It’s easier for offenses to tear holes in zones, where gaps are inherent to the scheme, than with cohesive man-to-man defense. Moving the ball from one side of the floor to the other, with dribble penetration and several crisp passes, can shake a zone like a snow globe and easily open up a shooter. Meanwhile, wings and bigs form the back line of the zone and protect the paint and corners. When the ball is swung from one side of the floor to the other, the perimeter defenders inch toward the side with the ball. A zone defense requires players to defend an area of the court and guard the opponent only when the opponent is in his designated area. Teams don’t use zone mostly because most modern offenses are built around shooting and ball movement, which can stop the scheme dead in its tracks. Brooklyn switched from its standard man-to-man defense to a 3-2 zone, an unusual move against a team as shot-happy as the Rockets.
But something interesting happened toward the end of the first quarter. It looked like another loss for Brooklyn. It was a performance not unlike most other nights for Houston, which has posted one of the greatest offensive seasons in history. But if the root of deception is doing something that someone would not expect of you, then why hasn’t the NBA embraced zone defense?īack in November, the Rockets were throttling the Nets by 21 points in the first quarter. The game is always evolving, and there will always be new ways to use the game’s conventional wisdom against an opponent. It’s all a means of feigning disorder, a military strategy millennia old.
They initiate a running motion through a screen before pivoting back the other way. They go behind the back with a dribble into spins and fakes to throw defenders off balance. They use their eyes to set up no-look passes. Players change speeds, switching from fast to slow and then back to their quickest gear. In the NBA, deception is standard protocol.
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