A Tale of Two Pick and Rolls
By Greg Cassoli
A look at the Celtics and Bulls different forms of the pick and roll.
The pick and roll is a hallmark of modern NBA offense. It is a flexible motion, capable of being run from multiple locations on the floor, by any pairing of available offensive players. It can be used as a primary means of attack, a decoy initiating other actions, or a means of establishing mismatches to exploit in isolation.
The screener can slip, roll, or pop. The ball handler can shoot, pass, or drive. It’s an inherently unpredictable act that forces defenses to make split second decisions. That dynamism, the kind that forces an opponent’s hand, is central to the value of the pick and roll, and the main reason it’s universally utilized throughout the league.
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The Celtics and Bulls are no exception. Both teams have implemented a variety of pick and rolls throughout the first four games of their opening round series. We will explore two of the most impactful iterations here, both of which have played a major role in Boston’s two recent victories and subsequent turnaround in momentum.
The first comes on offense, and has been enabled specifically because of the Celtics’ decision to go small. With Amir Johnson on the bench, Chicago has been forced to defend Al Horford with Robin Lopez. Boston has taken advantage by consistently using Horford as a screener, forcing Lopez far from his comfort zone in the paint. A move made all the more effective when Isaiah Thomas is used as the pick and roll initiator.
Thomas is such a good shooter that Lopez is forced to provide help out to the three point line, attempting to simultaneously deter any shots from deep and corral Thomas before he gets a head of steam to attack the rim. That’s something he just isn’t capable of.
Thomas is quick enough to zip around Lopez into the paint, where he can either continue to the hoop or kick the ball out to open shooters. It’s been something of an un-guardable action for Boston, to the degree that Lopez could hardly stay on the court in the second half of game four. That’s a major win given his proficiency on the offensive glass, and the Celtics’ general inability to prevent players of his ilk from submarining their defense with second chance opportunities.
Perhaps most heartening of all from Boston’s perspective, Lopez’s replacements haven’t fared much better in dealing with the Thomas-Horford high pick and roll. That signals potential for sustainability, which can often be fleeting in the ever evolving ecosystem that is a seven game series.
The Celtics have had some luck defensively as well. With Rajon Rondo sidelined, Chicago has used the pick and roll less as a means of attack, and more as a tool to establish isolation opportunities. The Celtics have employed a switch-heavy scheme in games three and four, which the Bulls have leveraged to their advantage by creating match ups in which Jimmy Butler and Dwyane Wade can isolate against the much smaller Thomas. That’s a problem for Boston in theory, but the Celtics have handled it fairly effectively in practice.
Switching simplifies a team’s rotations, and because Chicago’s end game tends to be isolation and not ball movement, Boston can send Horford into the lane as an aggressive, preemptive help defender. It’s a strategy that’s paid off thus far, though one does have to wonder if the Celtics are playing with fire a bit.
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That’s part of the fun of the playoffs though. What works one day may not tomorrow. It’s a festival of strategic adjustments. Boston’s decisions on how to utilize and defend the pick and roll have brought them back from the edge of crises, and placed the onus of disrupting the status quo back onto Chicago. Whether or not the Bulls have a counter punch will likely define the ultimate outcome of the series.