All too many games are not decided until the last few minutes. Why is it that some teams, some coaches, constantly win these games even though many of the games are toss ups until the end? There is no big secret or magic involved. The coaches of these teams have developed a philosophy of the style of the game they want and an outlook on close games in particular. The coach has prepared his team for all situations and has practiced these things thoroughly. There is no such thing as luck. It is, rather, when preparation meets opportunity. When things go your way consistently, you deserve some credit for being in the right place at the right time. As the Peanuts character Charlie Brown says, "It is unlucky to be behind at the end of a game!"
First, a coach must have a philosophy of the game of basketball, and even competition itself. How should a team react to a given situation? This is a rhetorical question and one that an individual must address before actually facing the situation. How should a team perform in a tight game? The coach must address this as well. Once you have some ideas, you must sell these ideas to your team. Finally, practice them consistently and constantly.
Once the basic offenses and defenses have been taught, begin to consider late game situations. Simply put, you need to ask yourself two questions late in any game: What is the score and how much time is left?
What constitutes a late game situation? This varies from coach to coach. I will think along these lines when there are less than four minutes in a game. If the score is such that the game has virtually been decided, there is no need to over coach here. If the game is fairly close, get ready to work Be there to help your team.
The next phase of planning involves dividing up time and score situations into two divisions. One part deals with the times that you are ahead. The other part concerns itself with what you will do when you are behind. But first think about situations that will occur regardless of the time and score: foul shooting and rebounding the ball. Both of these are always important but take on a very special meaning late in the game. A foul shot in the first minute counts the same as one in the last minute but try telling that to the people involved in a last second foul shot. It is oversimplifying the situation, but if players practice something often enough under the proper conditions and with the proper desire, then they will do fine. The problem is, how does a coach get players to simulate a do or die in practice? No matter how much you realize the importance of something, the players will not realize the importance of it until it occurs in a game. Then it may be too late.
How often in practice do you have the players run and then have them practice foul shots? In theory it is a great idea. Shoot when you are tired. But the only thoughts a player will have now is that he is out of breath and that it is great to have a chance to stop running while he shoots a foul shot. Next time that you shoot foul shots and really concentrate, have them run as usual, but then reward the good shooters with no more sprints and the poor shooters with more sprints. Or you can use my favorite approach. Line up the players. For the sake of argument, let's say that there are 12 players on the team. Inform them that they will have a one and one. If everyone makes their foul shots, that would be 24 points. Inform them that they have 24 sprints to take. But for every made foul shot, you will reduce the sprint count by one. If some one misses the front end of a one and one, they will not get the chance to take the other shot. The nice thing here is that this gives the players the opportunity to think as a team. They will really root for one another because each one's success will be good for everyone. Conversely, misses hurt the whole team. Trust me, the players will concentrate.
Here is the idea you are selling: If you make your foul shots, you will have more points. The team that is ahead will be pressed and most likely, will be fouled. If you maintain the lead, the other team will be doing most of the running (pressing you). If, on the other hand, you are missing your foul shots, you will behind and need to press. Therefore, if you are going to miss your foul shots, you had better be in good shape! This drill is a microcosm of the end of a game. If you make your foul shots, you will be shooting more foul shots. If you miss your foul shots, you will be running more! If someone misses the front end of a one and one, it may be only one miss in the score book, but it is two misses as far as I am concerned!
I can assure you that everyone will begin to concentrate as they have never done before in practice if the entire team will run on a missed free throw. By simulating the pressure now, a crucial situation in a game will be easier to adjust to. I have always stressed that I want my players to practice as if it were a game, i.e. to practice at game speed. This pays great dividends.
Next, how often during the course of a game does your team inbound the ball? Think about it. After every score by the opposition, after every common foul by the other team, and after every one of their violations, you team will be putting the ball in play from out of bounds. How prepared are you and your team? Just like foul shooting, in bounding the ball is very important, but just as foul shooting takes on special significance at the end of a game, the ability to in bound the ball will ensure victory or seal defeat. Many times your team will be in bounding the ball under your own basket. Are you ready to score and score quickly? Better yet, do you have a specific philosophy regarding in bounding the ball? If not, develop one. Be sure of what you want and then convey that idea to the players. Finally, practice it over and over.
