As we reach the midpoint of the NBA season, teams are beginning to develop tendencies that will eventually become identities over the second half of the season and into the playoffs for 16 squads.

One observation of the Knicks defense is their tactical approach to switch on screens. For a team that only allows 96.3 points per game and sits in the second spot in the Eastern Conference, the gameplan has paid off thus far.

Assistant coach Herb Williams provides an explanation for the switch defense:

“You are trying to prevent yourself from getting into rotations all the time. If you are always chasing the basketball, the defense is never going to win. At some point and time, you have to control that ball and that’s why we switch a lot. At least we know where the ball is at, we know where we are trying to send them at, so we can control it. But, if your defense is chasing the offense, you will never win that game.”

With big and versatile guards, Jason Kidd, Iman Shumpert, James White, and even Ronnie Brewer at times, New York can switch on the perimeter. But how exactly does that assist the Defensive Player of the Year on the backside of the defense?

“It’s great for me because allows me to key-in on what’s really going on down low,” Tyson Chandler confirmed. “When we are able to switch, it takes offense right out of what they are trying to accomplish. Obviously, you run the pick-and-roll, different sets to create mismatches but if you are able to switch it creates no mismatch.”

Chandler looks at one specific team, the Boston Celtics as a prime example of how Shumpert strengthens the Knicks switch defense.

“When we switch, it’s not a mismatch, Shump is big enough to handle Paul [Pierce] or quick enough to guard [Rajon] Rondo, so itgives us the ability to switch at the top,” Chandler added.

If the New York guards attempted to fight over every screen, players like Rondo and Pierce could have a field day working pick-and-rolls or they will find open driving lanes to the rim, placing even more responsibility on Chandler to protect the rim.

“What happens sometimes if you don’t switch, Rondo is good enough to get in the lane, Paul is good enough to get in the lane. If that big hits that guard and he comes off of it then Paul is looking to go one-on-one,” Williams acknowledged.

The Knicks continue to adjust the gameplan and lineups due to the significant amount of injuries throughout the season. This is one aspect to New York’s defense that should improve and evolve over the second half of the year.

Sounds great now if only everyone is on the same page so the Knicks can execute it as well as the Pistons. Melo, JR and Amare constantly manage to screw it up because of lack of focus

We get beat back door on a reg, mostly when amare decides to play his man, instead of seeing his man and the ball or coming to high up to guard the ball handler, thats bad defense.

“When we are able to switch, it takes offense right out of what they are trying to accomplish. Obviously, you run the pick-and-roll, different sets to create mismatches but if you are able to switch it creates no mismatch.”
Chandler looks at one specific team, the Boston Celtics as a prime example of how Shumpert strengthens the Knicks switch defense.
“When we switch, it’s not a mismatch, Shump is big enough to handle Paul [Pierce] or quick enough to guard [Rajon] Rondo, so itgives us the ability to switch at the top,” Chandler added.

This is starting to make me doubt all the media hype about Chandler being a defensive genius.

Pick n rolls are the bread and butter of NBA offenses. They generally involve a big man like KG screening for a PG like Rondo. I have no idea how if Felton switched onto KG and Chandler switches onto Rondo there isn't a mismatch.

Why wouldn't a smart coach intentionally run pick and roll to get a mismatch? If we make 0 effort to get over a screen and we gift wrap a mismatch down low aren't we giving the offense exactly what they're trying to accomplish?

playa2 wrote:

playa2 wrote:Why don't they just play zone for a little while just to throw a wrinkle at the teams since our rebounding is so bad , make teams become great shooters but keep a man on top of a good shooter on the perimeter.

Woodson must have check the site out on his smart phone and took my advice

Seriously I'm in shock. Wish they played zone vs Miami

A lot of media people were criticizing his switching to quick and too often. Guess he listened

IronWillGiroud wrote:Switching isn't a problem if everyone is on the same page and you keep switching,

switching is a problem when the switching sequence breaks down and you miss a switch

Right like Melo and JR do numerous times

yellowboy90 wrote:Props to Woody for going zone half of the game.

+1999999999999999999

it was as important as coughlin calling some no huddle offense

Uptown wrote:The perimeter switching isn't the problem, the problem occurs when the bigs (Chandler) switches onto a small.... What the Knicks should do when the big comes up for a PNR is trap the ball handler and force him away from the basket. Zone up behind the trap and that will give us enough time to recover.

I was just think the same thing earlier today. Pgs like Rondo should get trapped but teams rarely do that. The Cs almost always get the switch they want partly because Kg get away with moving