10 Ways to Elevate Your Game

Something I'm always on the hunt for even now after I've been done playing is ways or methods to improve one's game. I came across this article published by Core Performance. Gives you 10 ways to elevate your game.

Most of the tips found in this article are ways to improve and prepare your body so that when it comes time to play, you're body is in its peak physical condition. Remember young players much like a carpenters tool is his hammer, a basketball player's tool is his body so its important you have it worked out to where it needs to be.

Here is the full article: 10 Ways to Elevate Your Game - Click to Launch Slideshow

Dribble Drive Motion

Ever since the dribble drive motion was made popularized by Vance Walberg and then by John Calipari at Memphis I have been overly intrigued with it. When my team, the New Jersey Nets, decided to adopt principles of the dribble drive last season I decided I needed to learn more.

So I read about it online, read books, bought the DVD the whole bit. I still continue to try and collect and information about the offense. This year, the team I coach with has decided to incorporate the dribble drive into our offense, so I'm getting a first hand look at the breakdown and development of the offense. I will try and keep my thoughts and observations here on this blog.

In our first day of implementing the offense we just went over the most basic reads that our guys are going to be needing to make. The basic terminology of the offense (the rack zone, the drop zone, etc.) and our overall spacing. So we really didn't get into the finer details yet of the offense, but so far here is my observations.

- First of all spacing is going to be the key to the offense. The driving lanes become wide, very wide when the correct spacing is obtained. When the spacing breaks down, so to do the driving lanes. Without the driving lanes the dribble drive is not nearly as effective. Making sure that ball side wing stays down in the corner is going to be important.

- Our team is composed mostly of guards and players who can knock down the three which is a big reason we decided to change to this offense. That being said, I noticed yesterday that with one of the products of the offense being drive and kick opportunities for open threes, it now makes everyone on the floor that much more dangerous and really puts a premium on shooters.

- Through one day it seems the kids are having just an overall more fun time with playing. Who wouldn't like playing in an offense where the focus is attacking?

Vince Carter's Greatest Nets Moments

As a die hard Nets fan losing Vince Carter this week was hard. I felt the best way to honor him would be to compile his greatest moments as a Net and put it all into one place. Not going to bother ranking them or anything like that, just want people to enjoy the moments.

This first one is from this past season. Vince collects ball at mid court after it was tipped and decides to pull up from 35 feet which of course was wet. Actually was at this game, good win for the Nets as they stayed in playoff contention.



Another game winning three this time from 2005. Probably a sweet moment for Vince since it came against his former team the Raptors and it was in Toronto. Vince was booed this entire game everytime he touched the ball.



Yet another Vince game winning three pointer this time against the Jazz and again from 35 feet. From what I remember the Nets needed this win badly and they also were running a little streak in which they were beaten by game winning shots.



2005 Playoffs vs. the Heat Nets down two, Vince catches ball in corner, fires up a shot that hits the rim, bounces straight up, comes down catches rim again and somehow goes in at the buzzer to send the game to overtime. Love the delayed crowd reaction. Another game I was at.



Vintage Vince Carter. Throwing down a vicious dunk on Alonzo Mourning. Was even more sweet considering it was on him.




Highlights of Vince going for his career high 51 points vs. the Heat in 2005.



Finally Vince stroking a long game tying three pointer with Anthony Parkers hand in face to force overtime. Then in overtime catching a lob and reverse dunking for the game winner off an inbounds.



Goodluck Vince! You will be missed Vince! VC for threeeeeeeeeeee

Showdown In Chinatown

Just getting back from the Showdown in Chinatown held by Steve Nash and Claudio Reyna at Sarah D. Roosevelt Park in the city.

This years game and event had a slightly different feel than last years. Last year, the original one, felt a little more "pickup" and a little less organized. Last year felt as if Nash got a handful of guys together and said Hey lets go play in the park and people who were walking by just happened to stop and look. This year there was a lot more production involved including a huge set of bleachers behind the one goal and TV cameras as well as a slew of media.

