Welcome to my game notes. For the most part(particularly on offense), these are possession-by-possession notes of all the things that happened on the court. It’s a way for me to learn as much as possible about what happened during the game because I would otherwise forget. Anything can be a note, no matter how small or complicated.
These are my personal notes. This is not meant to read as analysis or a piece. Some of the sentences may not have structure or perfect grammar. They are notes. My goal for this is to somewhat track the things that happen to know what to dig deeper into and have some kind of reference to it somewhere.
Clips will be accompanied for key plays I want to highlight.
1st
11:50 — Davion already drawing his offensive foul on the screen. That is what he was known for last year
11:25 — Davion-Bam PNR. 2 on the ball vs Acuff. Pelle takes the roll. Defense rotating. And done a good job recovering. Defense reset. Pelle was also able to force a TOV
10:43 — Davion chasing Acuff off ball. Is trailing. Pelle switched. Good 1v1 defense. Didn’t allow a shot or a deep drive. Davion with a good closeout. Bam rotated to contest.
10:02 — Pelle-Bam PNR. Under. Switch. Klay-Giannis switch. Giannis getting a good contest on the drive
So far, defense has been good
9:45 — Davion-Giannis PNR. Over. Drop. Davion recovers. No advantage. Then Davion is trailing on the handoff. Giannis has to step up. Switch. Just chucks up a 3pt
9:15 — Klay showing strong help off the strong corner. Encouraged that 3pt. Wiggins doesn’t box out his man. Precious won ORB over Wiggins and Giannis. Giannis allowing Precious to get a drive close to the rim
8:50 — Davion in the PNR vs Acuff. Trails but recovers. Bam helped. Davion trailing after the handoff. Bam had to step up but open 3pt
Davion always trails the 2nd action
8:15 — Davion switches on LaVine
7:48 — Davion switches on LaVine again. Just forces a tough 3pt
A lot of switches. Everyone is now switching
7:06 — Wiggins ISO post defense vs Murray. Bam showing help with digs. Tried to recover on LaVine but gets beat on the closeout. Giannis with poor help and contest
6:40 — Conwell-Bobby PNR. 2 on the ball vs Acuff. Short roll. Giannis is there. Almost a breakdown but poor execution on offense
6:04 — Conwell-Bobby PNR. 2 on the ball. Show. Klay also stunting hard from Hunter. Wide open 3pt. Was the help needed?
5:35 — Acuff just making tough BS shots. That was solid defense from Conwell
5:12 — Conwell top locks Acuff. Bobby up top on Murray. Doing a good job. Solid possession from everyone. Not allowing any advantage
4:23 — Conwell-Bobby PNR vs Acuff. Soft show and recover. Giannis on Murray. He gets a drive but that’s a contested jumper
These are shots that you want as the defense
3:55 — Klay switches on Monk. Allows a drive. Finds a slip to Hunter. That was Conwell’s man. Bobby also rotated but bit on the fake and foul
The switches need to be better
3:30 — Poor Bobby closeout. Jumping on that closeout allowed the drive. Wiggins peel switched well, though. He got a good contest to force the miss. Giannis losing his man on the cut and that allowed a ORB. Davion with a good early tag. Defense somehow recovered a few times after breakdowns
2:50 — Allowing a dunk after multiple rotations. Davion’s poor closeout run Monk off the 3pt line. Forced Bam to rotate. Wiggins missed the sink and it’s an open cut
Wiggins needs to be quicker but this started with Davion on that closeout
2:15 — Conwell-Bam PNR vs Monk. Hard blitz, 2 on the ball. No advantage. Wiggins switches on Lavine. Forces a tough jumper but he still made that
1:40 — Conwell good 1v1 defense on LaVine. Davion showing help at the nail. Helps on the drive then tried to recover on Monk but Conwell switched. More good defense from Conwell
0:40 — Conwell switches on LaVine. Davion comes to double quickly for no reason. That gives up Monk for open 3pt. Wiggins ball watching and his man cut and got the ORB. Now you’re giving up a drive and one to LaVine
Just rebound the ball
2nd
11:00 — Davion-Bam PNR vs Monk. Bam showing. Drive and easy swing to the corner for open 3pt. THJ sliding his feet but was late to contest
9:48 — Davion and THJ switching up top. Davion on Monk. Bam showing hard on Monk.
9:40 — Wiggins defends LaVine well. Bam comes to double late with the clock running out. Just more aggression to deflect the pass and potentially force a TOV. This is how help should be.
9:15 — Awful transition defense. Lazy getting back and getting matched up. LaVine just walks to the rim. No one stopped ball. THJ rim protection = layup
8:50 — THJ on Acuff. Bam ready to show help on the drive. Wiggins helping off strong corner. Sits in the driving lane and gives up an open corner 3pt
8:19 — Bam switches on LaVine. Good show before that too. Wiggins switches on Acuff. Help comes in the paint. Again giving up a corner 3pt. Why is Davion helping? Bam also stunts.
7:35 — Another corner 3pt because Davion helped off the corner. Giannis was on Acuff. There was no need for that help that early
7:02 — Davion not attached to Acuff in the PNR. Bobby soft showing. Defense in rotation but everyone recovers. Davion does a great job sticking with Acuff off ball
6:30 — Giannis giving up a ORB. Just not boxing out. Bobby and Pelle both rotate to the same guy on the kick out. Then Bobby does the same thing with Conwell. That leaves another open shooter
How are you making the same mistakes twice in a span of few seconds?
