A simple thus effective set play ran by coach Skourtopoulos in the game versus Mentenegro, having gis center (Bourousis) as the creator. After SF (Papanikolaou) got open at the wing through a screen from 5, PF Giannis Antetokounmpo set two consecutive back screens: first for his PG (Calathes) and then for SG (papapetrou), who cut hard to the basket in order to receive Bourousis' pass.
Puerto Rico - Sideline out special: need a 3
Despite having a double digit deficit during almost the whole game, Puerto Rico managed to come back and steal the win versus Iran, mainly because Huertas and Mojica made crucial 3p shots. This play helped them tie the score at 78, even though defenders X1 & X2 switched players during the inbound pass. The fact that Iranian center El Haddadi stayed deep helped Huertas have an open 3p shot, coming off the down screen.
Canada - Hammer sideline out
Toronto Raptors' head coach Nick Nurse has some hammer action plays in his arsenal, exhibiting one here versus Australia. After having 3 set a fake back screen for 1, 5 got open at the wing and 2 got the ball back via hand-off. He then drove baseline while 4 set the hammer screen for 1.
The Toronto Raptors are the NBA Champions, although only a few believed that they would even make it to the Eastern finals. Head coach Nick Nurse and his team proved them wrong, being this seasons's best team and having players stepping-up from the lower ranks and beating the best teams in the league: the Sixers, the Bucks and the Warriors.
Raptors scored 111,5 points per game in the finals series vs Golden State, having 53% at 2p shots and 35% at 3p shots, outscoring their opponents by having six players with double digit score per game. Moreover, they were the better team in rebounds (41,7 rpg) and in assists (230 apg), whereas the absence of Kevin Durant due to his injury is not to be overlooked for Steve Kerr's team (they had only 105,8 ppg in the series).
Fast break points
One of Golden State's weaknesses is defensive transition, specially when Cousins or Bogut are playing. So, after a deflection or after a defensive rebound, Toronto's players ran the court often, scoring 10+ points in every finals game, exploiting Siakam's athleticism and the scoring abilities of Leonard, Lowry and Green.
Kawhi Leonard's consistency
The best player in a raptors jersey this season (or arguably ever), Kawhi Leonard has proven that he can lead a team to a ring. His improvement in shooting off the dribble added to his reliable 3p shot and his top level defense, not to mention his ability to penetrate and score at will.
The finals MVP had 26,8 points per game, 9,8 rebounds, 5 assists and shot with 48% for 2p and 36% for 3p and was the cornerstone of his team.
Pascal Siakam, the unexpected star
A guy who once was a young camper in the Basketball without borders program of the NBA, now is a player making an impact in the NBA finals, being the second scorer for his team. The Cameroon-born athletic forward scored in many ways: dunking in the fast break, driving to the hoop, posting-up, through pick & dive action and cutting off the ball. He even made 5 threes (2 of them in the last game), but this was his only low percentage shot (5/21-24% in the series).
He scored 19,8 points per game (with 59% in 2p field goals), he grabbed 7,5 rebounds and had 2,2 assists, having an important part winning the championship.
Kyle Lowry: the good soldier
The Vilalnova alumni had to reach the age of 33 to make it to the finals, being in his 7th season in Toronto. He's not a primal scorer as four seasons ago, but he dished the most assists of his career this season (8,7 apg), being the main creator of his team. He also scored by driving to the basket, when Cousins switched on him during pick n' roll actions.
He completed the series having 12,8 points, 7,2 assists and 4,2 rebounds and shooting with 37% at the three.
Marc Gasol's key role (continuing from the series against the Bucks)
Spanish center Marc Gasol was the "glue" to the Raptors' offensive flow, having the ability to pass the ball well and being a threat from behind the arc. His defenseive effort was also in a good level.
Against the Warriors he had 11,8 points, 7,3 rebounds, 2,7 assists and 54% at 2p field goals.
Fred Vanvleet: the X-factor
Despite being really ineffective in the first playoff games, the 25 year old guard exploded after his wife gave birth and he was a serious threat in the finals too. Vanvleet made history, scoring 16 3p shots coming off the bench for a finals series, one more than Robert Horry and JR Smith. His defensive effort on Stephen Curry is notable too.
His finals stats were 14 points per game (3rd team scorer), shooting 40% for three and 52% for two.
Serge Ibaka: the effective
Having Ibaka playing behind Gasol and Siakam is a luxury, since the Congo-born forward is a beast on the offensive glass and very reliable at finishing at the rim, either by cutting off-ball or in pick & dive situations. His ability to hit the open spot shot was there too, completing the series with 11,3 points, 3,5 rebounds (2,3 of them offensive) and shooting 58% dor two point field goals.
