From Brad Stevens’s Boston Celtics playbook
Brad Stevens knows how to use a shot clock to his advantage – do the same with this play featuring many movements leading into a backdoor cut and layup.
When a team has to defend for 25 to 35 seconds, inevitably a breakdown occurs – and that’s when a backdoor cut creates an easy scoring opportunity.
The player who eventually executes the backdoor cut starts in the ball-side corner. Most of the initial action takes place on the perimeter.
The point guard dribbles right and hands off. An immediate pass is made to the player popping from the free-throw line to the top. The passer cuts hard off a screen and clears to the baseline as the point guard settles into the corner. Ball reversal continues with a pass from the top to the left wing [1]. The baseline player continues to the opposite corner with the point guard coming to the wing off a screen. A pass is made to the point guard [2]. Pick-and-roll action at the top draws the defense. The player in the left corner makes a hard backdoor cut before the pick-and-roll fully develops. A pass is made and layup is converted [3].
Patience is critical. Your players need to run through their steps and progressions to force the defense to work hard for at least 20 seconds.
This set comes from my manual, Big Names, Big Plays, if you’d like more plays like this order the manual today.
There isn’t a lot you can do from a sideline out-of-bounds situation when only 0.3 seconds remain on the clock but take this play from Memphis and win your game. WHY USE IT When less than a second remains on the clock and you need a bucket while inbounding from the sideline, your options are... MORE
From Basketball Coach Weekly When you just need 2 points in the closing seconds to tie the game, you want actions to get the highest-percentage shot at the hoop when inbounding from the baseline. Why use it Now trailing Croatia by two with 1.8 seconds remaining, Spain ran the following actions for a perfect layup... MORE
