Cheers to NBA Playoff Defense
Why the playoffs feel so different
“There are 82-game players, then there are 16-game players.” - Draymond Green
The Nile is generally considered a slow-moving river. It has a gradual slope over 4,000 miles. Wide channels slow the current. If you were to float it for hours, you’d pass kids playing on the bank, fishermen casting lines, and the quiet hum of everyday life moving alongside the water.
Near Murchison Falls in Uganda, the river is still broad. Boats cruise upstream without much effort. But as the falls approach, something shifts. The river narrows. The current quickens. The surface ripples and churns. Water is being pulled into a funnel until there’s just a 23-foot gap where the river has no choice but to fall. The result is one of the most powerful and visually dramatic waterfalls in all of Africa.
The NBA regular season is the Nile. 82 games between October and April. Teams rest stars on back-to-backs. Front offices purposefully lose as the Spring peaks through the cold winter months. Talk shows are filled with complaining about what the NBA used to be. And then April comes.
The playoffs are Murchison Falls.
It’s cliché to say, but the NBA playoffs are a fundamentally different sport than the regular season. Statistically and visually different. The stars come out to play. The intensity increases. The pace decreases. Referees swallow their whistles. And soon, basketball is back to how it’s supposed to be played. The NBA playoffs is all the pent-up energy from the regular season finally being released.
The numbers say it clearly. Last year I wrote and showed some interesting statistics that set the playoffs apart.
In all but two seasons since the 70s, there have been fewer possessions per game in the playoffs than in the regular season. Field goal percentages drop. Points per game drop. The game gets slower, harder, and uglier. And that’s just how we like it.
What the numbers are saying is that defenses are working harder. A few less possessions, points, and misses a game might not sound like much until you realize what it represents.
Energy and effort are the biggest differences on the defensive side of the ball. Players are giving maximum effort and expending more energy on a per-possession basis. Every play is being contested harder, guarded more carefully, and scouted more thoroughly. Everything is magnified.
Defense is the part of playoff basketball that doesn’t get enough credit. We know about the closers and shot-makers. But the history of the NBA playoffs is written just as much on the other end of the floor. We just saw the Detroit Pistons hold the Orlando Magic to 19 points in the second half to save their season. That’s what defense can do for teams in the playoffs.
It’s the small things that make all the difference in the playoffs. Take the example below of Rudy Gobert against the Denver Nuggets in the first round. He was masterful in the post against Nikola Jokic. But what I was really impressed by was the pressure he extended to other places on the court. Gobert could have been sitting back at the three-point line, but his defense at half court forced the turnover and led to transition points. The extended pressure is a sign of the sustained intensity needed on the defensive side of the ball in the playoffs.
Devin Vassell showed his defensive fight by getting back in transition in this play below. Instead of standing out and guarding Scoot Henderson out on the three-point line, he made sure he had a foot in the paint. You can see from the clip that he took a peek over his right shoulder and spotted Jrue Holiday sprinting towards the basket. He then anticipated the pass and jumped in front for the steal. Again, it’s small things like Vassell’s court awareness that can turn the tide in a playoff game.
Lastly, take a look at this sequence from the 76ers and Celtics. First, Paul George gets beat off the dribble. However, he sticks with the play and is able to poke the ball away from Jayson Tatum from behind. As the 76ers start their fast break, keep an eye on Derrick White in the upper left corner. He sprints the entire length of the court to get the chase-down block. Pure hustle from both George and White resulted in saved points. Sometimes it’s as simple as exerting a little more energy to keep your team’s season alive.
These plays don’t go viral. But they set up the ones that do. A bunch of small defensive plays throughout a series is what propels a team forward as a series reaches its climax.
After all the hard work throughout a series, sometimes we are blessed with a defensive play that lives on forever. These are the plays that are included in the pre-game montages for years to come. Here are a few worth remembering.
Michael Jordan’s steal on Karl Malone, 1998 Finals
Tayshaun Prince’s chase-down block on Reggie Miller, 2004 ECF
LeBron James’ block on Andre Iguodala, 2016 Finals
Jrue Holiday’s steal on Devin Booker, 2021 Finals
Draymond didn’t say there are 82-game players and 16-game players because of who scores. He said it because of who competes. Who can bring the physicality and focus necessary to make plays when it matters most? The playoffs reveal a player’s willingness to make the game hard for someone else. To do the little things that may or may not show up in the boxscore.
The regular season is a river. Long, wide, full of bends and calm currents. The playoffs are a waterfall. Everything that was moving slowly suddenly drops at once. Energy, effort, and defense are what make the playoffs so exhilarating.
This article has great angles, super perspective, and stories and video to back it up! One of my favorite Butterflies to date!