they move on a string to cancel the first Dominoe falling.
6. How to Rotate- “In Pairs”
The last component to cancelling Dominoes is for the helpside to rotate in pairs on an X-Out as opposed to rotating in singles. Dominoes is created, not on the defensive rotation and help, but when defensive rotations fail to recover after a pass has been made to where help came from. Peter Lonergan, Basketball Australia’s Director of High Performance Coaching says, “defenders don’t get beat on the help, they get beat on the recovery because help without recovery is no help at all.” Rotating in singles results in scrambling and the more passes that force a defense to scramble, the more susceptable the defense is to Dominoes. This is why it is vital that on the recovery after the help, defenders rotate in pairs as oppose to rotating in single closeouts.
Why rotate in pairs? The one-more pass between the offensive players on the 2 Side organically creates an advantage situation because the one-more always creates two closeouts. If the X-out rotation is done in singles the receiver of the one-more either has a wide open shot or a closeout to attack. When the X-out rotation rotates in pairs, and are connected on a string, both the “got 2” defender and the X-out defender both arrive on the catch of the first pass out. If there is a one-more pass, rotating in pairs cancels Dominoes because the second closeout is short and on time by arriving on the catch of the receiver of the one-more. Rotating in singles leads to long closeouts, rotating in pairs leads to short closeouts. Peter Lonergan also provides the phrase, “two great closeouts in a possession win you the possession.” We want these two great closeouts done in pairs, not in singles.
7. Defensive Decision-making
Defensive decision-making should be taught just as much as offensive decision-making. This is done through two-way teaching, teaching both offense and defense in the same concept, adding perception and context to a player’s decisions. We give offense concepts to play out of, similarly giving defense concepts to play out provides defenders situational awareness in a defensive possession. Defenders must make correct defensive decisions on-ball and off-ball in order to stay out of rotations and cancel Dominoes.
a. On-ball Bubble- Defensive decision-making first starts with on-ball defense. How close should a defender defend the ball? The defender’s stick hand determines his Bubble and this is personnel driven. Is the defender guarding a shooter, driver, scorer, or non-scorer? This will determine how small or large the on-ball defender’s Bubble will be. How does the defender closeout based on the skill set of the receiver? Tactics determine our closeout technique. Closeout tactics are a decision a defender must make while closing out to the receiver based on if the receiver is a Curry, Rondo, or Kobe Closeout.
b. Off-ball Triangles- The decisions an off-ball defender will make on Getting Height with a shallow defensive triangle or playing in a deeper defensive triangle will be determined on the skill set of the offensive player they are defending. Defending off-ball against a non-shooter, would enable an off-ball defender to be in a deeper defensive triangle. Defending off-ball against a shooter, would result in the defender Getting Height on the passing line, up the passing line. Should an off-ball defender’s defensive triangle be closer to the ball or closer to the man he is guarding. Again, this is determined by the skill-set of the offensive player they are guarding. Off-ball defensive triangles are fluid and players need to be allowed to make decisions on how their defensive triangle applies to the skillset of an offensive player they’re defending.
c. Reading the Drive- Reading the shoulders of the penetrator on whether the ball is ‘even or leavin’ the on-ball defender is a decision a rotating defender has to make. Making a decision on whether or not the on-ball defender has won the first dribble on penetration will spur a decision by a help-side defender to either rotate or stunt. Does the penetrator have positional advantage shoulder to chest or full offensive advantage with chest to the rim? In many cases, coaches teach an immediate rotation on any type of penetration and defensive rotations get caught with a 2ontheball moment and when the penetrator’s pass is kicked out, the first Dominoe falls. Making the decision to underhelp or overhelp on penetration by helpside defender is critical to staying out of rotations and cancelling Dominoes.
Cancelling Dominoes and staying out of defensive rotations is predicated on controlling penetration. Although this article does not give a complete philosophy of how a team should defend, I hope your thoughts were stimulated on ideas of how to keep your team defense out of the dreaded Dominoes.