I have to admit though, last year I hardly saw any plays and only was able to catch glimpses of the taller basketball players when they came into my corner. This year, though I did arrive two hours early, I was able to get a seat in the bleachers and see the entire game. Needless to say I was a fan of the produced event.

Unfortunatly in the metro area the weather hasn't been too cooperative and in the hours leading up to the game those fans who arrived early were treated to a nice steady does of rain for two hours. Some were smart enough to think ahead and bring umbrellas or rain gear, others (me) were not. So I had to make do with a ripped plastic bag over my head and shoulders and still got soaked.

The pregame festivities were some freestyle soccer players out there doing tricks. This portion of the show though I could not see because this was at the height of the rain and the person in front of me could not figure out how to hold an umbrella so that he stayed dried and so that I could see at the same time. Fan if you're reading this...it's asking a lot I know, but it is possible to lower the umbrella over your head so that all can see!

Anyways on to the game! Once the players stepped onto the field they were immediately

swarmed by fans and media. The players did interviews and signed autographs for the first 15 minutes they were there. Nash and Reyna hooked the boys up with some sweet gear from a company called Calle so everyone was freshly fitted and looked the part, albeit some more than others. Here were the sides as reported on via twitter by Marc Stein (@stein_line_hq): Team Reyna in Blue - Claudio Reyna, Javier Zannetti, Ivan Cordoba, Adrian Mutu, Salomon Kalou, Chris Bosh, himself, and Tony Parker with Mike Quarino in goal. For the Nash led white team - Steve Nash, Martin Nash, Thierre Henry, Mathieu Flamini, Ryan Babel, Edgar Davids, Grant Hill and Francesco Santoro.

Also on an aside, it was a pretty surreal moment in Twitter history to witness Steiny Mo standing at midfield by himself while everyone else was getting mobbed on his phone, twittering what I was reading. Reminded of the people who have no one to talk to at a party so they just take their phone out to make it seem like they're busy doing something, good stuff.

During the ten minute warm ups there was a clear distinction. While the professional soccer players on both sides were acting pretty serious and getting loose the NBA guys for the blue (Bosh and Parker) were a little less serious during warm ups. I think Bosh was just happy at this point to swing and connect with a ball at his foot. Bosh also had a quick sneaker change before the game going from a white pair of what looked like some sort of Nike Shox to a red and white pair of Air Max's. The NBA guys on the white team (Nash and Hill) were more a little more serious (as expected). Nash seemed to have a legitimate sweat going before the opening whistle.

The game itself was pretty slow paced actually, a lot more so than last year. The professional soccer players especially Davids and Kalou were really providing most of the entertainment throughout with some pretty sweet dribbling moves, though most players weren't getting stuck in on challenges too much (probably afraid of embarrassment).

The game though had some highlights, Grant Hill megging Chris Bosh was one. Chris Bosh then failing to return the favor on Hill, even as Hill stood with his legs open allowing Bosh to meg him back. Tony Parker had the opening goal of the game on a pretty sweet back hill off a cross. Even Stein himself got in there once on a cross, diving to try and score yet came up empty.

As far as our NBA guys go, as I said, Nash was really out there playing hard and just like how he does in hoops, he was always trying to create with the ball at his feet. Grant Hill actually surprised me with how sound he was at soccer. Plays pretty simple, but looked far more natural out there than Tony Parker which came as a little bit of a shock to me. I guess just because Parker is from France I expected him to be a little better at soccer than he was. While he wasn't bad, as I said, he just didn't seem as natural as Hill.

Then there was Chris Bosh. I learned two things about Chris Bosh today. One, Chris Bosh has probably never attempted to kick a moving ball in his life. Actually after watching his performance today, its possibly he has never used his feet for any other manner other than walking, running, or jumping. And two, Chris Bosh is a good sport. He knew he was no good at soccer, yet he made things entertaining and didn't take himself too seriously which I loved. NY Knicks fans made sure to get there "Bosh 2010" calls out to him as well which I thought was pretty funny.

