With just below six minutes remaining in Sunday’s Sport 3 of the Jap Convention finals, the New York Knicks tried a brand new defensive tactic.
The Knicks sometimes arrange their base protection deep in their very own finish, and to that time within the sequence, they’d by no means despatched multiple participant to use greater than gentle stress after a made free throw. However after Karl-Anthony Cities sank a freebie late in a must-win sport, together with his crew clinging to a 91-90 lead after a shocking comeback, the Knicks despatched not one, not two, however three totally different defenders to the backcourt so as to add stress on the ball.
First, Miles McBride and Mikal Bridges double-teamed Tyrese Haliburton, forcing the inbounds go to Pascal Siakam as a substitute of the Indiana Pacers’ potent level guard. Then OG Anunoby picked up Siakam early, resulting in a lure and practically a steal at midcourt.
Lastly, with about half the shot clock already gone, the Pacers obtained into their offense with a lazy pick-and-roll. However the Knicks switched, and the ball did not enter contained in the 3-point line till the Pacers had seven seconds to shoot. All Siakam may do because the shot clock wound down was jab step and drive a contested midrange jumper — one of many sport’s least environment friendly photographs.
The Knicks used extra ball stress within the fourth quarter of Sport 3 than any earlier stretch of the convention finals. Right here, they deny Haliburton and drive a stagnant Pacers play on a vital possession. pic.twitter.com/92piitqKqy
— Zach Kram (@zachkram) Might 26, 2025
The Knicks had pressured a stagnant possession and efficiently staved off a Pacers scoring likelihood. Haliburton by no means touched the ball. And on the following play, Cities hit a 3-pointer to widen New York’s lead and shut out the Pacers 106-100 to notch their first win within the sequence.
Ball stress — who engages it, the place it’s initiated and when groups determine to vary it — is the hidden story of the 2025 convention finals. By itself, ball stress would not present up on the scoreboard or within the field rating, but it surely impacts each possession, alters offensive methods and swings video games.
When controlling for a way a possession begins — as a result of groups are extra seemingly to have the ability to arrange early stress after an inbounds go than after a reside rebound, as an illustration — the NBA as a complete has a 109 offensive score when it faces backcourt stress in these playoffs, as in comparison with a 111 offensive score with no backcourt stress. That is not a significant distinction.
However each level counts in shut playoff video games, and there is lots extra team-to-team variation. Some groups thrive when making use of extra stress on their opponents. In final yr’s East semifinals, the Pacers pressured New York’s Jalen Brunson greater than every other crew pressured every other ball handler. Second on that leaderboard was the Minnesota Timberwolves towards the Denver Nuggets’ Jamal Murray within the Western Convention semifinals; third was the Timberwolves towards Reggie Jackson, Murray’s backup.
Each Indiana and Minnesota received these second-round sequence in seven video games, and each groups are again of their respective convention finals this yr.
Each 2025 convention finals began 2-0, however they now look extra aggressive — and that is the key cause, as as soon as once more, ball stress is quietly shaping postseason play.
East finals: New York takes a web page from Indy’s playbook
Indiana’s penchant for stress suits its identification as a fast-paced crew that performs onerous and seeks chaos. The Pacers may not have the league’s finest particular person defenders, however they will make life tougher on their opponent each time it brings the ball up the courtroom.
Within the common season, the Pacers had the fifth-highest common pickup distance on half-court possessions. Within the playoffs, they have been much more aggressive; six opposing gamers have introduced up the ball on no less than 50 half-court possessions, and the Pacers have picked up 5 of them a mean of 53 toes away (or extra) from the ring. For reference, the NBA half-court line is 47 toes away from the basket.
Put one other approach, 5 of the 9 most aggressive stress schemes concentrating on particular ball handlers within the postseason have come from the Pacers. They solely selected to average towards the Milwaukee Bucks’ Giannis Antetokounmpo, who is not a risk to tug up from the perimeter. (All stress knowledge on this piece comes from GeniusIQ monitoring and refers to non-transition possessions.)
