How do you play the 'Triangle' offense? what teams are...

[LiquidFire]

I dont know how the lakers run this so called 'Triangle' offense. i know you need a good passing post player and shooters? i dont know..

ALSO, what teams are best suited for the Triangle offense?

discuss

[Kobay]

Form a triangle with three playes, ball goes into the post, post player either makes a move or passes it out to shooters or cutting man who is either open from double team drawn by the post up or screens set by other to get open. If the post player is denied the pass or the passer sees no opening, the ball moves around to the other side and same thing is ether repeated or that side might be weak from defense the post up player draws, then some player might try to penetrate or shoot. THere are various forms of the tr

[One of Shemps Kids]

Correct me if I'm mistaken, but aren't the Lakers the ONLY team in the league that run the triangle?

[mnWI]

Correct me if I'm mistaken, but aren't the Lakers the ONLY team in the league that run the triangle?

A lot of teams will throw in a set or two of triangle.

[cdubbz]

phil jackson has always used the triangle offense i guess and he always has players that fit in the triangle very well which are shooters, big men that have gaurd skills and passing ability.

[One of Shemps Kids]

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A lot of teams will throw in a set or two of triangle.

Yes, but are there any other teams that run it as their primary offense besides the Lakers?

[Troubadour]

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Yes, but are there any other teams that run it as their primary offense besides the Lakers?

I don't think so. I don't think Sam Mitchell is capable of running anything other than the pick 'n roll.

[War3player]

Passing into the big man in the post and playing off him is like the most basic basketball play that every team runs regardless of how good or bad your big man is.

[Sroek]

The triangle being operated at a high level with players who understand it well is the most efficient offensive system basketball. It's more than just a simple play set-up, it's a complex symbiotic method of getting high percentage shots.

[Sroek]

http://www.basketball-drills-and-plays. ... fense.html

[LiquidFire]

How do you guys think the cavs could run the Triangle offense? (ignore the terrible coach)

[LiquidFire]

gooden was traded lol. why woulndt wallace work? hes a great big man passer...

[Dr Aki]

the triangle is predicated on the idea that each player can play every position

you start with 3 players forming a sideline triangle with the other 2 on the weak side playing a 2-man game, each player 12-15 ft away from each other

each player needs (well should) to be able to do 3 things:
1. execute the triple threat well (shoot, drive, pass)
2. post-up (which explains why phil likes big guards)
3. play for the team

if you look at the lakers, they are a great passing team, but there are some weaknesses in the triangle:
1. fisher cant post-up (unless its boykins)
2. lamar cant shoot
3. radmanovic cant post-up or drive (that well)

if you move the ball around well enough, you will always get a favourable high percentage play

usually that results from mismatches due to great passing, other times its double teams on certain players etc...

any team can run the triangle so long theyre a good passing team

i dont see the cavs running it very well

ben wallace would be the equivalent of kwame brown (w/o the size advantage)

lebron would be denied the ball in the triangle (unless he handles point duties), he would need to learn to post-up and shoot the midrange J more consistently unless you want to see teams continue to pack the paint as you do now

all the teams that "can" play the triangle given the time to learn it but other than the lakers... id say spurs, suns, blazers, hornets, celtics, pistons because it requires a certain level of discipline and execution

otherwise it goes to sh*its

[snaquille oatmeal]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1N8JsSeeqZs
check out this girls team playing the triangle offense to perfection in their half court rotations.

[blzrfan]

http://espn.go.com/ncb/2003/0128/1499926.html

Triangle offense requires every individual to be on the same page at all times. Each move is dictated by the positions of the defense and thus is always reacting what the defense gives them.

[M.Balla]

The triangle being operated at a high level with players who understand it well is the most efficient offensive system basketball. It's more than just a simple play set-up, it's a complex symbiotic method of getting high percentage shots.

His franchise player didn't get that... But he makes that shots still, so imagine if he didn't settle for bad shots all the time.

[Dr Aki]

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His franchise player didn't get that... But he makes that shots still, so imagine if he didn't settle for bad shots all the time.

the way hes covered by defenses, hed never get any good shots

[prekazi]

Well, Tex Winter and Ira Newble thinks Cavs and LeBron are the perfect fit for the triangle offense.

http://www.cleveland.com/sports/plainde ... xml&coll=2

[M.Balla]

the way hes covered by defenses, hed never get any good shots

Then someone's open. And not by any means I'm a Kobe hater, I bow in the presence of greatness. But IMO Kobe is not a good team player on finals and decisive games. And right now there's no Shaq to bail him out, Gasoft and Odom are chokers.

At the end, it doesn't matter, because $$$ talks and this series are back to Boston, then it's a wash. And Kobe has all the talent in the world to overcome all odds.