5:50 — Conwell vs Acuff. Allows a drive and fouls. There’s still a lot of progress for Conwell defensively
5:10 — Giannis with a poor closeout. Undisciplined jumping. But that also started with miscomm with Giannis and Davion going with the same guy on the drive. This was also a whole defensive breakdown with allowing that drive
4:45 — Transition defense. This was perfect getting back and preventing an easy one
4:15 — Klay and Giannis not boxing out. That was on Klay
The missed boxouts just hurt so much and that can easily be cleaned up
3:00 — Davion showing strong help 1 pass away on Hunter vs Klay in the post
2:35 — This was a great possession. Forced almost a 24s and then a TOV. Davion kept LaVine in front. Bam was all over the place as the free safety
2:00 — Acuff hunts Klay. Giannis switches on Acuff. Bam showing help at the nail. Davion also helping off the strong corner. That just forced help and opened up a cut to the rim. There was no need for that much extra help before you even need it
1:23 — Davion-Giannis PNR. Hard show. Giannis also gets the deflection on the pass to the short roll. Great stuff
1:02 — Acuff hunts Klay again. Gets an easy drive to the rim. Bam is at the rim early to help. He contests well to force the miss
0:46 — Acuff trying to hunt Klay again
0:08 — Acuff hunting Klay again. Bam switches and has to foul on the drive
3rd
11:35 — Davion chasing Acuff around. Shoots the gap to recover. Bam also looked to help on the drive
11:25 — Pelle good closeout and recovery on LaVine after chasing him around screens
11:02 — Bam switches up top. Almost a miscomm with Klay and Pelle on a switch. Bam forcing a tough shot vs Murray
10:31 — Bam with a great rotation to help on the drive after a breakdown. Contests the shot well to force the miss. The breakdown came with Giannis and Klay. There was some miscomm that put 2 on the ball
10:02 — Pressing full court softly before the inbound.
9:28 — Davion-Giannis PNR vs Acuff. Over and drop. Not attached and just gets an open pu 3pt. Bam missed boxed out allowed the tip
8:52 — Bam aggressive to help on LaVine for some reason
8:44 — Davion-Giannis PNR. Not attached again. Trails and gives up a floater
7:33 — Bam on Acuff. Lets a drive and another floater in the paint
6:44 — Bam switches on Acuff. No advantage. Giannis switches on Acuff. Hunts Klay on the show. 2 on the ball. Slip Bam helps on the drive and there’s an open cut. Wiggins didn’t really help much on the cut
This started off with Klay getting hunted and allowing that drive on the show
6:08 — Transition defense. No one taking the trailer on the ORB
5:48 — Transition defense. 4 players in the paint and no one bothers to check for any cutters. Another ORB given up
That’s B2B shots at the rim because of poor defense on the glass
4:15 — Cownell-Bobby PNR vs Acuff. Hard show. 2 on the ball. Bobby recovers. Good overall defense. Forced a TOV on a pass
3:18 — Giannis switches on Acuff. Bobby switches on Acuff. Klay peel switching.
Klay has been smart with the peel switches this season
2:25 — Davion drawing the usual offensive foul
1:36 — Good possession keeping everyone in front. Conwell vs Monk, great. Wiggins solid defense too. Bobby giving up a 3pt after losing his man on the flare screen
0:14 — Davion-Bobby PNR. Hard show vs Acuff. Blitz. Good rotations everywhere else to force a tougher shot
4th
11:20 — Transition defense. Just allowing a drive. Davion could’ve contested a bit better
10:58 — THJ-Bam PNR. Not sure if that’s a switch or a show. Open slip. Gets to the paint. That forces Pelle to help but he was late and it’s a foul. That feels like a miscomm with THJ and Bam with the PNR coverage
10:26 — Wiggins switches on Acuff. THJ and Davion miscomm. That starts with THJ. I don’t know what he was doing. Bam great read in the passing lanes to get the steal. Baited the pass well
10:13 — Transition defense.
9:32 — Wiggins on Acuff. Allowing a drive baseline. Bobby showing strong help off the strong corner. Open corner 3pt.
8:40 — Solid defense from Conwell on Acuff
7:51 — Wiggins on Acuff. That has been happening plenty of times now. Conwell already showing strong help off the strong corner. Allows another corner 3pt but solid contest
There are still some issues with PNR coverages. Some don’t know if they want to switch or not.
6:50 — Conwell-Bam PNR vs Monk. Hard show and blitz. Giannis with the perfect weakside rotation to get the block. Elite rim protection. Wiggins allowed that drive on the closeout. He was in the paint for no reason too
6:26 — Acuff hunts Klay. Goes at him again. Wiggins showing help off the strong corner, encouraging the pass
5:43 — Acuff hunts Klay. Pelle showing strong help in gaps. Preventing any drives. Did encourage the pass late and contested the 3pt
5:00 — Wiggins on Acuff. Allows an easy drive. This was awful defense. Pelle low man didn’t even bother to help
4:30 — Acuff double PNR. Davion trails and then stops. Maybe he thought that was a switch with Giannis. Another drive to the rim. Pelle the low man wasn’t in help
That’s 2 same plays that allowed Acuff to the rim easily off dribble.
3:57 — Same double PNR for Acuff. Davion much better defense preventing the 2nd screen. But then still fouled on the drive
3:26 — Pelle vs Monk. Does a good job in front but then allowed a paint touch. Good Davion help from behind to force a TOV
2:38 — Davion-Giannis PNR vs Monk. Not sure on the switch first. Then there’s miscomm with Davion and Bam on the rotation. Klay perfect help on the cut to prevent a layup