PG/SG/SF Defensive Mapping From Detroit Game

[Bricklayer]

So against the Pistons our C goes for 26pts 15reb, our SG goes for 24pts, our PG, playing at SG and SF mostly, goes for 16pts 6reb 9ast. And we still lose.

The reason of course is Reke, because he's dumb and I would trade him for Steve Blake and he's a...oh wait...

Sorry, forgot I was not one of those.

I meant to say that the reason we lost was obviously on the other end of the court, where the Pistons starting PG/SG/SF combo combined for 81pts 19reb and 15ast. Ouch. So given that it was the weekend, I took out a clipboard, sat back on the coach with some day old pizza, and rewatched the entire game with the remote in hand, pausing and rewinding as necessary to watch every defensive play and see how such a monstronsity could occur. After the first quarter I started noting fastbreaks as well due to their importance, but did not map them.

These were the results given both as raw data, combined numbers, and then some bried analysis/notes:

Raw Data: every half court defensive possession, with defensive assignments of each of our PG/SG/SF, and results of play + notes. IT= Isiah Thomas, MT = Marcus Thonton etc.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
FIRST QUARTER
1) IT: Knight; MT: Stuckey; TE: Prince -- RESULT: Stuckey scores over Thornton
2) IT: Knight; MT: Stuckey; TE: Prince -- RESULT: Stuckey by Thornton on semi-break, fouled
3) IT: Knight; MT: Prince; TE: Stuckey -- RESULT: No Score
4) IT: Knight; MT: Stuckey; TE: Prince -- RESULT: No Score
5) IT: Knight; MT: Prince; TE: Stuckey -- RESULT: No Score
6) IT: Knight; MT: Prince; TE: Stuckey -- RESULT: Monroe scores
7) IT: Knight; MT: Prince; TE: Stuckey -- RESULT: Maxiel Fouled, FTs
8) IT: Knight; MT: Prince; TE: Stuckey -- RESULT: Prince over Thornton
9) IT: Knight; MT: Prince; TE: Stuckey -- RESULT: No Score
10) IT: Knight; MT: Prince; TE: Stuckey -- RESULT: Stuckey scores over Reke? Not sure, off camera
11) IT: Knight; MT: Prince; TE: Stuckey -- RESULT: No Score
12) IT: Knight; MT: Prince; TE: Stuckey -- RESULT: No Score
13) IT: Knight; MT: Prince; TE: Stuckey -- RESULT: No Score
14) IT: Knight; MT: Prince; TE: Stuckey -- RESULT: No Score (Prince beat Thornton, but missed easy one)
15) IT: Knight; MT: Stuckey; TE: Prince -- RESULT: No Score
16) IT: Knight; MT: Stuckey; TE: Prince -- RESULT: No Score
17) IT: Gordon; MT: Prince; TE: Stuckey -- RESULT: Stuckey around Evans on pick
18) IT: Gordon; MT: Prince; TE: Stuckey -- RESULT: Stuckey on semi-break
19) IT: Gordon; MT: Prince; TE: Stuckey -- RESULT: No Score
20) IT: Stuckey; MT: Wilkens; TE: Gordon -- RESULT: Stuckey fouled, hits FTs
21) IT: Stuckey; MT: Wilkens; TE: Gordon -- RESULT: No Score (MT switched to Gordon midplay)
22) IT: Stuckey; MT: Wilkens; TE: Gordon -- RESULT: No Score
23) IT: Stuckey; MT: Wilkens; TE: Gordon -- RESULT: Stuckey over IT
24) IT: Stuckey; MT: Wilkens; TE: Gordon -- RESULT: Gordon fouled, hit FTs.
25) IT: Stuckey; MT: Wilkens; JS: Gordon -- RESULT: Stuckey fouled, hit FTs

