What was that last play?
After a wide-open Wesley Matthews 3-pointer put the Mavs up one with just under 12 seconds left, Coach Hoiberg called a timeout to ensure that his guys got a quality shot off and walk out of the United Center with a little dignity left. This is that quality shot. Viewer discretion is advised.
Hate that ATO at the end by Hoiberg. Everyone's a statue while Butler goes to work. Why call timeout there if that's what you're gonna run? pic.twitter.com/eUreWQPZnf
— Steph Noh (@StephNoh) January 18, 2017
That’s not exactly the look Fred was going for, at least I hope it wasn’t, but like Stephen says in his tweet, how on Earth was that the plan? There’s no off-ball motion, there’s no ball screen, there’s no movement whatsoever! That play is a basketball shrug.
Jimmy is trying his best, but Wes Matthews is one of the best perimeter defenders in the NBA, not to mention he’d been getting madder and madder about the calls Butler was getting all game. What could Fred have been thinking? It comes down to three possibilities.
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One, Hoiberg actually thought a Jimmy iso with no help whatsoever was the best option because the exact same play had won previous games this season. He’s basing his decisions off outcomes instead of process, and he thought since it had worked before, it might work again.
Two, Hoiberg didn’t think this was the best option, but had no ideas for anything better. If this is the case, he could’ve looked back in time one play to see Jimmy sink a jumper off of an MCW screen. What a novel concept.
Three, Hoiberg had a Brad Stevens level ATO drawn up, but as he was about to explain it, a bald eagle came out of nowhere and snatched his clipboard up with its talons, carrying it into the rafters of the United Center.
I don’t know how many examples we need before we learn that isolations can exist as a part of any healthy offense, but quality shots are found when all five players are involved in the play. C’mon guys.