Those were pretty much the highlights of the evening. I have to admit I lost track of the score somewhere around 3-3 but Stein reported the final was 8-4 after a Nash penalty kick got wiped from the board. Take a look at some of the video that I took and I apologize for the shaky camera.

Here is some video:

Here's Nash's penalty kick attempt which according to Marc Stein was later wiped from the game. Nash drew the penalty on the play before attempting a bicycle kick.



This is video of Grant Hill's goal which he got off a rebound. Watch the celebration from Nash and Hill after the goal.



And finally Chris Bosh's best attempt at goal. He should have taken the first shot but then he had a nice header attempt. If he wasn't 7ft tall he would have possibly made it. Good try though anyway.

A Great Ending

For today's post I just want to revisit an ending to a great game. The Division II Championship from 2007 featuring Barton College vs. Winona State. If you have never seen the game, take a look at the video here which gives you the electrifying final 45 seconds.



Down seven with 45 seconds left to comeback and win, incredible finish. Some good lessons to be learned.

-First of all you can see how you let a team back into the game by not making foul shots.

-Second, take care of your inbounds passes. Twice Winona tries inbounding quickly before they were organized and twice it cost them two possessions and turned into Barton scores.

-Finally, don't stop playing. You never know in this game so play it out till the clock is up. Most times its a coach that gives up first before a player does.

NBA Draft Dominating

The NBA draft is dominating most content out there on the basketball web these days..so why not go ahead and join in on the phone. This is something intersting at Truehoop, based off some statistical research done by Synergy Sports.

Stephen Curry, Blake Griffin and Hasheem Thabeet by the numbers...

What it uncovers among other things though -

- Stephen Curry is good in isolation and transition but weak (right now) in pick and roll. Pick and roll being the majority of what teams do in the NBA that could be something to look for.

- Blake Griffin is a monster in post up and cutting opportunities but needs to bone up a little on his outside shot.

- And Thabeet gets a bad rep for not being an offensive player but according the numbers he actually proves to be a pretty effecient scorer in the low post..at least he was in college.

Father/Son Weekend

Ok so I just got done a few hours ago working my first Father/Son weekend basketball camp and actually first basketball camp of any kind.

Good experience to be had all around.

The Father/Son camp that I worked at was held in the Pocono Mountains, PA and is run by the basketball group, Hoop Group.

Let me first speak on the campgrounds and environment. If your a basketball enthusiast and if you're reading this right now, you probably are..then this is a place you'd want to check out if you haven't already.

Really only two things dominate the landscape on the campus at Pocono's. Old wooden cabins (probably about 30) and basketball courts (probably at least 10 full sized courts and over 40 hoops in all I'd assume, just guessing at this point). Point is there are a lot of basketball courts, a truly exciting facility.

The other thing I really liked about the Pocono's campus was the sense of history you had when in their buildings and in the covered courts known as "The Gym." Hanging from the rafters (literal rafters) are numerous retired jerseys of either former players, coaches, or speakers who have came through the camps over the years. Hanging are some truly historic names: Bobby Hurley Sr., and Jr., Chris Mullin, Dave Hopla (who doesn't love that guy), Chamique Holdsclaw, Nykesha Sales the list goes on and on.

Inside the dining halls you have those similiar retired jerseys as well as pictures of again greats of the game who have been at camp: Mark Jackson, Rik Smits again the list goes on.

Outside of having to live in a cramped room which piled three of us coaches together, and had room for two more, eating camp food and having to use community bathrooms, this would have been a place I would have been real comfortable in. But despite the living conditions, which admittedly, I'm a comforts of a home guy, always have been, my time there was great.

As far as the camp goes, if your a father and reading this or for that matter if you're a son and reading this..Father/Son weekends are something you should really look into. Its nice to sort of step away from the "real world" a little bit and just spend some quality time with your big man or little man. On top of all that the opportunity is there to play/shoot hoops almost for an entire day.