SECOND QUARTER
<------------------------------------------------Fastbreak Score for Pistons
<------------------------------------------------Fastbreak Score for Pistons
26) IT: Wilkens; MT: Gordon; JS: Jerebko -- RESULT: No Score (first of many scrambled assignments)
27) JF: Knight; MT: Wilkens; JS: Gordon -- RESULT: Jerebko Scored
28) JF: Knight; MT: Wilkens; JS: Gordon -- RESULT: No Score
29) JF: Knight; MT: Wilkens; JS: Jerebko -- RESULT: Gordon over Hickson as result of switch w/JS
30) JF: Knight; MT: Wilkens; JS: Gordon -- RESULT: Gordon by Salmons
------Note: to 7:30 mark of 2nd quart had only 5 normal defensive poss, everything scrambled or FB
31) JF: Knight; MT: Wilkens; JS: Gordon -- RESULT: No Score
32) JF: Knight; MT: Wilkens; JS: Gordon -- RESULT: No Score
33) JF: Knight; MT: Prince; JS: Gordon -- RESULT: No Score (JF switched onto Prince, but Prince missed)
34) JF: Knight; MT: Prince; JS: Stuckey -- RESULT: No Score (Stuckey open look, but missed)
35) JF: Prince; MT: Stuckey; JS: Knight -- RESULT: Knight for 3 (scramble play)
36) JF: Knight; MT: Stuckey; JS: Prince -- RESULT: Knight for 3 (MT got lost, everybody scrambled)
37) JF: Knight; TE: Stuckey; JS: Prince -- RESULT: No Score
38) JF: Knight; TE: Stuckey; JS: Prince -- RESULT: No Score
39) JF: Knight; TE: Prince; JS: Stuckey -- RESULT: No Score
<------------------------------------------------Scramble Score for Prince
<------------------------------------------------Fastbreak Score for Knight
40) JF: Knight; TE: Prince; JS: Stuckey -- RESULT: Prince over Evans
41) JF: Knight; TE: Prince; JS: Stuckey -- RESULT: Knight by Jimmer
<------------------------------------------------Fastbreak Score for Prince
42) TE: Knight; MT: Stuckey; JS: Prince -- RESULT: No Score
43) TE: Stuckey; MT: Knight; JS: Prince -- RESULT: not truly on MT, as was P&R, Knight for 3 over Outlaw

THIRD QUARTER
44) IT: Stuckey; MT: Knight; TE: Maxiel -- RESULT: on a switch, Maxiel jumper over Reke
45) IT: Stuckey; MT: Prince; TE: Knight -- RESULT: Stuckey layup on bad IT gamble
46) IT: Knight; MT: Prince; TE: Stuckey -- RESULT: No Score
47) IT: Knight; MT: Prince; TE: Stuckey -- RESULT: No Score
48) IT: Knight; MT: Prince; TE: Stuckey -- RESULT: No Score
49) IT: Knight; MT: Stuckey; TE: Prince -- RESULT: Prince in post over Reke
<------------------------------------------------Fastbreak Score for Pistons
50) IT: Knight; MT: Stuckey; TE: Prince -- RESULT: IT fouls Knight, eventually Monroe fouled to line
51) IT: Knight; MT: Prince; TE: Stuckey -- RESULT: No Score
52) IT: Knight; MT: Prince; TE: Stuckey -- RESULT: Maxiel jumper
<------------------------------------------------Fastbreak Score for Pistons
<------------------------------------------------Fastbreak Score for Pistons
53) IT: Knight; MT: Prince; TE: Stuckey -- RESULT: IT beat, Reke helps, leaving Stuckey for jumper
<------------------------------------------------FB Score for Pistons (IT picked in transiton, Stuckey +1)
<------------------------------------------------FB Score for Pistons (MT does not run back in transition)
54) IT: Gordon; MT: Prince; TE: Stuckey -- RESULT: No Score
<------------------------------------------------FB Score for Pistons (semi-transition, Prince over JT)
55) JF: Gordon; MT: Stuckey; TE: Prince -- RESULT: No Score
56) JF: Gordon; MT: Stuckey; TE: Prince -- RESULT: Prince shoots right ove Reke again
<------------------------------------------------FB Score for Pistons (Gordon through Jimmer)
57) JF: Gordon; MT: Prince; TE: Stuckey -- RESULT: Stuckey right by Reke, is fouled