The Knicks, nevertheless, normally pursue an reverse strategy. Within the common season, their common pickup distance was simply 37 toes, which ranked twenty eighth; solely the Nuggets and the Los Angeles Lakers waited longer to begin taking part in protection. And coach Tom Thibodeau’s Knicks crew continued defending that approach within the playoffs, with a mean pickup distance of 38 toes, proper in step with New York’s regular-season norm.
However in the course of the fourth quarter of Sport 3, and in determined want of stops with their season on the road, the Knicks’ common pickup distance rose to 45 toes, their highest for any quarter within the convention finals.
That extra stress typically pressured the ball out of Haliburton’s palms, and it meant the Pacers needed to take an additional second or two to cross the half-court line and provoke their offense. Once more, that may not appear to be loads, however in a sequence this tight, each level and second matter.
As Jared Dubin wrote for FiveThirtyEight, offensive effectivity is greater the sooner groups get into their actions, so for a protection, “the extra time you need the offense to waste, the farther up the ground you must apply stress on the ball handler.” Dubin highlighted McBride as one of many NBA’s most prolific full-court defenders, and the backup guard wielded that energy to nice impact in Sport 3, with Brunson sidelined due to foul hassle for many of New York’s comeback.
With Haliburton conducting the offense, the Pacers are just too environment friendly to sit down again and allow them to run the performs they need. Within the fourth quarter of Sport 3, the Knicks elevated their stress to dictate the motion themselves, and in flip, New York got here away with the win.
West finals: Regulate to the changes
Out West, a unique tactical tweak involving ball stress has modified the convention finals. The Timberwolves sometimes play loads just like the Pacers. The Wolves ranked sixth in regular-season pickup distance, they usually had the best common pickup level of any crew within the first spherical (52 toes), as they consistently harassed Luka Doncic and Austin Reaves whereas placing the Lakers’ offense on its again foot.
With so many lengthy, athletic defenders of their rotation, the Timberwolves’ prolonged stress can drive their opponents to exert extra power throughout extra of the courtroom. NBA analyst Owen Phillips speculated that this technique wore down the Lakers’ brief rotation and is why “the Lakers successfully held serve within the first half of every sport (-5 whole level differential) however had been run ragged within the second halves (-30 whole level differential).”
However that is not a one-size-fits-all strategy that works towards each opponent — like, as an illustration, a deep, younger Oklahoma Metropolis Thunder crew that will not be drained out. As an alternative, within the first two video games of the Western Convention finals, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander manipulated that stress to his personal benefit.
With Minnesota selecting up Gilgeous-Alexander early, the Thunder had been in a position to set picks excessive up the courtroom, growing the area he needed to function earlier than assembly Rudy Gobert’s drop protection. In Sport 1, the typical display for Gilgeous-Alexander was set 28.3 toes away from the basket. That was his highest such mark in any playoff sport.
Till Sport 2, when it ticked as much as 28.6 toes.
For context, solely two gamers within the common season had common display distances that top: the Golden State Warriors’ Stephen Curry (29.1 toes) and Milwaukee’s Damian Lillard (28.9 toes). In essence, the Timberwolves had been defending Gilgeous-Alexander like he is likely one of the best pick-and-roll pull-up threats in NBA historical past.
However the 2024-25 MVP’s sport is based extra on his drives than his pull-up 3-pointers, so Minnesota was inadvertently giving him the area he wanted to thrive. The Timberwolves may complain about Gilgeous-Alexander’s whistle all they needed, however they had been taking part in proper into his palms, and he scored 69 factors and generated 29 free throw makes an attempt throughout two wins at residence.
Take into account this play from the opening minutes of the sequence. Jaden McDaniels picks up Gilgeous-Alexander earlier than the half-court line, and the Thunder provoke a monster double display with Chet Holmgren and Isaiah Hartenstein far out on the perimeter. The screens join, and McDaniels is caught up effectively behind the play, so Gilgeous-Alexander walks into open area within the midrange and attracts a simple foul on Gobert.
