FIRST SHOT: KNICKS WILL TAKE IT IF IT'S OPEN
BY ALAN HAHN | alan.hahn@newsday.com
October 26, 2008

Forget anything you might have heard about this "Seven Seconds or Less" principle. That is merely the title of a book; it is not a golden rule in the system Mike D'Antoni employs with his teams.

It is not something Garden fans need to focus on when the Knicks take possession of the ball for the first time in Wednesday's season - make that era - opener against the Miami Heat at the Garden. Don't expect any player to just chuck-and-duck when the 24-second shot clock clicks down to 17, quality be damn- ed.

The title to Jack McCallum's engaging read about the entertaining Phoenix Suns teams D'Antoni coached became a label for the up-tempo system. But Knicks fans shouldn't expect the frenetic madness it suggests. No, there is method in this madness. It's not as much take the first shot as it is take the first open shot; whether it takes seven seconds or 24. The preference is somewhere in between.

In fact, at the risk of blasphemy (though Walt Frazier himself agreed to this point), D'Antoni's offense actually follows the same basic philosophy of the great Red Holzman, who would famously urge his players to "Hit the open man!" As with those championship teams of the early 1970s, there is no caste system on D'Antoni's Knicks. The open man, whoever he is, gets the shot.



But while that critical fundamental rule was accepted by the likes of Frazier, Earl Monroe and Willis Reed (along with a voracious dedication to defense), it is not as easy for today's players, especially those who spent most of their careers as focal-point players. But D'Antoni said he has little time for a player who carries a sense of entitlement, as if the ball is owned by the star player and it is up to him to decide whether he shares it or not.

"You can't be happy when you're getting 15 and 16 shots and then be [upset] when you're not," said Quentin Richardson, the lone Knick who has played in D'Antoni's system with the Suns in 2004-05. "You have to keep playing and playing hard because a lot of times, the way our offense is, if I run hard, I may not get the ball but I may get an open shot for the guy coming behind me."

In this system, the ball is the center of the universe. If you don't fall into uniform orbit, you will crash and burn.

"That's the way the game works," says Zach Randolph, who used to be one of those focal-point players but has found new life in D'Antoni's share-the-wealth society. "You play the right way, everything will fall into place."

The right way involves four basic fundamentals:

Speed and spacing: Players fill specific lanes and the ball is pushed upcourt on the break.

The ball finds energy: Offensive movement results in energy. If you're moving, you'll get the ball ... it will find you.

No contested shots: The offense is designed to find the open man. It's that simple.

It's about the next play: A fast basket kills any momentum an opponent has and answering an opponent's hoop with quickness will lead to easy scores.

These fundamentals seem simple enough, but as much as this can be a player-friendly system (just about anything goes after the basic formation is established, and there are infinite options off the basic sets), some players aren't as comfortable playing without the rhythm of a predetermined amount of touches, shots and plays called specifically for them. It might take time to get used to it. Then again, it might not be for everyone.

Either way, Richardson says that after all the losing the Knicks have been through, a dramatic change in philosophy might be what the players need.

"It's difficult, but at the same time you've got to be able to look inside yourself and say, 'OK, for all these years I've been in the league, I've been trying to do it my way. I average my 20 points doing whatever and I haven't won. I haven't made the playoffs or I haven't won a championship, I haven't experienced winning or how fun it could be, so why not try to do it this way and listen to what he says?'" Richardson said.

"He's been proven, he's been winning [58] games [a season] all these years, making the playoffs, going to the Western Conference finals and all that. Why not try to do what the hell he says? It seems to work when everybody else does it; why shouldn't we?"

HOW IT WORKS: THE FOUR FUNDAMENTALS OF MIKE D'ANTONI'S OFFENSE
October 26, 2008

1 SPEED AND SPACING

This also is the foundation of each possession. It's not just about running fast, but also thinking fast. Players have specific lanes to fill on the break as the ballhandler pushes the ball upcourt. The shooting guard (No. 2 in the accompanying "Basic Sets" diagrams) and small forward (3) head for opposite corners to spread the defense. Plays are determined by where the big man (5) sets up. If he goes left, he sets a pick for the ballhandler, then dives to the block (see "Pick & Roll" diagram). The other big man (4) stays high and wide, perhaps even outside the three-point line. The paint is usually wide open for the diving big man and for any cutting player from the weak side.

2 THE BALL FINDS ENERGY

Any halt in movement - even if it's dribbling in place - allows the defense to set up and, as a result, causes a breakdown in the set. Any lack of movement allows the defense to recover and close off openings that may be created as a result of the pick-and-roll and spacing. It's similar to Brett Favre telling his receivers to always run hard routes, even if they are decoys. Sometimes the decoys wind up the best scoring option.



3 NO CONTESTED SHOTS

Because the success of the offense is predicated on finding the open man, there should never be an occasion where a perimeter player has to split a double-team or shoot with a hand in his face. There should be no need for fallaway shots or forced runners. And big men should not have to power through double- or triple-teams (the offense considers a one-on-one in the post for Zach Randolph or Eddy Curry essentially the same as being open).

4 IT'S ALWAYS ABOUT THE NEXT PLAY

So the Knicks' opponent has momentum after a big offensive play or run of baskets? Nothing kills that momentum like a quick score, and quick inbounds and quick outlets into transition can lead to quick, easy scores. In other words, the Knicks will always look for the next play.



BASIC SETS

Each of these plays the Knicks run are designed to create uncontested shots. Each play has various options depending on the defense.

PICK & ROLL

BACK DOOR CUT

DRIBBLE DRAG (1 & 2 EXCHANGE)