The Princeton Offense Vs The UCLA Offense

[a-rod]

The UCLA Offense is a viable option for teams that do not have a bona fide low post player. It is primarily designed to take full advantage of a post player with good passing and shooting skills, but it can also take advantage of the post up abilities of a point guard and power forward. Like any successful offense, the UCLA offense is based on very sound principles and excellent court spacing. It utilizes both an inside and an outside attack.

UCLA High Post Offense 2/3

The Princeton offense is not really an offense at all in the true sense, but rather an unstructured style of play. Very similar to the Passing Game offense, rather than relying upon executing a set pattern or play, the Princeton Offense relies purely on constant motion and specific counter actions based on defensive reads to create open shot opportunities with the classic backdoor cut for an easy basket being its signature option. Developed and popularized over the years by Pete Carril, all five players are totally involved in the offense at all times.

Georgetown's Backdoor Game

Which one is more enjoyable to watch, and Which one is the more effective in the half court.


Discuss.....

[tsherkin]

Funny enough, the UCLA offense was implemented most successfully with Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Bill Walton.

Kareem was one of the two or three most dominant low-post scorers in NBA history and certainly one of the two best centers in the history of the game, though his college days were marked largely by success from the high post.

The Princeton Offense is indeed a read-and-react offense that's more like the triangle than any set, structured offense because it's fluid and has great continuity options.

How different these offensees are is a matter of relative scale; high post bigs excel in both and they both emphasize a lot of screening and off-ball movement.

The UCLA offense often starts in a way very similar to the Princeton offense.

They often start in the same 1-4 alignment, though the Princeton offense uses more hand-offs and pick-and-rolls while the UCLA offense uses post rubs that leave the bigs in the high post and mid-range zones (the 1 passes to the 3 and then cuts around the 5s screen and takes a pass from the 3 while streaking to the rim, for example).

These are both really entertaining offenses because they emphasize a lot of quick-hitting action, lots of cutting and passing, etc.

[eyejayem]

The developement of basketball has evolved with the developement of players. Now that the range between PGs and Centers are being shortened and the versitility of players are being played upon much more the use of offenses are starting to change.

Look at how the developement of the Triangle offense or the now widely used Dribble Drive Motion offense are now changing basketball. Players need to have similar abilites to even the threat load where you can now have bigs that can step out and knock down jumpers, or smalls that grab rebounds, or forwards that can handle the ball,pass, and run the offense like a PG.

There are becoming less defined basketball positions and a need for more and more basketball players. Look at Sixers and Atlanta. I know it may be a bad example but look at the fact they may both make the playoffs this year and both teams have drafted forwards in almost every draft for the last couple of years. Both lineups besides Dalembert are seperated but mere inches.

We are in a league now where you look at Golden st and their best post option is their PG(Baron Davis) or Dallas and their best shooter is a PF(Dirk) or Cleveland and their best passer is a SF(Lebron). But also in the same league where you look at New York and see that just being Big is being phased out(Eddy Curry) or being a double-double guy is not as important as chemistry(Zach Randolf) or being a ballhandler w/ low BBall IQ (Larry Hughes) doesnt make you a guard, and as much as I hate to say it but being the best passer in the league but not being able to play defense can sometimes compromise your team(Nash, and dont get me wrong I love Nash).

But in today's day and age players are asked to be multitaskers so they can interchange roles at times thus making systems more efficient.

[tsherkin]

Look at how the developement of the Triangle offense

Developed in the 40s...

or the now widely used Dribble Drive Motion offense are now changing basketball.

Also developed in the 40s, or thereabouts. Or was it the 30s?

But also in the same league where you look at New York and see that just being Big is being phased out(Eddy Curry) or being a double-double guy is not as important as chemistry(Zach Randolph)

None of this is accurate.

Eddy Curry is being phased out because he sucks; he's a bad rebounder and defender and he forces his own offense instead of passing (he's a terrible passer, one of the worst in the league).

And yet at the same time, Dwight Howard is going strong in the style of Shaquille O'neal. And the best big in the league is still Tim Duncan, though Yao Ming is pretty close.

Zach Randolph is unimportant because he's a bad defender, an unimpressive passer and doesn't draw fouls well, not because he's a double-double guy.

But in today's day and age players are asked to be multitaskers so they can interchange roles at times thus making systems more efficient.

And yet almost all the systems being used are 6 decades old or older...

[BigSlam]

I love the Princeton offense - but only if you have all 5 guys on your team with high BBIQ's who can read the D and react quickly.

The Raps run an offense close to the Princeton and I really enjoy watching them play.

The Spurs run more of a UCLA offense - which is super effective but not nearly as fun to watch IMO.

[tsherkin]

The Spurs run more of a UCLA offense - which is super effective but not nearly as fun to watch IMO.

Don't know how you can say that, since the two offenses include a lot of the same sets and read/react scenarios and both emphasize off-ball movement, quick passing and such. They're the same style of offense, they're basically high-post motion offenses and often start from the same alignment, as I said.

The Spurs don't use Duncan in the high post as much as the Raps use their bigs up their, that's true, but that's because he's too good down low, so they run more Kareem-at-UCLA style.

But frankly, since the Raptors are so predictable, I think the San Antonio offense is much more interesting. Parker is at least the equal in terms of entertainment to Ford or Calderon and Manu himself is more entertaining than any Raptor. Duncan is a versatile and gifted big and then you've got Finley and Barry, Bowen, etc. The fluidity of their offense is astonishing.

I haven't seen a team so well-oiled since the Webber-led Kings in their heyday. Even the Suns and Warriors aren't as polished.

[eyejayem]

Tsherkin, I apologize when you go and read the definition of the word developement because I'm almost certain that when your mother gave birth to you you didnt stop DEVELOPING. She just gave birth to you but you grew from there just like the rest of basketball.

Just like the evolving "basketball player" but these two offenses uses the flexability of interchanging players due to their function and thus the reason why they are being more widely used more and more. Offenses the can use players the best due to their flexability gives more options. And will be used more than those with set positions.

Thus still developing and developing and...

[tsherkin]

You understand that the triangle, princeton and motion offenses in general largely HAVEN'T changed, right?

The only significant change to those offenses in the last 5 or 6 decades has been that Phil Jackson made more significant use of the sidescreen play when he implemented the triangle.

By and large, you're talking about offenses so complex that they haven't needed to develop because they are so developed to begin with.

Perhaps if you weren't too busy being offensive and ignorant you'd have seen this but little about these offenses have changed since they were first developed.

[eyejayem]

I really can't believe that I am in really trying to go this far and explain myself to you. But believe me this is the last message I will write.

If you are telling me that nothing has been added or that nothing has been changed about these systems then you know nothing about basketball. Because in essence every team is different and if you only played JV or some varsity I can understand or if you played for some coach who had to type of creativity I can understand.

Every system has been tweaked to improve team play or situations. What about D'Antoni's current use of what they are calling the hybrid-triangle where they can still play phoenix basketball while getting Shaq more touches and maximizing his use. This is development. Players have developed past systems where now you cater to players as much as you do the certain style of basketball.

Nothing in the world is black and white anymore, it is filled with greys. Basketball like everything else has grown and if you tell me that the systems havent changed then this volley was in vain.

You argue fools and people from a distance cant tell who is who.