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Improvise
by Adam Sigelman
In game two of this year's Eastern Conference Finals against the Orlando Magic, LeBron and the Cavs had a set play. They were down by 2 with seconds left and needed a quick bucket. LeBron was to cut hard to the hoop for an alley-oop. Magic forward Hedo Turkoglu had an idea what would happen and positioned himself between LeBron and the basket. As the play unfolded, LeBron took a few steps towards the rim, and Turkoglu sags off him. So LeBron changes course, v-cuts back to the arch, and drains a (ridiculous) game-ending three pointer.
Winston Churchill once said: "Planning is essential, plans are useless." LeBron had a good plan, but he noticed instinctually that his odds of succeeding would be better if he changed course. In Ultimate, like basketball & other sports, set plays are useful to designate a cutting order and give the thrower a good idea of how the field will unfold. I find them especially useful near the endzone, where the offense only needs to complete one short pass and individual cutters do not have much space to improvise in. At the same time, plays are guidelines, and smart players will always throw out the plan and capitalize when the defense presents them with good opportunities.
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Tuesday, July 28th, 2009 |
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