What do you want when your team is in bounding the ball under your opponent's basket in a full court situation? If you are ahead, you know that the other team will be in some sort of pressure defense. If it is a last second situation, do you have a set play? Get ready for those situations now. When they occur it is time to act, not time to wonder or plan.
What will you do if the other team is not letting you get the ball in bounds (i.e. denying all potential receivers)? Is counteracting this part of your in bounds play? If they try to keep the ball from your key players, how does your play compensate for this?
It is always important for players to react to a given situation rather than think about what has happened. You don't want them asking, what does this mean or where do I belong. If you practice these game situations often, they will react on a whistle, and be in position for the next situation before it has a chance to develop. This idea is, of course, more important late in a game. And for situation where the clock is running (in bounding situation after a basket), it is imperative.
One last question before discussing time and score situations, do your players know the rules sufficiently? Or better yet, do you? This is pretty fundamental. But it is frightening how many players and coaches do not know the rules of the game. But these are the same people that, when invited to play a card game would ask, "What are the rules of this game?" The conclusion that we can draw is that we think we know the rules. One sure way to find out is to contact your local board of officials and ask to attend a meeting to discuss rules, or even better still, invite officials to speak at one of your practices. You will be very surprised at what misconceptions that your players have. Not only will the officials be willing to help you out, but they will probably be happy to do so. All the better officials would prefer not to blow their whistle. They practice preventative officiating. They talk to the players and try to get them moving in the lane to avoid a three-second call. They remind a player who is in bounding the ball from a designated spot that he cannot move from that spot. They urge players to keep their hands off one another to avoid calling fouls. Don't get me wrong, an official will blow the whistle when an infraction occurs. But they would rather the players don't break the rules. No one enjoys a game when the refs have to keep blowing the whistle. So do your part as a coach. Learn the rules and prepare your team. The alternative is to complain to the official when the play is over. Not only will you lose the argument, but you will lose momentum and the players perception of your knowledge of the game will suffer.
When discussing time and score situations one could say that all situations are different. (i.e. gym differences, styles of play, opponent, time left, difference in score, etc.) It is also true that we can theoretically prepare our team for all these conditions by thinking of the times that our team will be ahead and the times that our team will be behind.
If we are ahead we can expect some pressure defense. As part of overall game preparation we must be ready for all presses: man to man, zone, full court, half court, three quarters court. It remains for the coach to just keep the players calm under these circumstances, simply remind them of their responsibilities and boost their confidence. Expect the opposition to try to steal the ball and double team. They may also try to prevent you from in bounding the ball. Are you ready for all of these? Five seconds to in bound the ball can be a very short or very long period of time depending on your point of view. In short, practice against all conceivable presses and just be ready to remind your players when it occurs in a game.
One common limitation that all coaches share is the lack of time available in practice. If you are one of these coaches, do not be overwhelmed by the previous ideas. Yes, it is true that you could see many different types of pressure. It is my opinion that I have just one basic type of offense to run against pressure defense. The only variable from my point of view is whether the opponents are denying the in bounds pass or letting us pass the ball in bounds. In my mind, this is a great time saver. We practice just one offense vs. a press.
If you can get your players to think about going against a press as lay up time, your team will rarely lose the lead. They will usually extend it. The easiest time to take advantage of a team is when they are gambling. A team that is behind at the end of a game will be gambling. They are prone to making mistakes if you are calm and patient.
Being ahead, one must deal with the concept of the stall. The freeze, the delay, the four corners, or whatever you choose to call it, is something that coaches disagree on. John Wooden, the legendary coach at UCLA, winner of 12 NCAA titles, supposedly said that if only one team is shooting, then only one team is scoring. In other words, he did not like freezing the ball. I'm sure that he wanted his players only taking high percentage shots, but he certainly did not want his players ignoring the basket. Another legend, Dean Smith, made the four corner delay a household word and had great success with it. Red Auerbach, the old Celtic mastermind, used to say that going into a stall will destroy your momentum. The idea being, if something has gotten your team in control of the game and has you pulling away from your opponent, why take the chance of altering the mental make up of your team. Sometimes players can misconstrue your intentions and assume that you have no confidence in their offensive abilities.