Also the camp is based around learning and there is plenty to be had for those willing to listen and take in the information.

Besides all that, its a pretty awesome networking opportunity. In just one weekend I met a few coaches and a few fathers in businesses I could see myself going into, so for aspiring coaches or aspiring basketball business connoisseurs (nice) I'd strongly recommend thinking about this.

In the Need for Some Goosebumps

Absolutely love this and definitely got the juices flowing after watching this video.

Alan Stein (no relation to Marc..I think) is a Professional Basketball Strength and Conditioning Coach and was one of the coaches during the NBPA Top 100 week of camp. He spoke during camp and tells a great story about a high school basketball game, loaded with talent such as: Kevin Durant, Ty Lawson and Michael Beasely among others.

Alan's energy is pretty infectious even through the medium of video, so sit back and enjoy. Here's the video of the speech:



And here is video footage of that game:

Father/Son Weekend

Will be away this weekend working in the Poconos at a Father/Son camp. Not sure what the story is going to be with my internet until I get there so I don't know what I'm going to be able to do blog wise, but I will try and sort of put a ribbon around the whole weekend when I get back sometime on Sunday.

Hopefully will learn and become a better coach this weekend and hopefully the kids come ready to play and work!

Here's a link to the full camp information - Hoop Group Father/Son Weekend

-Dif

Sideline Out of Bounds

Sideline Out of Bounds (SLOB) plays are an intersting part of basketball to me. Because you're far from the basket you rarely see "home-run" plays are quick hitting plays that are one pass shot.

But still there is a lot of options in most plays and they take a fair amount of execution to run. You want to make sure you're getting the ball in the hands of the players you want to. They're also pretty fascinating because often times a game will be decided from a SLOB.

Off the top of my head in the 2009 Playoffs alone I can think of a few games that came down to the SLOB. The Lakers/Nuggets in which Ariza made a steal, the Finals Game 2 in the failed layup attempt to Courtney Lee, Rashard Lewis hit a big three in the Cleveland series off a SLOB and of course who will forget Lebron James' heroics stemming from a SLOB situation.

Here we have some Sideline Out of Bounds Plays designed for potential late game situations, contributed by Lason Perkins.

Love the simplicity of these plays and there are plays here designed for all five guys on the floor. Enjoy.

-Dif

NBA Team of the Decade?

So who is the NBA team of the decade?

Can come down to two different teams, the Spurs or the Lakers?

Read on to find out the answer - Team of the Decade.

-Dif

Knowing Your Role

Came across this article from Globe Sports courtesy of TrueHoop about Reggie Evans and the role he's played in the NBA. If you don't know, Evans is your typical "role player." Doing all the dirty work while others around him get glory. He's a quote from the story, from Evans.

“The only way to succeed in this game is certain people have to bring certain things to the table,” he said. “Everyone has different roles. Mine is playing tough guys at my position and rebounding and bringing a lot of energy to the game. I have fun doing that. I don’t mind doing that. It’s a perfect fit.”

I think the Evans article brings up a lesson in basketball. Everyone on a team has their role, whether be it the star, the complimentary player or like Evans plays the hard nosed scrappy player. The lesson here is...these players are important too.

Too often being dubbed a 'role player' has a negative connotation. And granted nobody is saying you have to be content with your role or that your role is going to be that forever. You can work hard, develop different skills and become a better all around player. Then maybe someday you can take on a bigger role. The important thing about wanting to take on a bigger role is the players motives. Do they want to take on a bigger role to improve the team and have a better shot at winning? Or do they want to take on a bigger role for personal satisfaction.

Either way, basketball is a game of roles and the faster you can, not to quote the Rock, "know your role" and accept your role and perfect your role...the better off the team is going to be.

-Dif

Marc Stein Playoff Winner's and Loser's

Marc Stein breaks down the 2009 NBA Playoffs Winners and Losers.

