Phase VI - 2009

[Rudy]

What can I say, except that I disagree. What I've see is someone driving the lane - going 1 or 2 steps too far and throwing a desperation pass to anyone who might be able to catch it (Duke or opponent). Brian gave it his best shot and to be frank made some good plays to even get a hand on it. I think Greg was the worst, but all the outside players are guilty of this.

I'm probably prejudiced because I was a guard in h.s.

[Zeke]

Bless you Rudy, I am just as prejudice as I was a "back to the basket" post - back in the day- in HS. I'm more sympathetic in what Brian is being asked to do.

[BlueintheFace]

I think Greg was the worst, but all the outside players are guilty of this. It's hard to make a pass when you're driving for a score, suddenly find that you're over your head, find a receiver, and pass it.

Greg Paulus very very VERY rarely drives the lane LOOKING for his shot and gets stuck there. In fact, I can't think of a single time that this has happened recently. Greg drives the lane IN ORDER TO pass to the perimeter. Evidence of this can be found in the many times he has practically been wide open under the basket only to find a shooter on the wing. He knows that he doesn't finish well in the lane, and so doesn't look to do so unless it is a fast break or off of a broken play/wide open lane to the hoop.

[devildownunder]

Can the team finish plays?
This is really simple. In a one-and-done situation, there's not much room for error. So the put-backs we've been missing? We've gotta stick them in the bucket. The 30 seconds of great D we've played, only to allow an open look at the end of the shot clock? Gotta clamp down for the full 35. And the stops we do get? Gotta grab the rebounds instead of just tapping them. We're in position to make a lot of plays. We just have to finish them now.


Let's hope for the best. Go Duke!

As a part of finishing, we also need to make better decisions in transition. We are not your classic fast-break team right now but when we get a turnover and have a 2-on-1 or 3-1, we need to be able to take advantage of it. Unfortunately, the one criticism I do have of Scheyer's incredible work at the point is that his decisions on the break do tend to leave quite a bit to be desired. His efficiency in those situations will need to improve if we are to continue to advance into the 2nd and 3rd weekends.

[Jumbo]

How will Duke play with a lead?
This is still an area of concern. Duke led the whole way, but never put Texas away. In the second half, that was largely the result of being unable to get key stops. Then again, at the point where Duke got up 10 in the second half, Abrams missed a three and we got the rebound, I felt like Duke was about to put the game away. Instead, that late foul came against Singler, Abrams got three FTs and the whole game changed. The team needs to do a better job of turning a mini-spurt into a patented Duke run.

What is Elliot's answer?
Well, he's not really launching threes anymore. And he's driving into trouble. Right now, on offense, Elliot's best bet is to be a screener and a garbage man on the offensive glass and a release valve as a ball-handler. He needs to move the ball quicker, and clearly he's not being counted on to score.

Zoubek -- was the FSU game a rebirth or a blip?
It was neither. What I'm now realizing is that there are "Zoubek Games" and "McClure Games." Against a particularly big team (like Texas or FSU), Zoubek will get a lot more work, and McClure's minutes will decline. Against most other opponents, McClure will play a lot and Zoubek will get spot duty. This makes sense -- Zoubek is not an offensive factor, so it's not as if we'll look for him to post and score against smaller opponents. But he's doing a good job of using his size disrupt bigger guys. He just needs to foul less.

What does Duke look like against unfamiliar foes?
Duke seemed to do pretty well from a scouting/gameplan/strategy perspective. K took the right approach on Abrams and did, in fact, look to get Gerald the ball in the post against Texas' smaller guards. That said, Duke never had an answer when Texas went small, spread the floor, and attacked one-on-one.

Can Nolan Smith build on the ACC Tournament?
Yup. He's clearly our fourth-best player now. Period. Nothing more to say, other than keep it up. The kid is playing great basketball.

Can the team finish plays?
This is still a problem. Duke's missing too many shots at the rim. Duke's fumbling too many rebounds. Duke's allowing a score or an offensive rebound after 30 seconds of terrific defense too often. Duke's missing too many wide-open jumpers off good ball movement. I don't expect perfection. But when you're doing everything else well to generate the desired action, you have to finish a higher pecentage of those plays.

