Coach Mike D’Antoni explains why the James Harden Rockets leaned into more isolation (with less and less ball movement) as defenses adapted to play them differently in this enhanced podcast segment.
Full video podcast: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6lgQfav761g
Full episode on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/episode/75uz6IutKUnwVLRwdMjKl6?si=4RNDRzydT4GhkaLYn6Gq4w
Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/154-mike-dantoni-on-the-evolution-of-offense/id1428290303?i=1000584271599
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Book: https://www.amazon.com/Thinking-Basketball-Ben-Taylor/dp/1532968175
Podcast: https://player.fm/series/thinking-basketball or at https://www.stitcher.com/podcast/ben-taylor/thinking-basketball-podcast
Website: https://www.backpicks.com
Twitter: @elgee35
Ben Taylor is the author of Thinking Basketball, a Nylon Calculus contributor, creator of the Backpicks Top 40 series & host of the Thinking Basketball podcast.
Stats courtesy:
http://www.pbpstats.com @bballport
https://www.basketball-reference.com
https://stats.nba.com
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Footage in this video is owned by the NBA and its partners. It is intended for critique and education.
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41 Comments
BEN THIS IS MY FAVORITE EPISODE. BEEN WANTNG TO SEE A YOUTUBE VID ON THIS SINCE THAT PODCAST EPISODE LAST YEAR.
IM A D'ANTONI FAN, AND I BELIEVE HE DOESNT GET THE RESPECT HE DESERVES FOR ALL THE INNOVATIONS HE PUT INTO THE GAME. YOU KNOW, HOW HIS 7SOL SUNS FORCED THE LEAGUE TO CHANGE AND EVENTUALLY EVOLVE, AND FOR HOW THE ROCKETS BASICALLY OPENED EVERYONE'S EYES BY DIVING INTO ANALYTICS VIA SPAMMING THE 3-BALL AND SOMEWHAT BRINGING BACK THE DREADED ISO.
I WISH THERE COULD BE MORE EPISODES WITH COACH MIKE SO WE CAN SEE/HEAR MORE OF HIS GENIUS AND HOPEFULLY HE GETS INTO THE HALL SOME DAY.
Holy shit it’s Mike D Antoni 😭💀 wasn’t really aware of the podcast episodes but I’m definitely tuned in now 🫱🏼🫲🏽
More old time KD analysis please.
they used to kill this man for what exactly luka is doing today smh
If Fertita wasn’t cheap and actually went into luxury tax and provided more depth to the Rockets they would’ve beat GS even when CP3 went down
Love MDA! Brilliant mind. Hope he wins a ring someday.
And great to hear him give Point God his praise !
Most underrated coach all time just cuz casuals wanna mention rings. If CP3 doesn’t get injured, rockets take down the warriors we all know it, 3-2 lead before cp3 goes down
He made a really good point fans at home need to realize, the game is heavily dependent on stats now. The entire playbook is based off efficiency, so at home, when you watch these guys do something and scratch your head, it might be something that has worked all year long. A good example of this was the Lakers offense last year, it was a heavy diet of LeBron isolation and 1 on 1s. Fans at home were mad the ball wasn't moving, but when you dove into the analytics the LeBron post up was their only efficient offense for the most part. Every playbook now, offense or defense is heavily dependent on statistics as much as people don't wanna believe that
Harden's the best combo guard we've ever seen
i understand the analytics, but i feel like its short sighted, puts all the presure on James, and when playoffs come around and he needs help, the team hasnt developed the chemsitry to step up and carry the load
They made that 2017-2019 Warriors team look mortal. No one came closer to knocking out that superteam than the 2018 Rockets. i just wish injuries didn’t exist because we’ve lost a whole lot of good basketball just from injuries alone 😿. but, it is what it is 🤷🏻♂️
That offense was definitely pretty
Ben just talking hoops with one of the best minds in the history of the game. Really lends credibility to his insights.