Kobe and Phil Jackson were winners, really? Also I liked that he included pizza and candy in the mix of winners considering they did gain some notoriety in the playoffs. Especially candy.

Three Cavs top the list of losers including 2009 Coach of the Year Mike Brown. Has anyone had a quicker fall from grace than Mike Brown? Similiar to Dirk winning the MVP during the series in which his number one seeded Mavericks were ousted by the eighth seeded Warriors.

-Dif

Land of Kobe

I was going to come up with my own original piece to kind of 'sum up' Kobe Bryant's accomplishments this season and sort of where he stands in the annals of NBA History. I was. Obviously though, Kobe being the figure that he is and eliciting the response that he does there are going to be tons of written word about him by professional writers. So why throw my hat in that ring really. Instead I'm going to read as much on the subject as I can, because the subject is fascinating really. Then I'm going to link what I think is relevant. The first I've read so far is from national columnist Bill Simmons. Obviously Simmons is the most read sports writer in America so he needs no help from me linking but what the hell. Kobe 09' Change We Believe In.


I think Simmons does a good job investigating what makes Kobe tick and his relationship with teammates and coach. The column is a little more about Kobe's relationships and his evolution in his career than just purely basketball. My only issue with it when Simmons at one point says Kobe had no 'clutch moments' in the 09' Finals. My argument to that is, while there was no 'moment' that may stand the test of time, like a game winning or tying shot, in the NBA Finals every shot is magnified. So when Kobe was reeling off those double digit point efforts in the first quarters or hitting those tough shots in the second and third quarters those are all still clutch shots. I understand that fourth quarter is money time and I understand that when the games got to the final minutes and overtimes he pressed a little. I just don't think you can dismiss a guy averaging 30 points in an NBA Finals as not having any clutch moments so easily. Anyway enjoy that one and I'll post more as I see fit.

-Dif

Congrats to the Lakers

Lakers pick up their 15th NBA Championship in franchise history.

Hats off to them. They took care of business and did so on the road too which was impressive. Phil Jackson gets career title number 10, Kobe and Fish pick up their 4ths and some veterans like Gasol and Odom pick up their first.

-Dif

Basketball Was His Calling

Good story here about former NBA Coach Del Harris, courtesy of Eric Musselman.

"Coaching seventh- and eighth-graders, boys and girls. His boys teams played six minute quarters and scored 100 points four times. And you thought he was all about defense."

Little excerpt there. Talks in the article about always staying connected to the game, even now at 71 years old. I hope I make it that far!

-Dif

Welcome..

Ok so you're a basketball fan. Actually scratch that, so you love basketball. You love basketball so naturally you watch the games and you probably play in your local pick up game or get together with friends and shoot around or just simply shoot by yourself.

You love basketball and if you're lucky enough you work in a profession in which basketball is involved. You love basketball and maybe you're good enough to play organized, be it high school, college or any other organized competitive version of basketball. Maybe you coach.

The point is...you love basketball. So naturally when you're on the internet you're looking for smart, thoughtful, insightful content about...you know it...basketball. Well then you should be glad that you have found my world. My world of basketball.

Now don't get me wrong, I love a good humor piece, I really do. And I love blogs or writing bashing players, teams, refs, etc. I do and I'm sure you do too. But there are some other blogs out there that do a great job of either humor or bashing. The lighter side if you will.

If you've found my blog, then you've found a resource for basketball taken a little bit deeper. Maybe you want to improve as a coach. Maybe you want to improve as a player. Or maybe you just want to have a better understanding of what it is you're seeing play out in front of you on the hardwood.

Everyday I wake up and do the same thing you are doing. Read blogs and consume basketball content. Some of what I read I think to myself...wow, that is really good stuff. That is the stuff I'm going to put here and maybe throw in a little of my own opinion. Hopefully you find what appears on this blog as useful. And I hope my world will only enhance the love you already have. Enjoy!

-Dif