Any time you can start off a game with a creative set that confuses the defense and creates a wide-open look at the basket, you’ve done a very good job. If you can do that against one of the NBA’s best defenses, that’s even better. And if the open look at the basket is a three-pointer for one of your knockdown shooters and comes off an action that plays on the defense’s schemes in order to create an opportunity you know will be there if you go to it again, well, that’s best-case scenario.
This is what happened with the Milwaukee Bucks on Thursday night. On the very first play of the game, the Bucks ran through a quick-hitting action that involved all five players on the floor, confused the heck out of the Indiana Pacers and their second-ranked defense, and ended with Brook Lopez (a 37 percent 3-point shooter) launching a wide-open bomb that splashed through the net with ease.
In this week’s edition of Last Night, In Basketball, we break down exactly how the Bucks shook the Pacers and got Lopez so wide open. Enjoy.
Last Night, In Basketball is a video breakdown series from the basketball mind of Jared Dubin. You can see the videos for free on Twitter and YouTube, but if you enjoy the work and want to see more, you can pledge your support on Patreon.