Should the coach decide to use a delay, remember that the other team will be prone to fouling. Try to keep the ball in the hands of your best foul shooters. The only way the other team can gain possession of the ball is to hope for a steal, a turnover, or pray that you begin to miss your foul shots. Increase your percentages at the foul line. If you can afford to play without a player who is a poor foul shooter at this time, substitute for him with a better foul shooter. If you cannot spare him, tell him to get the ball to the better foul shooters whenever he has the chance. (Special note, be careful with player confidence here. If they are sub-standard foul shooters, remind them that they need to practice. But do not be negative with this thought.)
If you are running a delay or spread offense, the defense will be gambling. They will also be prone to a back door situation. Try to incorporate a back door possibility into our man to man offense. Then practice it.
Another concept to think about when you are ahead is to prevent the opposition's fast break. You know that they are going to press, you know that you must try to get them gambling and fouling. Once they get the ball it is also a fact that they will be very impatient and try to score as quickly as possible. If your players can get back quickly on defense, the other team may force a fast break when the opportunity is not really there, and thus turn the ball over. Even if the other team does not have a fast break opportunity they still may be impatient. You must convince your team that they must play extra tough defense at this time. Many teams in this spot will become tentative and passive. A big suggestion here would be to play a very aggressive zone, but play a zone. Protect the perimeter. (Unless you have something that will work better.) Force the other team to shoot from the outside. Contest shots, BUT DO NOT FOUL A JUMP SHOOTER! This will stop the clock and give them free shots. Both of these are bad for you. Do not let the ball get inside and BOX OUT! Should the other team take a shot, limit them to one shot. It is extremely frustrating to see the other team get offensive rebounds at this point.
At any time late in the game when the other team scores, it is wise to teach the players to get where they belong if they are being pressed. Keep a calm head and set up properly. Do not panic and do not rush. It sounds strange at first but, MAKE HASTE SLOWLY. It is easier to carry out this idea if the players understand that the game clock is the sixth man for the team that is ahead. If you rush to get the ball in bounds you may have lost the opportunity to let a few extra ticks of the clock go by. Another possibility is that, by rushing, some of the players have not gotten into proper position yet. This can be risky. The official begins his count to five as soon as the in bounder picks up the ball. Take your time. Have your in bounder take his time getting to the ball. Remember that sixth man. When he is ticking, he is on your side and working for your team. Don't stop that sixth man.
Now let us consider time and score situations from the standpoint of being behind. What can we expect to see? What can we do to counteract this? The opposition will probably use some kind of delay. How you feel most comfortable working against a delay is what you should do in a game. Some teams use a zone trap of some kind. Some teams go man to man. Others go to a trap out of a man to man. Whatever you believe in, teach it. But practice it!
If you have the team playing man to man, you probably have them work very hard containing the man with the ball, trying to trap him, steal the ball, etc. Meanwhile the other four are sagging and looking to help out while leaving their own man open. Here is a suggestion for you to think about. Why not have your players deny the other four players as if their lives depended on it and have the man on the ball stay as close to the dribbler as possible, not to steal the ball, but to allow the official to count to five for the turnover. All the man who is defending the dribbler must remember to do is not to get too close to the dribbler but not to get too far away from the ball either. Contain him. Allow the official to continue the five second count. If the dribbler penetrates past the defender, the official will stop the five-second count. This suggestion does not require any high risk gambling and does not invite any intentional fouling.
When your opponents go to the foul line, are you sure that your players understand their boxing out responsibilities? Think about how frustrating it is when the opponents miss a free throw and get the ball back because someone did not box out. A team cannot come from behind and score if the other team has the ball.
The next thing to consider when you are behind is your fast break. How quickly can your players get the ball up the floor after securing the possession? It does not matter if the other team has scored, if your team has in bounded the ball or stolen it. Remember that the sixth man, the clock, is now on the side of the other team. You do not want your players to rush, to be impatient or to make mistakes because they are rattled. But do not allow them to waste valuable time by bringing the ball up too slowly. If you can score and do it quickly before the other team can get back on defense and set up, you have saved precious time. Some teams, when they are ahead late in a game will take themselves right out of a game because they become too tentative and are afraid to do anything.