Additionally inserting these ball pressure-relevant movies right here for later reference pic.twitter.com/o9UmAmKUKv
— Zach Kram (@zachkram) Might 26, 2025
Or watch this play from the beginning of Sport 2. This time, McDaniels sticks with Gilgeous-Alexander throughout his whole stroll up the courtroom, so Hartenstein units a display out on the midcourt OKC emblem. Gilgeous-Alexander will get downhill, and his drive opens up a simple go to a rolling Hartenstein in his most well-liked floater vary.
— Zach Kram (@zachkram) Might 26, 2025
The Thunder will need to have recognized this kind of stress was coming. Minnesota had defended Gilgeous-Alexander’s pick-and-rolls aggressively all marketing campaign; within the common season, his two video games with the best pick-and-roll distances each got here towards the Timberwolves.
However just like the Knicks, the Timberwolves adjusted after falling behind 0-2 within the sequence. They only did so in the other way, drawing again in as a substitute of extending their stress. In Sport 3, the typical display for Gilgeous-Alexander got here 25 toes away from the basket, which means the Timberwolves shrank his runway by 3 toes.
The outcome was Gilgeous-Alexander’s least environment friendly pick-and-roll sport of your complete playoffs. Oklahoma Metropolis averaged simply 0.73 factors per possession when Gilgeous-Alexander obtained a display, down from 1.07 throughout the primary two video games.
On this consultant possession early in Sport 3, McDaniels retreated to the 3-point line earlier than dropping into his defensive stance. When Holmgren units a decide, Gilgeous-Alexander has much less room to maneuver, extra fast assistance is close by and the Thunder find yourself with a contested Luguentz Dort 3-pointer.
— Zach Kram (@zachkram) Might 26, 2025
Look in the mean time Gilgeous-Alexander passes to Dort right here: Simply two dribbles after he bursts across the decide, Gilgeous-Alexander is triple-teamed with Gobert lurking because the fourth man, simply in case he manages to wriggle free.
General, Minnesota’s common pickup level when Gilgeous-Alexander introduced up the ball was 48 toes in Sport 1 and 46 toes in Sport 2 however solely 35 toes in Sport 3.
Generally, ball stress relies on each the defensive crew’s strategy and the ball handler’s identification. Pickup factors naturally correlate to taking pictures risk. Amongst gamers who introduced up the ball on no less than 1,000 half-court possessions within the 2024-25 common season, Curry, Brunson, Doncic, Lillard and the Detroit Pistons’ Cade Cunningham confronted the 5 highest common pickup factors, whereas Denver’s Nikola Jokic, the Houston Rockets’ Amen Thompson, Antetokounmpo, the LA Clippers’ Ben Simmons and the Memphis Grizzlies’ Ja Morant confronted the 5 lowest.
Ball stress is vital, however so is flexibility primarily based on the opponent’s strengths. Treating Gilgeous-Alexander as if he had been Curry was a mistake, and Minnesota coach Chris Finch fastened it in Sport 3.
In fact, a part of the enjoyable of a prolonged playoff sequence is changes and readjustments, and the Thunder regained the tactical benefit in a vital Sport 4 win. They added three wrinkles to their offensive gameplan to get Gilgeous-Alexander his groove again.
SGA took what the protection gave him and pulled up from distance extra; his seven 3-point makes an attempt had been a excessive for the sequence. He additionally obtained off the ball faster, with a playoff career-high 10 assists. And he reoriented rather more of the offense by means of Jalen Williams, who scored a playoff career-high 34 factors in assist of Gilgeous-Alexander’s 40.
This refined push and pull is hidden from most statistics, but it surely’s price monitoring because the postseason continues. The team-to-team and game-to-game modifications in ball stress can swing a sport, a sequence and, let’s not overlook, a championship.
