Nets-Nugs

Had the pleasure of attending an NBA game this evening.

We (JP, Jamie and my mom) had the pleasure of seeing Allen Iverson do his usual AI things, Carmelo prove that he's more of a man than Richard Jefferson (as if there was any doubt), Vince Carter show yet again that he can play when he isn't whining, and Jason Kidd fail to shoot like an NBA player. Also, Eddie House is a black hole. After you give him the ball, you know that it will be closer to the bucket than it was when you gave it to him. Generally, this involves shooting a quick jumper right off of the pass. No hint of a conscience, passing skills or a desire to do anything other than get his shot off.

The thing was, his teammates knew that. They didn't expect anything different. Kidd knew what would happen when Eddie got the ball, and as a result, Kidd gave Eddie the ball in situations where the shot was likely to be made.

This is one of the primary differences between Kidd an AI (two of my favorite players to watch). Kidd is making adjustments in his game to give his teammates the best shots. AI is forcing his teammates to adjust their games to give him the best shots. Kidd makes Mikki Moore look like a very good player. AI makes Melo look lost from time to time.

AI = I am working to get myself a shot. If I can't, I will pass you the ball. Then it is your turn.
Kidd = I am working to get you a shot. If I can't, I will shoot myself. Then it is my turn.

They are both incredible athletes and teammates. You can ask anyone who has played with them (with the possible exception of CWebb, but I dont like him, so that's okay) and the answer will come back the same: He was a great teammate. But they're so different in the way that they see the game. One isn't any more correct than the other, they are just different. If you put them on a team together, would they get along? Probably. They're both HOF-worthy and they play complimentary games. They would just need to trust each other.

In any case, how does this relate to ultimate? Well, I imagine it is pretty obvious if you remember that you CANNOT play ultimate one-on-one. You need to pass it to your teammates. We all need to work on giving the disc to our teammates in positions of strength for their skills. Similarly, an offense should be designed with the players in mind and positions should be distributed accordingly.

Defensively, aside from designing the defense, you need to work on the field to get players into the correct positions in order for them to succeed. If you've got guys who are great at getting blocks underneath, how can you help eliminate the deep look from your the arsenal of your opponent? With the mark? With dedicated deep help? Playing team defense will help your individual players play to their strengths.
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(Rest Day)