Realizing that the clock is working against the team that is behind, ask yourself how many time outs do you have left and why not use them to stop the clock. Legally, a team can ask for a time out at any dead ball situation. After a basket, even though the clock is still running, the ball is dead. If your team calls for a time out to the official as the ball is going through the net after a basket, they will be granted a time out. This will give you time to set up your press, prevent the other team from in bounding the ball too quickly, and most importantly, it will stop the clock. This is the time of the game that a coach and a team can really milk the clock and manipulate the end of a game. Sometimes you can almost feel the momentum swing in this situation.
As time winds down in a game you may want to think about a total denial of the in bounds pass. If you can prevent the in bounds pass, a five-second violation occurs and more importantly, as you gain possession of the ball, no time has expired off the clock (if this is after a whistle, i.e. foul, time out, violation). An example of this would occur after a foul shot. The opposition is trying to in bound the ball. The clock will not start until the ball is touched in bounds. If you are successful in trying to force a five-second call, the clock will never start. Of course, if the other team passes in bounds and you steal it, it is not such a bad thing!
As time drags on toward the end, consider using drastic measures. This is deliberate fouling to stop the clock and to get the ball back. Hopefully the other team will miss their free throws. The object of this is that the clock will stop and you will get the ball back. This tactic leaves you vulnerable because the opposition will get a chance to score. It must be emphasized that I am not condoning flagrant conduct or taking a chance that someone will be hurt. The fouls that your team will be committing will be intentional, but they must not make it look this way. First of all, NEVER foul a shooter. The shooter is about to give you the ball back. Whether or not he scores, you will be getting the ball back. Do not compound the problem by fouling the shooter and give the other team the opportunity to score more points. When you are forced to foul, try to foul the worst possible shooter. You may want to think about fouling the newest substitute, as they will usually be the most anxious person on the floor. (It may also be one of the other teams best foul shooters, so be careful.) Next, instruct your players how to go after the ball when the opponent has it. You do not want your players called for an intentional foul! Try to steal the dribble or the pass. If a foul is called, it will not be as bad as an intentional foul. And if a foul is not called, all the better! Remember, if an intentional foul is called, the other team will shoot free throws and retain possession of the ball. A simple common foul will only be one and one (up to a point where they become two shots).
If you can save your time outs, you can use them at this time to possibly rattle the foul shooter and force him to think about the free throws with the additional time that you have given him. Do not neglect your time outs early in a game if they are deemed necessary. Some coaches call them early in a game if their players are tired. I think that this is the symptom of a bigger problem. The team in his scenario is just in bad shape! They must be better conditioned in practice. Also, why not substitute? Get a player who is tired out of the game to give him a rest, even if it is a brief rest. (Also, the player will get the message that the game will not stop for him and that he may want to be in better condition if he does not want to come out of a game!)
Another thought can be that players will always get the chance to rest during foul shots. Lastly, teach the players to rest on offense. (Not in later stages of a game, of course.) By resting on offense, I mean that players should be taught that passing the ball five times before shooting is not a bad thing. (This idea would be applicable at all times except at the end of the game when you are behind.)
Always try to go into the later stages of a game with three time outs. Do not hesitate to use them late in a game. They do not accumulate from game to game. If a close game is over and you did not use all your time outs, you cannot save them for the next game.
In the closing seconds of a game, do you have a play prepared to prevent a turnover? (When you are in the lead.) Do you have a play designed to get you a quick score? (When you are behind.) Will these plays work against both man to man and zone? Will it work if the other team is denying the in bounds pass? Another thought that will save you time when you are behind at the end of the game. Try this if you still have at least one time out and have the ball out of bounds at the far end of the court. It is applicable if only a few seconds remain in the game. Try to get the ball to mid court or as far as possible with the first pass and call time out right away. If the clock does not start until the ball is touched, you have moved the ball half way up the court in less than a second. Here is one last suggestion that will help any team in a late game situation. It does not matter if you are ahead or behind. Think about changing defenses each time down the floor. This tactic will confuse and frustrate an opponent. It can also produce turnovers.
There have been many suggestions presented here. The coach must make the big decisions. Think about time and score situations. Keep consistent with your philosophy and be mindful of the strong points and limitations of your team. Prepare for all situations. Practice them to death. It will pay off!