Hoops 101 - Part #3 (Offense)
Now that you have stopped your opponent and have taken the ball away, it’s now time to finish them off with OFFENSE!
Going back to our illustration of the lion and the antelope, no lion in their right mind will ever chase down an antelope only to let them get back up and return to their herd J As we’ve all see on the nature shows, once the lion hunts down, pursues and captures their prey, they KILL them.
The same mentality holds true in basketball, you’ve hunted down your opponent with good defense. You’ve taken the ball away from them with offense. Now is time to attack and finish them off with strong, effective play. Don’t let your opponent off the hook!
There are a variety of ways to effectively play offense given player talent, competition level and game situations to name a few.
Regardless of what type of offense is run, these are the 3 fundamental steps of good offensive team play:
Step 1 – Execution
You have to execute your offensive plays consistently and in an excellent manner. This is typically accomplished through ball movement, setting picks and player movement. In this, you become difficult to guard and your opponent will eventually get thrown off balance. With team offensive play, it is very important to have a balanced offensive attack (inside & outside play). This keeps the defense continually guessing as to how/where you will attack.
Step 2 – Opportunities
Through good offensive execution, opportunities to score will quickly be created. This is the goal of any offensive basketball play: creating opportunities to score. Specifically, a good opportunity to score is to get the ball in the right player’s hands at the right time. Through this, you (or your teammate) are in position to score.
Step 3 – SCORE!
Scoring is the capstone of basketball, the TOP of the pyramid. You have to put the ball in the basket to finish off your opponent. Scoring more than your opponent is how you win the game. Become an assassin, pull the trigger, shoot the ball, and finish your opponent off!
