While watching the NCAA tournament the last two weeks I decided to chart the type of shots taken and what time the shots are taken on the shot clock.
The Harvard vs New Mexico game was a prime example of managing the shot clock properly. Harvard while using their “Passing Game” offense to control the tempo of the game and thus they won the game.
Commentator Doug Gottlieb said it best when he stated,”Harvard attacked early in the shot clock for a three and attacked late in the shot clock for a lay up or to draw a foul”. This philosophy lead me to look at what events take place in the middle of shot clock situations.
So I decided to divide the shot clock into thirds:
The first 1/3rd of the clock I call Early clock(35-25 seconds).
The second 1/3rd of the clock is Middle clock(25-10 seconds).
The third 1/3rd of the clock is Late clock(10-0 seconds).
Majority of the Early Clock shots come in transition when the defense is trying to get back. They also come after an offensive rebound when the ball is kicked out of the paint to a shooter spotting up for 3’s. These shots are when the defense is not set.
The highest percentage of shots come during the Middle Shot Clock time zone (25-10 seconds). This is due primarily to the fact that the offense is now running either a set play or some form of motion offense. They are executing their offensive principals: Ball reversal, inside/out, penetration(ball and/or dribble).
Interestingly enough, three point shots are taken during all three shot clock time zones:
Three’s taken during the Early Shot Clock time zone are transition 3’s while the defense is not set.
Three’s taken during the Middle Shot Clock time zone are a by product of the offense being ran effectively(Inside/out).
Three’s taken during the Late Shot Clock time zone are due to Drive & Kick and/or Pick and Pop.
Dunks and lay ups usually occur during Early and Late shot clock time zones. The floater is the shot of choice by the players when attacking the basket late in the shot clock.
The shot clock is such an important part of the game. I feel that championship teams have what I call “Shot Clock Player”. The “Shot Clock Player” is that player that consistently makes the right play as the clock is running down. The right play can be made on both the offensive and/or defensive end of the court.
The “right play” from a offensive perspective is:
1. making the shot
2. making the pass
3. setting a screen
4. drawing a foul
The “right play” from a defensive perspective is:
1. forcing a turnover
2. getting a 5 second count
3. taking a charge
4. closing out without fouling
5. closing out while containing the dribble
6. plugging the gap
7. helping the helper
8. contain the dribble
Management or mismanagement of the shot clock can determine winning or losing. Ohio State proved by playing three close games(winning two of them – Mississippi and Arizona) and losing the third to Wichita State with a chance to go to the Final Four, that is why you have to be able to manage the shot clock properly. In the two games that Ohio State won they had two different players(Craft and Ross) make huge shots late in the game as the shot clock expired. Their understanding of time and score were important to the outcome of the game. They knew how many points they were down and they knew exactly how much time they had to get their shot off.
Close games come down to four things:
1. decision making,
2. execution,
3. Time and score management (especially the shot clock).
4. a Free Throw shooting contest.
The four teams in the Final Four have “Shot Clock Players”:
(Syracuse – Michael Carter-Williams, Michigan – Trey Burke,
Louisville – Peyton Silva and Russ Smith , Wichita State – Malcom Armstead and Fred Van Vleet). These players learn to embrace success instead of fearing failure. They have learned through trial and error to gain the confidence needed to become a “SHOT CLOCK PLAYER”.