FOURTH QUARTER
58) JF: Gordon; MT: Knight; TE: Stuckey -- RESULT: Jerebko Fouled
59) JF: Knight; MT: Gordon; TE: Stuckey -- RESULT: Gordon past Thornton
<------------------------------------------------FB Score for Pistons (Knight right around Jimmer)
60) JF: Knight; MT: Gordon; TE: Stuckey -- RESULT: Gordon over Thornton
61) JF: Knight; TE: Stuckey; JS: Gordon -- RESULT: No Score (after scramble and mult attempts)
62) JF: Knight; TE: Stuckey; JS: Gordon -- RESULT: No Score
63) JF: Knight; TE: Prince; JS: Gordon -- RESULT: No Score
<------------------------------------------------FB Score for Pistons (Jerebko)
64) JF: Knight; TE: Stuckey; JS: Gordon -- RESULT: Jerebko layup (Jimmer's fault as beat on penetration)
65) JF: Gordon; TE: Knight; JS: Prince -- RESULT: No Score
66) JF: Gordon; TE: Knight; JS: Prince -- RESULT: No Score
67) JF: Knight; TE: Gordon; JS: Prince -- RESULT: Prince over Salmons
<------------------------------------------------FB Score for Pistons (Knight around Jimmer again)
68) TE: Stuckey; MT: Gordon; JS: Prince -- RESULT: No Score
69) TE: Stuckey; MT: Knight; JS: Prince -- RESULT: No Score
<------------------------------------------------FB Score for Pistons (Knight for 3 off the MT blown FB)
70) TE: Stuckey; MT: Knight; JS: Prince -- RESULT: MT beat by Knight, Reke helps, Stuckey for 3
71) TE: Stuckey; MT: Knight; JS: Prince -- RESULT: Knight blows by MT
72) TE: Knight; MT: Stuckey; JS: Prince -- RESULT: No Score
-----------into the foul game for the final seconds-------------------------

Observations
-- because we would not play Donte, Prince could shoot over whoever we had at SF
-- MT could not stay in front of Knight (or Gordon, or Stuckey initially) and it hurt us late, better on shooting guards/small forwards
-- IT did well against Knight, could not handle Stuckey's size/power
-- Jimmer did ok in halfcourt, looked helpless defending in transiton
-- Reke was mediocre, but only 13 of Stuckey's 36 against him. prince abel to shoot voer him
-- statistically Salmons did the best, but did not stand out to the eye
-- the key to the game was no individual defense, but defensive breakdowns and transtion. After 25 halfcourt defensive possessions in the first quarter, which we dolminated, we only had 47 for the rest of the game. Lost control of tempo, matchups kept getting scrambled, ESPECIALLY by the reserves, who got sored over because tehy were eternally all switched up
-- best/most consistent defensive linuep was IT on Knight, Reke on Stuckey, and Thornton on Prince. More switches and breakdowns we had from that the worse it got.

Compiled Stats

Thomas
vs Knight: 0/24
vs. Gordon 0/4
vs. Stuckey 4/8
vs. Wilkens 0/1

Thornton
vs. Stuckey 2/13
vs. Prince 1/25
vs. Wilkens 0/12
vs. Gordon 2/5
vs. Knight 2/5

Evans
vs. Prince 3/12
vs. Stuckey 6/34
vs. Gordon 1/6
vs. Knight 0/5
vs. Maxiel 1/1

Salmons
vs. Gordon 0/11
vs. Jerebko 0/2
vs. Stuckey 0/4
vs. Knight 1/1
vs. Prince 1/13

Fredette
vs. Knight 2/21
vs. Gordon 0/6

 

[Fireplug]

Cool! I love this kind of stuff. Thanks for taking the time.

 

[MassachusettsKingsFan]

Fantastic work. I also noticed early in the game Detroit really tried to take advantage of Thornton when he was guarding Prince and Prince really wasn't taking advantage of it. That pairing scared me right out of the gate, but I thought Thornton was battling him well enough to at least go back to IT-Evans-Thornton in the fourth. I guess Smart didn't see it that way.

Both Cuz and Thomas kind of questioned the coach's judgement after the game, with Cuz saying he needed the ball more and IT saying he would have gave it to him. It's kind of crazy that Thomas is the only one who can recognize a clear mismatch .. or at least the only one with a small enough ego to let someone who is rolling keep rolling without worrying about 'getting theirs'.

What drives me crazy is how our guards do not realize that Cousins IS, like Keith Smart said, a willing passer. His assist numbers are down this year because we aren't cutting off him nearly enough. Beno was always so good at this.

But defense was the problem. In theory though, IT on Knight - MT on Stuckey - and Evans on Prince should be able to prevent them from putting up 81-15-19. They just have to do better. And IT has to have a chance to do better. He's deserved it.

 

[pshn80]

Good job. Thanks for all the work and sharing. Did you have any thoughts about whether old or new starting lineup might serve better? I know it was just one game and against only one opponent but does your observations lead you in any particular direction on best using our existing roster? Did anything surprise you? What was our most important defensive mistakes or inadequasys (sp)?

Thanks again.