Team Defense: Jack Ramsay and the Portland Trailblazers

filmed at GFU the year I graduated from HS in Sherwood. I have no memory of this series being televised back then. Thanks for sharing

Thanks Timbo for getting that 16mm reel!!!!

i’m pretty sure i could have made the NBA against some of those guys :) the white dude with curly afro hair was terribl e

The background audio track for this video is LEGIT.

Obviously a lot of what is seen early and throughout the film would be not allowed under hand checking rules now. A lot of players briefly reach in when checking guards above the perimeter, and that would be just that: Reaching in. Then I’m not exactly sure when this was introduced but the big guys are frequently “camping in the lane” without guarding anyone specific one on one (the charge circles also were introduced only recently). Some of the “side to side” defense does seem to be almost a modern matchup zone shifting from side to side and not so much a pure man to man defense.

“When blocking a shot, is important to keep the ball inbounds to start an offensive drive”: Sage advice but pretty funny. Most of the best current shot blockers in the league don’t, and TV crews love it when the ball flies into 3rd row. I also would like a few of those fast break players.

“Play defense with your feet”: Too true.

“Show and recover”: Not really what Nate teaches. The Blazers switch an awful lot on defense. KP2 recently remarked on a podcast that he got used to that when playing on the Sonics, but that was a team with very athletic shot-blocking big men, a huge small forward in Schrempf, and tall guards with Nate and Payton. In Seattle and in Portland he frequently didn’t have that player material. He claims they make an effort to avoid switching (especially early in the season when it involved Greg or Joel and a guard), but very often it didn’t work. If you switch Batum on a taller or smaller player, that can work well. If Blake/Bayless/Miller end up on the PF or Oden/Joel/Juwan/LaMarcus on the PG, that’s not so great. Best “show and recover” big man in the league right now: Arguably KG who always seems to come out to the perimeter with a purpose, though there are some other good ones too. Duncan isn’t bad either. LaMarcus is often decent.

“Must front his man on the inside pass” when defending against the rub-off. Interesting, I haven’t paid much attention to this, but I think this has been often lost in today’s NBA among guards and most small forwards. Maybe because players are faster and it’s usually taught to stay between your man and the basket and not “gamble” for steals or deflections. Usually only big guys front, but why not to deny the pass?

“Maintain contact with your man on the rebound”: True, true. Same with “all five defenders must keep sight of the ball in transition defense”.

I suppose Nic or maybe even the coaches would be happy to dissect that ;-)

Awesome video

One thing I noticed about the video is that without the three-point shot, the weakside spacing on offense is pretty much shot. In each video, either there was nobody spacing on the weakside corner or wing, or the defense just didn’t respect that shooter, because it’s a low percentage shot if you don’t get an extra point. Rotating to help under the basket or if you get burned on the dribble is much easier when you only have to defend half the court: the guy who’s responsible for the weakside doesn’t have to go very far to help out, and the player stationed near the top of the key can pinch down on the offensive player on the weakside without much fear. In today’s NBA, where Rashard Lewis is standing there getting three points if you move more than 4 feet away from him, you’re dead.

Although the game has changed some with the addition of the 3 point shot and more athletic players, the defensive “mindset” is what makes good teams, champions.
   Jack Ramsay has always had the philosophy of defense as the cornerstone for team building. I recall him stating that “when a team plays good defense the offense will generally take care of itself.”
   But no matter how you technically apply a defensive strategy, it has no physical value, if it doesn’t become an adopted mindset of the team. In other words, if you don’t establish it as “trademark” for your team then it never gets to the forefront like it should.
  The Blazers of today always talk about it as a side note of conversation after the game, but it seems so shallow when you never see it as a sound fundamental in most games.
    My point would be this;
   Come out every game and establish yourself defensively…if you don’t do this the chances of winning are automatically reduced to 50% or less. You need defensive stops more that you need offensive efficiency and often good defense can improve offense because you can get more of the “easy hoops” (and thus have more energy to play good defense)

I’m glad you posted this video. (the timing was appropriate after the view of this last game vs Utah which outlined the reason for the loss)
 I see a lot of chatter in here about offense and how this team gets high marks for it. Most peoples eyes are on offense, because it is the highlights and the fun part of the game. ……But the reality is, this team puts itself in jeopardy for an “L” every time it doesn’t commit to defense as way of life and (instinctively) plays it every night.