Philadelphia 76ers Bank D’Antoni Brings Fast Break Fix

Fast Break Basketball

Mike D’Antoni was once the offensive mastermind behind the Phoenix Suns, which is the source of association with Jerry Colangelo.  The Sixer Sense’s own Larry Williams discussed this role that Colangelo had in persuading D’Antoni to return to the NBA after a distasteful stint as head coach of the Los Angeles Lakers.  But if he couldn’t get the high powered offense of the Los Angeles Lakers on track, why bring him to Philly?

When he coached the Phoenix Suns, D’Antoni practically restored NBA scoring with his should-have-been-patented fast break offense.  It’s the template for NBA offenses even to this day.  The success of the Golden State Warriors is set, in part, in the scheme that Mike D’Antoni ran years ago.

The idea of Mike D’Antoni’s fast break is ruled by a singular strategy. It slides into the structure already designed by Brown’s offensive mantra of pace, space and pass. D’Antoni’s fast break needs two things, spacing and philosophy. The strategy is to get a shot within the first 7 seconds. That forces players on the defense to get up and down the court, which in turn, creates defensive breakdowns. Defenders need to slow a pace in order to reset and recover in time. Fast pacing an offense prevents that, while spacing becomes crucial as it creates gaps in which the ball can penetrate and either finish at the rim or kick out for a three.

This is not a fast break for the faint of heart. You have to have players that are fearless as shooters, a point guard vision and a coach who can ride the waves.

I.    The offense begins with the point guard, who must get the ball up the floor as quickly as possible. He is always looking to penetrate for a layup or kick out for a shot.

II.   Meanwhile two long range shooters set up at the corners beyond the arc in anticipation of a three point shot.

III. The best shooting front court player (Covington?) He charges down on the opposite side of the ball towards the foul lane.

IV.  The fifth man is the post trailer.

V.     The play begins with the point guard (PG) looking to immediately penetrate for the score or dish the ball.

VI.    If the lane is sealed, the PG dishes the ball to the near corner for a quick three pointer.

VII.   If the near corner is well defended, PG pushes the ball to the middle and dishes the ball to the far corner for a three pointer.

VIII. If both corners are defended, PG pushes the ball down side of court and passes back to the best shooter for a trey or penetrate for a mid range two.

Notice no where in this offense is the primary design to get the ball to the man at the post. That’s where the fun comes in. The ball moves so quickly and the decisions are so rapid in this offense that is designed to attack from the perimeter. Once the defenders charge out to stop the artillery on the hill, the offense can then feed the ball to the post man for the easy two.

Once this basic set is perfected, the offense can begin to layer in the pick and roll, flare break, screen and roll, screen and pop, penetrate and kick out, backscreen, or any number of offensive variations.

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