[tsherkin]

The notion of the triangle is to make primary use of passing instead of isolations as your offensive initiation. There are numerous entries into the offense. If you're running a 2-guard front, you can pass to the wing to clear halfcourt pressure and then get the ball back as the wing fills the corner and the post guys set up, forming your triangle on that side or letting the wing attack and cycle through that depending on what happens, etc.

It's all about options, creating multiple opportunities to ensure that the defense can't predict what you're going to do and always gives you something to use (like a pass out of a double-team).

One of the key aspects of the triangle is that it is an overload offense; the Bulls of old and the Lakers have made great use of ball reversal where they work strongside with three guys but then quickly reverse the ball through the one and often over to the wing (and then down into the post) on the weak side.

That suddenly gives you post isolation options, which are way higher percentage than the perimeter shots and threes that you can otherwise get (hence, 'triple post').

One of the more useful aspects of the triangle is that you make heavy use of the 'pinch post,' which is basically the elbow area on the weak side of the play... where you see Gasol a lot, for example, or where Horry and Ho Grant used to play a lot.

For the modern incarnation of L.A., Gasol's placement there tends to lead to a lot of open mid-range jumpers at or around the top of the foul line and the short left wing and a lot of pick-and-roll plays that lead to Kobe tossing him easy alley-oops.

The triangle is a continuity offense that flows back into its own starting sets and works on either side of the floor, always opening up options. It's called a 'read and react' offense as a result because at any moment, you're looking at anywhere from 3 to 6 options as to what you can do. Obviously, you're rooted in triple-threat but the number of passes available to you as the ball-handler is important.

More than that, though, in a properly run triangle, players spend about 80% of their time WITHOUT the ball, so the way you read your defender and how you make your cuts are important. Possibly the most important cut is the one that lets you 'fill the corner,' and thereby set up the triangle.

You'll see three or four different strong side cuts from the wing starting in the high post (straight to the corner, straight behind the corner, flashing to the baseline and L-cutting and then there's a wavy cut, the name of which I forget).

After that, there are 2 or 3 (maybe 4?) weak side cuts where you take your defender around to the weak side and usually take a base cross to get into the corner, leaving your man behind on a screen and maybe picking up a mismatch defender.

As far as Kobe goes...

Let's dispel 'bad team player,' shall we?

Kobe dropped 8 dimes and trusted his teammates throughout the game until the fourth quarter, when he went into attack mode and looked to penetrate and score or pitch... which worked out beautifully for L.A. except they came up JUST short. Kobe had but 4 turnovers with 23 shots and 8 assists, while shooting a hair under 48%.

None of that is indicative of him having a bad game; he had a bit of a slow start, had some foul trouble early and his reserves were pretty weak to open the second quarter... and the team's defense in the 3rd wasn't impressive, either. But Kobe? Wasn't ignoring his teammates at all and was definitely getting some high-percentage looks (though against the best D in the league, he also had a lot of tough shots). The Lakers as a team shot over 49% against Boston, the problem wasn't their offense, their problem was giving up 52.9% from the floor to the Celtics and a free throw attempt disparity of +28 in Boston's favor (+17 in FTM).

The problem they had was containing Leon Powe and otherwise simply being incapable of Pierce, Allen and Boston's bench.

The Celtics bench, FYI, went 11/16 from the floor (~ 69%), 2/4 from downtown and 11/15 from the line. Their bench outproduced the Lakers at the line.

We'll see how things go in L.A., by contrast, but there were reasons other than the triangle at hand for Boston winning that game. I'm not making a conspiracy comment, I'm just saying the offensive system was not the culprit, fault rests more heavily on the defense than anything else.

As to Lebron and the triangle, he'd be perfect for it. Would Cleveland? Maybe.

They've got a couple of set shooters with whom it might work and Big Z is a nice triangle piece because he can score in the post and from mid-range, can run the pick-and-roll and is a good passer. And obviously, rebounding isn't an issue for them (tops in ORBD, 3rd in total boards). They've got Lebron, the dynamic, multi-position wing who's a dominant scorer and a great passer (better than Kobe or Jordan, maybe even better than Pippen).

And I guess Joe Smith can handle being the sort of mid-range PF that would work the baseline, the pinch post and all the high sidescreen.

And their backcourt can handle the pressure because they can just run the blind pig play (the entry to the wing across the timeline) when they get trapped in the backcourt, or have Lebron advance the ball sometimes (which he does anyway).

So yeah, Cleveland would definitely benefit from the triangle; Lebron, most especially, because it will consistently put him in the mid-range and post areas. He'd have to work harder on his jumper but he'd be initiating offense closer to the rim, so he'd have higher percentage shots and a lot of mismatches and open looks. And God help whoever continues to double- and triple-team him on a regular basis, the way he passes....