Despite the fact being down by 2 wins, Toronto Raptors won the East Finals vs Milwaukee Bucks. To reach the NBA Finals, they needed to adjust their defense and certain players stepped-up in order to helped them overcome Giannis' team.
The defensive adjustment on Giannis Antetokounmpo
Buck's offense is built around Giannis' ability to penetrate with force and their good shooters waiting on the perimeter (Middleton, Lopez, Brogdon, Ilyasova, Hill). Raptors' coach Nick Nurse has set a goal for his defense: don't let Giannis drive in the paint whether in transition or set play situations. This was plausible due to a great defensive player named Kawhi Leonard and the help he got from his teammates, especially the ones guarding Eric Bledshoe, Milwaukee's worst spot shooter.
In the following clip, we can see the "wall" Giannis had to face driving the lane, forcing him to take mid-range shots or confront more than one opponent on his way to the basket. This led him to many missed shots.
Kawhi Leonard's mid-range game and his evolution to a great scorer
Apart from his efforts in the defensive end, the 27 year old forward has evolved into a scoring machine, by improving his off the dribble shooting and being able to make many mid-range shots. During his first years in the league, he scored mainly by penetrating and taking spot-up 3s, but by working on his shooting rhytmh off the dribble he's a proof that the mid-range game is overlooked but it can be crucial. Kawhi was a really good 3 & D player and now he's a superstar because of this.
At the same time, he remains a reliable 3p shooter, adding the off the dribble 3 to his arsenal, giving him the option to run pick n' roll plays. Adding his mentality to attack the basket on close-out situations and his above average free throw percentage to the mix, makes easy to explain his 30+ points per game.
Marc Gasol's key role
When Jonas Valanciunas left and Marc Gasol came in his place, many people were negative about it mainly because of his older age. Marc's passing skills though became an important element of Toronto's offense, since the 34 year old spanish national can read defensive reactions and pass to his open teammates correctly.
His ability to shoot the 3p shot was another factor for Bucks' defense to disrupt. Either by pick & pop out actions either or hovering on the perimeter while another teammate got the ball down low, Gasol was ready to catch and shoot the open 3. Of course, he was a key player in defense on Giannis too, due to his size and experience, as shown in the clip above.
Fred Van Vleet's outburst
The x-factor, who made more 3p shots than anyone else in the series and helped his team to increase its total scoring rate. Whether in transition or off-ball actions, even running some pick n' rolls himself, Van Vleet was another key player for the Raptors.
As we can see in the folloing video, Fenerbahce's players are constantly looking for a miss-match situation by relocating to create triangles and exploit any opportunity the defense gives them.
Anadolu Efes
players' season stats
coach Ergin Ataman - offensive sets
Off-ball screens play
Using many off-ball screens and executing with pick n' roll actions by Shane Larkin and Vasilje Micic, coach Ataman's team has many options to score.
Even though Fenerbahce got an early start (12-26 in the 1st period) and kept this margin until halftime (38-52), the home side scored an emphatic 28-13 in the 3rd period to get ahead, thus finishing the game with 89-83. The most important factor was 3p shooting for Anadolu Efes, making 12/23 (57%) and combined with the 6 offensive rebounds they allowed to theri opponents helped them to win. Fenerbahce's players were also too bad at their attepmts from the arc (5/17 - 29%).
The home side controlled the game tempo from the start, building a margin of 14 points at halftime (43-29) and there was never a strong reaction from the opposing team, letting the game end with a 18 point deficit. Fenerbahce was the better 3p shooting team this time (14/25 - 56%) and grabbed 5 more rebounds (36 to 31), while Anadolu Efes' players commited 15 turnovers and had a poor percentage from the arc (7/22 - 32%).
Key points to win the game
1. Half court defense, since Fenerbahce isn't a transition running team and focuses on set plays and targeting miss-match situations, with Kostas Skloukas as the main playmaker. Anadolu Efes on the other, runs a lot of off-ball plays and creates through pick n' roll actions ran by Larkin & Micic.
2. 3p shooting efficiency, since they are two of the best teams in this area in the current season.
3. Offensive rebounding, which will give second opportonities to score. Both teams are below average this season and the one that grabs 3-4 more will gain a crucial advantage.
4. X-factors
- Fenerbahce: Bobby Dixon aka Ali Muhamad, who usually exploits the fact that most teams worry more about his teammates and scores 15+ points in important matches. An since Datome is injured, Erick Green should step-up and seize the opportunity to make shots.
- Anadolu Efes: Since Lauvergne is injured and Vesely will play right after an injury, Tibor Pleiss is possible to impact the result of this semifinal. And as said before for Bobby Dixon, Rodrigue Beaubois is a skilled scorer who finds ways to boost his team when their teammates are struggling.
