Basketball Run and Gun

In basketball, run and gun is a fast, freewheeling style of play that features a high number of field goal attempts, resulting in high-scoring games. The offense typically relies on fast breaks while placing less emphasis on set plays. A run-and-gun team typically allows a large number of points on defense as well.

In the National Basketball Association (NBA), the run and gun was at its peak in the 1960s when teams scored an average of 115 points a game. Around 2003, the average had dropped to 95. The Boston Celtics were a run-and-gun team in the 1950s and 1960s while winning 11 NBA championships, as were the five-time champion Los Angeles Lakers during their Showtime era in the 1980s.

Although the run and gun is believed by many to de-emphasize defense, the Celtics of the 60s' had Bill Russell, and the Lakers of the 80s' had Kareem Abdul-Jabbar as defensive stoppers. Coach Doug Moe, who ran the run and gun with the Denver Nuggets in the 1980s, believed the high scores surrendered were more indicative of the fast pace of the game than a low level of defense. Still, his teams sometimes appeared to give up baskets in order to score one. Though his offensive strategy led to high scores, Moe's Denver teams were never adept at running fast breaks.

Paul Westhead coached the Loyola Marymount men's basketball team in the late 1980s using a version of the run and gun. While run and gun basketball is often thought of as a system of offense, Westhead's system uses a combined offensive and defensive philosophy. Offensively, the team moves the ball forward as quickly as possible and takes the first available shot, often a three-pointer. Westhead's teams try to shoot the ball in less than seven seconds. The aim is to shoot before the defense is able to get set. Defensively, the team applies constant full-court pressure. Generally, the team is willing to gamble on giving away easy baskets for the sake of maintaining a high tempo.

Loyola Marymount successfully used the system in 1990 when they advanced to the Elite 8 of the NCAA Basketball Tournament, beating the defending champion Michigan 149-115 along the way. The style has been used at some other teams. Coach Westhead tried, rather unsuccessfully, to implement the system in the NBA with the Denver Nuggets in the early 1990s. They averaged a league-best 119.9 points per game in 1990-91, but also surrendered an NBA record 130.8 points per game. They also allowed 107 points to be scored in a single half to the Phoenix Suns, which also remains an NBA record.

Westhead's system has been imitated by other college teams, including Grinnell College. David Arseneault, the architect of the Grinnell System, added to Westhead's system by substituting players in three waves of five players, similar to an ice hockey shift.

Grinnell System

The Grinnell System relies on shooting three-point field goals, applying constant pressure with a full-court press, and substituting players frequently.

Strategy

The main tenets of the system are:

The first possible shot is best possible shot, where three-point field goal attempts are preferred over shorter shots.
Shoot as many three pointers as possible.
In terms of defense, giving up an uncontested layup is better than a shot clock violation.
Always double team the person with the ball.
Every player but the shooter goes for the offensive rebound.
Offensive rebounds should be sent back for another three-point attempt, not a shorter putback for two points.

Basketball Grinnell System - Stories Preschool

Unlike Westhead's system, in which any open player takes a shot, the Grinnell System has a designated shooter on the court. The system employs a constant full-court press on defense. While opponents get easy baskets when they beat the press, the team receives the ball back sooner to attempt a three-pointer. The goal is to get significantly more shots than the opponent by forcing more turnovers and getting more offensive rebounds. When a player misses, Arseneault believed that rebounding the ball and giving the player the same shot within ten seconds usually resulted in a basket. The overall goal of the system is to take 100 shots, make half the shots 3-point attempts, force 32 turnovers, rebound one-third of the team's own misses, and outshoot the opponents by 30 attempts.

To keep his players fresh and get more individuals involved, Arseneault added to Westhead's system by substituting players in three waves of five players, similar to an ice hockey shift. A 15-man roster is divided three groups of five and new shifts are substituted every 45 to 90 seconds. Each shift plays at full speed and then rests while the next group does the same. Players rarely play more than 20 minutes a game.

Arseneault and the Grinnell program have been criticized for using the system to run up the score and set records, especially against overmatched opponents.

Nellie Ball

Nellie Ball is an unconventional offensive strategy in basketball developed by NBA head coach Don Nelson. It is a fast-paced run-and-gun offense relying on smaller, more athletic players who can create mismatches by outrunning their opponents. A true center is usually not needed to run this type of offense. A large volume of three-point attempts is generally a staple of Nellie Ball as well. This offense is most effective against teams that do not have the athleticism or shooting ability to keep up with the fast pace.