Kobe said it best tho, 1 player is never gonna beat a good defense at the top of the key. 1 v 5 can only take you so far.
schroder being in that isolation list is something else, goes to show you how even a role player is that good
CP3 going down in that GS series is so unlucky. Who knows if they pull it off with him but they were looking great and things were pointing that way. Who knows how Harden/CP3s legacy would be if they were able to make it to that finals and win it all.
Still not sure what genius decided to move on from CP3 for Russ. Made no sense
Ben thinks basketball so much he hasnt even got time to put furniture in his room
By the end of game 4 in 2018 I really felt like the Rockets had a real shot. Looking back I feel like it was the right result with the Warriors winning though. Iguodala didn't play games 4-7 which put guys like nick young, jordan bell and looney on the floor for extended stretches. Replace these guys with Iggy and the Rockets would have had a much harder time punishing switches with Curry being the only weaker link. Nonetheless I really admired how the Rockets nearly beat an alltime great team with their approach. Discipline was the most important trait imo against the Warriors. Using a switch everything strategy on defense as well as the iso strategy on offense really simplified things and reduced miscues which was highly important against a team which mercilessly feasted on mistakes.
the description is in the link
What if Mavs fire Kidd and hire Mike D'Antoni? That'd could make them the best offence in the league. Also, the Hawks just sacked Nate McMillan.
0:47 — Travel plus him jumping into Draymond for the foul.
Ok. So you were able to get a mismatch with harden via a defensive switch. You isolated him to get buckets. Cool!
But you still allowed him to dribble the air out of the ball until the shot clock was nothing before he did anything. That's not smart offense.
Where the fall interview?
James Harden is the reason why i started watching NBA. This guy's skillset is just amazing to watch and such a game changer. One of the greatest scorers to ever play. Huge respect for coach Mike D'Antoni for recognizing Harden's offensive skills.
Well the Hawks just fired Nate McMillan. MDA is the perfect coach for the current Hawks with Dejounte and Trae
Broke my heart when Cp3 got hurt and they lost to Golden State. Harden & Chris would be viewed SO MUCH differently if they would've won that championship..
Also Coach D'Antoni would get his respect for being a mastermind & one of the most innovative coaches ever..Sad really 😂😔😔
Bruh I can’t believe this dude is 70 he looks really in shape lol
This 17-18 team was probably the best rockets team in years. 60+ wins and I firmly believe they would’ve made the finals if cp3 was healthy
Philly needs this guy to bring Harden back
I dislike their style of play but it is working and thats why they used it. Its like natural selection really. Thats the best offense to emerge that could've countered gsw.
I loooove this channel….. great way to digestive some of the strategic aspects of the game! Makes watching more fun when you can understand what other teams are trying to do
We went from this offensive mastermind… to Stephen Silas 🤦🏼♂️
Isolation offense against elite defense especially in the playoffs will eventually get shut down. That's why the rockets of 18-19 couldn't win the championship. Warriors motion offense is much more difficult to defend as a defense having to chase Steph and Klay around. Dantoni is too stubborn to adapt and make adjustments during the series against the warriors.
he's the steph curry of coaching. He revolutionized the game of basketball with his 3 point emphasis, fast pace and no defense. I'm not even being sarcastic.
guys like Stephen a smith give mike a bad reputation as a coach and is always trying to slander his name from getting the good coaching jobs. He'd be a better coach for the 6ers
Now I wonder, Rockets 2017 vs Warriors 2022, how they will defend each other
Nah that houston era was a funny era of basketball
I can look in his eyes and see the trauma Stephen Curry instilled on him lol
But what he is ignoring is that without the passing the were the most efficient but they couldn't win a chip playing that way because winning at the highest level required the whole team to be at their best and when guys are doing that much watching it's impossible for them all to be in a flow
Love the enhanced pods!
One on one success was brought upon those quick defensive shooting fouls around the 2017-2021 era.