Would extensive use of the zone work against Utah?

In recent years, the Rockets have put Yao on Boozer defensively, and used their PF to defend Okur. I've agreed with that approach. The other options are taking your chances with Yao on Okur or going to a zone. IMO, Yao on Okur is a nonstarter; I'd rather Yao give up mid-range jumpers to Boozer than open 3-pointers to Okur. As for the zone, that may work ok for a half, but good teams -- particularly great executing teams like the Jazz -- will figure out how to break that zone pretty quick.

 

The pick and roll is their biggest weapon, and sadly that's our biggest weakness. I'd put Artest on Okur (or whoever do the pick) and switch everything. Artest can even guard Deron William, they'll get confused.

 

We would have to use the zone as an ace up our sleeve like other teams use the fronting defense against us late in the game.

 

It'd be worth trying in spurts, but i don't think it's viable in the long term. Our matchup zone was effective, but I think that has as much to do with the makeup of Toronto's roster as it does with that being an effective defense.

The way to beat a matchup zone is consistent cutting--back door cuts, flashes to the middle, etc. Marion's uncontested back-door lob is a good example. Utah's flex-cut offense is built for this sort of thing--the basic motion of the offense is meant to pin/occupy defenders and clear space under the basket. Utah's roster is stacked with great cutters (Brewer, Harpring, Kirelenko, even Deron Williams), and Sloan shoots them with lightning from his fingertips if they aren't active without the ball. Toronto is seriously slasher and cutter deficient (save for maybe Marion, who has only been on the team for a couple weeks), and has lost the collective will to live as a team, and were thus content to pass the ball around the perimeter.

Also, I don't think you're right that Utah has no 3 pt shooters. Korver is a knock down shooter, and Okur can be effective.


HOWEVER, If Yao is getting killed by either Okur's shooting or Boozer's quickness (the catch 22 we found ourselves in in the playoffs against the jazz) I would be all for deploying the matchup zone as a stopgap measure to enable us to keep Yao on the floor. We'll only know if we try, but my guess is that the patience and makeup of Utah's offense will make the zone FAR less effective then we saw it tonight.

 

no zone. Utah would kill us on the offensive glass if we went to a zone. Their team is much quicker, especially their starting front line of Boozer, kirilienko and okur.

 

okur doesn't shoot quite as well as batgnani. have not watched boozer this year, but when healthy he's on par with bosh shooting wise. so i don't think the 2-3 zone as a last resort will be fired at the jazz as much as tonight. plus, boozer has just come back and can't be as hot as he was in the playoffs that year. yao should be able to handle him.

 

you might as well give them uncontested layups if your giving a midrange jumper to boozer. i think we'll defintely see a zone if boozer begins torching yao, but like you said the jazz are a great rebounding team. they already get offensive rebounds when we don't play a zone, just imagine the rebounds they'll get when we do play zone.

 

True--hadn't even thought of the offensive glass when I posted a little bit above. The Jazz are a great offensive rebounding team, and the hardest thing to do in a zone is for everyone to find someone to box out.

The only way this would work is if our gaurds were great rebounders at their positions (zones tend to require gaurds crashing the boards too)--Artest is pretty good, as is Lowry, but brooks and wafer are both average or sub-par rebounders for their positions, especially when compared to Ronnie Brewer (very good offensive rebounder) and Deron Williams.

Combine that with their frontcourt length/speed, we might be in trouble even if we stopped the flex offense.

 

What we need to do is to let Scola go to work and play Landry more, The zone is not so effective against a mid range team, what the Jazz are, so it will be decided most likely by how our offense works.

I expect a big game for Landry and Scola, the key will be on how Adelman uses Yao and how he manages to make him effective.

 

Both teams have deep benches so i expect that to cancel out. The key will be the play of our star players versus theirs. Yao and Artest have to play big.

 

Don't hold your breath--we're talking about the Jazz here. Certain things have always been, and will always be true about the Jazz:

1. They employ a dirty, physical, grabbing, holding, flopping style of play

2. They have an illogical and undeniable affinity for un-athletic white centers

3. The are obnoxiously efficient, precise, and patient within the context of a half court offense


Point three is relevant here. Against a soft, losing, prospect-less team headed by an interim coach (the craptors), gambling lead to pass deflections. Against the Jazz, Gambling will lead to a layup drill.

There's a reason zones are only employed as a change-up defense in the NBA. Against NBA talent, athleticism, and coaching, the zone is little more than a spook tactic. If it works, as it did tonight, the opposition gets flustered. If the opposition doesn't get flustered, or eventually adjusts, you get burned. That's why you only see zones in special situations or as a change out of time-outs--they simply aren't viable against well coached, well executing teams, and, as much as i hate to say it, the jazz are one such team.

 

Okur is too good of a shooter for it to work. You'd have to catch him on an off night. Deron Williams is also a great shooter. The only way you find their shooters on a bad night is if it's an away game. They just don't miss at the Energy Solutions Arena, especially Okur.

 

The way to stop the Jazz is to be physical with them. Keep them out of the lane and off of the free throw line.

Guys like Yao, Hayes, Artest, Lowry, Landry, Scola. These guys have to focus on the defensive end. We have the bodies to keep them from getting easy shots in the paint, we just have to be ready for what they throw at us and we have to finish off the possesions with a rebound. Again, Yao has to play a big role in this game on both offense and defense.

 

Everyone in the Utah Jazz is hunted until further notice.

I really hope the Rockets win this one. HUGE GAME, more so than the Cavs game on TNT.

 

Rockets are bad on the road and the Jazz are great at home so don't get your hopes up too high...although I really want this one.

 

Utah is a very good offensive rebounding team -- that is one of the key aspects of their offense, and they have the personnel for it.

The chief weakness of the zone (other than susceptibility to good outside shooters) is that it leaves you prone to giving up offensive rebounds.

Not a good idea.

 

Honestly, I would rather play LA than Utah in the 1st round this year. I can't take another year where Boozer manhandles Yao for the series, Williams get to the hoop at will, and a struggling AK47 suddenly getting his groove back with one of those gaudy all around stat lines that fills in every category.

...although if we did play Utah I don't know who Ak47 & Harpring would have to foul viciously for 5-7 games anymore now that McGrady is out. I guess Von Wafer because there is no way Kirlenko or Harpring are stupid enough to try some of those clothesline fouls on Artest that they did on McGrady. Artest broke Jordan's ribs - and that was before he went all hulk sized.