Defense -- is it Duke's calling card again?
Not quite. The lack of big stops in the second half against Texas was concerning. Smith and Williams are fouling too often on the perimeter, and we saw what happened with Thomas, Singler and Zoubek. That said, the overall approach -- especially in the first half -- was good, and the D has improved since the second half of the ACC regular season.

What does Duke do if the jumpers aren't falling?
Well, we saw a good example with Gerald, who shot only 7-for-21, but attacked the rim. That was good. Singler, too, was willing to take it to the basket. As I mentioned, K ran some plays for Henderson in the post. There's at least some variety there.

Are Henderson, Scheyer and Singler money at this point?
Yes. Look, these guys can go cold in a game, just like anyone. But they've shown -- time and again -- that they'll put themselves in positions to make huge plays. They're extremely talented and they play as hard as anyone, anywhere. We can count on them in the clutch. If they're off some game, so be it. But as they showed again during Phase VI, they'll bring it down the stretch of a tight game.

[Zeke]

Greg Paulus very very VERY rarely drives the lane LOOKING for his shot and gets stuck there. In fact, I can't think of a single time that this has happened recently. Greg drives the lane IN ORDER TO pass to the perimeter. Evidence of this can be found in the many times he has practically been wide open under the basket only to find a shooter on the wing. He knows that he doesn't finish well in the lane, and so doesn't look to do so unless it is a fast break or off of a broken play/wide open lane to the hoop.

Blue, you are right, it hasn't happened recently. BUT, I am practically bald because I pulled my hair out watching this happen time after time for 3 1/2 yrs. I am not talking about the passes to the perimeter but the passes where he can't get it out to the perimeter and tries to pass to ANYONE in the area - a desperation pass. I've see this many many times albeit not since Eliot became a starter.

[House G]

Duke seems to be making a point of trying to isolate GH more so than ever before, which obviously makes sense. Are there any facets of Duke's offense that Coach K may have incorporated or is using more frequently because of his Olympic experience working with NBA coaches/players? I am sure someone with more X and O knowledge than I can tell us if we are using some of these Mike D'Antoni plays (note the reference to K, GH, KS): http://bleacherreport.com/articles/1...ew-york-knicks

[dukelifer]

[B][I]

Can the team finish plays?
This is still a problem. Duke's missing too many shots at the rim. Duke's fumbling too many rebounds. Duke's allowing a score or an offensive rebound after 30 seconds of terrific defense too often. Duke's missing too many wide-open jumpers off good ball movement. I don't expect perfection. But when you're doing everything else well to generate the desired action, you have to finish a higher pecentage of those plays.

Having watched a billion games the past 4 days- it is clear that Duke does not have the muscle or size of many of the teams in this tournament. But they can counter by executing on both sides of the court. Giving up offensive rebounds has been problematic and sometimes this is just forgetting to box out or being out of position. This team is at their best when they attack the basket and make the extra pass. Often time, Thomas and McClure are wide open near the rim and the extra pass is not made. Of course it is hard to be perfect all the time- but with this team- execution and focus is the key to moving on.

[mike88]

Jumbo wrote: Zoubek -- was the FSU game a rebirth or a blip?
It was neither. What I'm now realizing is that there are "Zoubek Games" and "McClure Games." Against a particularly big team (like Texas or FSU), Zoubek will get a lot more work, and McClure's minutes will decline. Against most other opponents, McClure will play a lot and Zoubek will get spot duty. This makes sense -- Zoubek is not an offensive factor, so it's not as if we'll look for him to post and score against smaller opponents. But he's doing a good job of using his size disrupt bigger guys. He just needs to foul less.

I would agree that Zoubek is not an offensive threat to score many points, but he provides one key skill- no one on our team can set a pick like him! Although he got called for one offensive foul against Texas, his screens for the last two weeks have done a remarkable job of giving our guys (mainly Gerald, but sometimes Jon, too) space to operate. Considering that we are running the sideline screen (the play they call 'power") about half or more of the time, this has a pretty big impact offensively.