Small Ball

Small ball is a style of play used by a team that sacrifices height, physical strength and low post offense/defense in favor of a lineup of smaller players for speed, agility and increased scoring (often from the three-point line). Some teams employ a non-center dominated style of play. Teams often move a physically dominant player who would typically play the small forward position into the power forward position. Examples of players who have been used in this role include Kevin Durant, Carmelo Anthony, and LeBron James. A small forward who can play as a power forward may be known as a "hybrid forward", cornerman or tweener. That individual would play alongside either a traditional power forward (shifted into the center position), or alongside a center. The vacant small forward position would then be filled with a swingman, a slasher small forward or shooting guard or a three-point specialist.

The advantage of using small ball is that the power forward position is occupied by a faster, more agile player who can outrun and outmaneuver the opposing power forward. In many cases the player may have a better three-point shooting percentage than a traditional power forward, which (as well as increasing points from three-point plays) can help spread the opposition defense. The opposing defender will come out to mark the player on the perimeter of the three point line, allowing space for teammates to run in and score around the basket. A player occupying this position, with a high three-point shot success percentage, is coined a "stretch 4". When utilized by the Miami Heat, Erik Spoelstra called this style of play "Pace and Space".

While the style of play does have advantages, there are several disadvantages. The addition of speed and agility comes at the cost of strength and height. The lack of "big men" can make it more difficult to guard the space under the basket while on defense; it can also prevent the team from having a low-post offensive threat when attacking. Rebounding is often sacrificed; for example, in the 2012–13 season, the Miami Heat, playing small ball, had the most wins during the season of any team in either conference, but were the worst team in either conference, by a wide margin, in total rebounds. The Golden State Warriors in 2014–15 used small ball to a greater extent in the NBA Finals than any prior champion, swapping out big man Andrew Bogut from the starting lineup for Andre Iguodala, who would eventually be named the Finals MVP.

Outline

SPORTS WORLD

Basketball

The object of the game is to outscore one's opponents by throwing the ball through the opponents' basket from above while preventing the opponents from doing so on their own. An attempt to score in this way is called a shot. A successful shot is worth two points, or three points if it is taken from beyond the three-point arc 6.75 metres (22 ft 2 in) from the basket in international games and 23 feet 9 inches (7.24 m) in NBA games. A one-point shot can be earned when shooting from the foul line after a foul is made.

Rules and Regulations

Gameplay: A jump ball is a method used to begin or resume play in basketball. Two opposing players attempt to gain control of the ball after it is tossed up into the air in between them by an official.

Positions: During the early years of basketball's evolution, two guards, two forwards, and one center were used.

Equipment: The only essential equipment in a basketball game is the ball and the court: a flat, rectangular surface with baskets at opposite ends.

Official: Basketball is regarded as among the most difficult sports to officiate due to the fast speed of play, the complexity of rules that must be followed, the unique case-specific interpretations of rules, and the instantaneous judgement required.

Violations: The ball must stay within the court; the last team to touch the ball before it travels out of bounds forfeits possession. The ball is out of bounds if it touches a boundary line, or touches any player or object that is out of bounds.

Fouls: An attempt to unfairly disadvantage an opponent through certain types of physical contact is illegal and is called a personal foul.

Strategy: The playbook starts as a canvas picture of the basketball court with all its boundaries and lines. On top of that, the playmaker can draw O's for players on offense, and X's for players on defense.
Techniques and Practices

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Techniques and Practices

Basketball moves are generally individual actions used by players in basketball to pass by defenders to gain access to the basket or to get a clean pass to a teammate to score a two pointer or three pointer. Basketball Moves »

Shooting: Shooting is the act of attempting to score points by throwing the ball through the basket, methods varying with players and situations.

Slam dunks: A slam dunk, also dunk or dunk shot, is a type of basketball shot that is performed when a player jumps in the air, controls the ball(s) above the horizontal plane of the rim, and scores by putting the ball directly through the basket with one or both hands.

Rebounding: Rebounds in basketball are a routine part in the game, as all possessions change after a shot is successfully made, or the rebound allows the defensive team to take possession.

Passing: A pass is a method of moving the ball between players. Most passes are accompanied by a step forward to increase power and are followed through with the hands to ensure accuracy.

Dribbling: Dribbling is the act of bouncing the ball continuously with one hand, and is a requirement for a player to take steps with the ball.

Blocking: In basketball, a block or blocked shot occurs when a defensive player legally deflects a field goal attempt from an offensive player.

SPORTS

Basketball

The object of the game is to outscore one's opponents by throwing the ball through the opponents' basket from above while preventing the opponents from doing so on their own.

The rules of basketball are the rules and regulations that govern the play, officiating, equipment and procedures of basketball. While many of the basic rules are uniform throughout the world, variations do exist.