A lot of players are willing to study basketball but don’t know-how, they are willing to read books and watch videos but don’t really understand what they are supposed to be doing with the information they are absorbing. Today I have you covered here are a few end of the game situations that are must know.
What are some end game basketball situations that you should know? These end game scenarios presented to you will happen frequently during a player’s basketball career. It is key to recognize these end game situations and make the right decision on the court, so you don’t cost a win. Much of what I will present in the end will be up to the coach to follow their own coaching strategy.
Let’s take a look at the most common scenarios when ahead and behind on both offense and defense while seeing what the correct play is for both sides of the basketball.
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When your team is ahead near the end of the game on defense…
In basketball, the overall objective is to win the game. No matter what the score is, no matter what your individual stat line is the object of the game is always to win.
With that being said there comes a point at the end of the game when you are ahead and on defense, that keeping the clock alive is the most important factor on defense and offense. ( More on ahead when on offense later).
Time is the enemy for your opponent and can affect the team mentally. They are in a hurry to shoot the first shot they see, usually a long poorly selected shot out of a player’s range. They have no business shooting these types of shots but because their chances decrease with every second that runs out, they do so anyway.
It’s like knowing you only have a minute to get to class before the door closes and if you don’t make it you will miss the exam, so you’re in a rush, tunnel vision kicks in, thinking and common sense goes out the door for most people, your driving in a car run stop signs and speed, just to get to school. The result is poor decision-making that could be a disaster.
So what should you do? The basketball I.Q. play is Don’t Foul and Stop the Clock. Too much can happen when doing this. You send the team to the line to shoot free-points, and now they have a chance to think. This also gives them an opportunity to rebound a miss or intercept an inbound pass. So much can go wrong and it does happen. You ever watch March Madness and the number of upsets that happen in the last minutes of the game regardless of what team is seed what.
Think about it this way you are up by 5 points with 40 seconds left, you just have to play defense straight up and not foul and usually it is not for very long because the opposing team is in a panic and wants to shoot right away. If you are smart you could deny the ball to the player with the hot hand during the game and make sure he doesn’t get the ball at all. The rest of his team will not be patient enough to give it to him because they think he’s not open and time is running out.
So next time you are up and are on defense do not foul and put the team on the free-throw line, now you know floor captain.
When your team is head near the end of the game on offense…
It should be obvious that when you’re ahead at the end of the game the last thing you want to do is shoot a quick shot. I always tell my players that time is more valuable than scoring points. During the heat of the moment at the end of the game, even though a team may be up in points, the intensity of the game will have players rushing shots and decisions. I can’t tell you the amount of mistake I have seen as a coach and spectator when players would shoot a shot that they could have waited 15 seconds more seconds to shoot. This is because of a lack of experience or discipline.
There are a number of things you need to do:
1 – Limit the number of dribbles but look to attack.
You want to limit the number of dribbles as to not turn over the ball but at the same time, you don’t want your team to be passive and play keep away. What happens is when a team plays keep away the ball in mid-flight, or a long lob pass is thrown, this gives a team a chance to intercept the ball in the air. This is why you want to be a threat and still attack at the same time killing as much time as possible.
2 – No shots, hold the ball until they foul.
You have to recognize the situation you are up by 4 points with 38 seconds left and a brand new shot clock, there is a good chance they will try to foul and get the ball back. Hold the ball while in attack mode and allow them to foul. When you understand what the opposing team is going to do, you can better plan and anticipate what will happen.
3 – Layups only or open shots
If you have to shoot go for a layup, at this point they are looking for a steal aggressively and man to man defense goes out the window. When you go up for a layup good defense will be hard to come by and they will be looking to block your shot and get the ball back. That is why it is advantageous to go for layups. If you’re unable to attempt a layup shoot the open shot from your best shooters at the three-point line who are wide open or anyone 15 feet from the rim. With this shot, it will hopefully put the nail in the coffin.
Your team is behind near the end of the game on defense…
This is where a lot of mistakes happen such as fouling too early, fouling when it isn’t necessary, fouling without going for the ball. If one of these things happens the game will already be over. An aggressive defense is key, forget about fundamental defense like when the game is tied.
You want to take a chance and go for the steal when the opportunity presents itself. This means aggressively going for the steal by taking the guy’s arm off (elbow down) hoping to get lucky and a foul will not be called by the referee. When your man doesn’t have the ball you want to deny him from getting it. Hoping the rest of the team is doing their job while being able to force a turnover.
Denying the ball aggressively will put more pressure on the offense to make passes to teammates, sometimes an overhead or a pressure pass that leads to a possible turnover. That’s the goal, immense ball pressure in a very pressure situation at the end of the game. Hope for the best.
Your team is behind near the end of the game on offense…
So because we have taken a look at when your team is ahead on defense is to not foul or stop the clock… What is that you need to do when your behind near the end of the game on offense? That is to take the basketball to the hole as the opposing team does not want to foul and stop the clock. Simple. Take the ball aggressively to the basket and hope for an and-one in the process.
You may even be surprised to see an open lane, or players guarding the three-point line to prevent a shot. This is what you don’t want to do unless it’s absolutely necessary. Avoid long shots to better your odds at a quickly made basket.
If your down 6 points with 15 seconds left it would be safe to say that you should probably go for a three-pointer. Understanding the score and recognizing the game situation happening is key.