In the recording studio, the screen was dimly lit. Thibodeau replayed the recording of Game 2 of the NBA Finals again.
The image freezes: Tim Duncan stands at the free-throw line, ball high in the air. For a full fourteen seconds, he just holds the ball there, doing nothing. Garnett follows with small, quick steps, doing the same. But behind them, Boston's prized defensive system is gradually crumbling.
"He doesn't need to attack," Thibodeau's voice rang out in the dim light. "As long as he has the ball, we're one man down in the paint. Because our defense has a tight division of labor: Dikembe protects the rim, Kevin helps, and the rest of us guard the perimeter. As long as Tim Duncan keeps Kevin occupied, our defensive rotations will stop."
Head coach Doc Rivers stared at the screen for a while, then stood up and walked to the whiteboard.
"Then let's cancel the division of labor. We'll switch on every screen, whoever sets the screen, we'll switch with. It doesn't matter who he takes out, because the defender will have already switched in the next possession."
Lin Qi, who was sitting in the last row, chimed in.
"Unlimited switching."
There was a two-second silence in the meeting room; at this point, the concept of unlimited switching on defense had not yet been introduced.
Thibodeau turned around from in front of the video camera. "What?"
Lin Qi was taken aback.
Those words slipped out of his mouth. By the time he realized what he had said, everyone in the room was already looking at him.
"I mean... positions one through five, all rotated, no specific roles." He paused for half a second, "I just made up this name myself."
Thibodeau said "Oh," and then added, "You mean a full switch on defense?"
"Switch from point guard to center," Doc Rivers continued, "A complete switch."
He wrote these words on the whiteboard, paused for a moment, and then silently recited the three words again.
"Unlimited switching... that sounds pretty intimidating."
He turned around.
But there's a prerequisite for this.
"That depends on which five people are standing on the field."
Someone spoke from the corner. It was veteran Ron Harper, leaning back in his chair, his tone calm.
"I played like that when I was in Chicago. But not the whole game, Phil wasn't that crazy. But for the perimeter screens, we basically just passed the ball directly."
Do you know why you dare to do this?
He raised his hand and pointed at them one by one.
"I'm 1.98 meters tall and play point guard. Jordan is 1.98 meters tall. Pippen 2.03 meters tall. Dennis Rodman is 2.01 meters tall."
We don't have any short players on the court.
"If they bring a guard over to screen for me, I can just switch in and I won't lose out. But if they switch a smaller guy to Pippen, Pippen will eat him alive."
Harper shrugged.
"This isn't a new tactic. The Chicago Bulls played the same way three years ago."
He pointed to the tactical whiteboard in front of him.
"The prerequisite is that you have to assemble such a lineup first."
Doc Rivers turned around, picked up a marker, and wrote five names and their heights on the whiteboard.
Ron Harper (1.98m), Eddie Jones (1.98m), Bo Outlaw (2.03m), Kevin Garnett (2.11m), P.J. Brown (2.11m).
After finishing writing, he took a step back.
None of the five people were shorter than 1.98 meters.
"This lineup can switch on defense," Thibodeau analyzed, then changed his tone, "But it lacks offensive space. Harper's knee can't hold up for that long, and Outlaw and Brown aren't primary offensive options. This all-big lineup is a surprise tactic for five minutes, but the offense will completely stall after that."
Doc Rivers decisively crossed out Harper and added Gary Payton, who is 1.93 meters tall, next to him.
"On offense, we must rely on the pick-and-roll between Gary Payton and Kevin; that's the foundation."
"That creates a loophole." Thibodeau immediately walked to the whiteboard and pointed to the word " Gary Payton." " Tim Duncan only needs one second to receive the ball. If Gary Payton tries to guard him in the low post, there are only two outcomes: either he fouls and sends Tim Duncan to the free-throw line, or he easily scores with a bank shot over his head."
He turned around, his gaze sweeping over everyone, his tone resolute. "Therefore, when facing this kind of size mismatch, smaller players must never switch on a screen directly. The first principle must be to squeeze through the screen. If that's impossible, the weak-side defender must quickly utilize their lateral movement advantage to get into position and cut off the passing lane. Under no circumstances should the Spurs be given the opportunity to easily lob the ball into the low post."
A brief silence fell over the office, followed by several people nodding in unison.
Thibodeau slammed the cap back on his whiteboard marker and tapped the blackboard:
" Tim Duncan only needs one second to receive the ball. If zone defense isn't allowed, Gary Payton can either send Tim Duncan to the free-throw line or get an easy layup over him."
He glanced around the conference room, his eyes sharp:
"Therefore, you must never switch immediately when faced with a screen. You must squeeze through the screen. If you can't squeeze through, someone on the weak side must get into position early and front the ball to forcibly cut off the receiving route. You must not give the Spurs an easy opportunity to lob the ball into the low post."
Sitting in the back row, Lin Qi pushed a piece of paper over. "You can take a look at this data."
It was a dry data sheet recording all the offensive initiation points for the San Antonio Spurs this season, with 79% of attacks originating from the paint.
Lin Qi pointed to the number, "This team has limited outside finishing ability. The vast majority of their plays must be initiated by their Twin Towers inside."
Doc Rivers looked at the data and slowly said, "So, even if we take out our center, we won't have to pay too much of a price on the perimeter. Because they lack players who can punish us from the outside."
Thibodeau stared at the table, then suddenly looked up.
He stood up.
"If their outside shooting can't get going, then we can definitely double-team Tim Duncan."
The meeting room fell silent. Doc Rivers frowned slightly.
" Tom Tim Duncan is one of the best big men in the league at breaking double teams and passing the ball out. Once double-teamed, he can immediately pass the ball out, and our defense will instantly become four against five."
"That is, if our defensive rotations can't keep up," Thibodeau said, hands on the table, "But we can."
" P.J. Brown and Bo Outlaw both possess top-tier lateral quickness, allowing them to quickly slide and cover. Combined with Kevin, Pierce, and Eddie, our defensive coverage is extensive enough."
He looked up.
"Double-team him in the high post and in the low post as well. We don't gamble on steals; instead, we use footwork to cut off all his passing lanes in advance."
Doc Rivers stood in front of the whiteboard and stared at it for a long time.
Aren't you afraid he'll tell everyone?
Thibodeau said the harshest thing that night.
"What I'm afraid of is that he'll spread it."
"So I can't let him spread it."
Harper suddenly chuckled from the last row.
Everyone looked at him.
"It's nothing," he said. "I just remembered something. Back in '96 when they played against the Magic, Phil did the same thing, two guys going up to double-team Shaq."
He crossed his arms and looked at the five names on the whiteboard.
That year, Shaq averaged seven assists per game.
They went home with a 0-4 defeat.
Doc Rivers followed this line of thought and wrote down the final move on the whiteboard: move Robinson away from the basket.
"PJ has a reliable mid-range shot. If David Robinson doesn't come out to cover, PJ will shoot directly; if Robinson is forced to extend his reach, the paint is open."
Doc Rivers ' pen landed on the circle he had drawn indicating the restricted area.
"As long as the penalty area is open, we have someone who is best at battling for the ball in that position."
In the corner, Bo Outlaw raised his head. He had only played eleven minutes throughout the entire series and had never appeared in the opponent's key scouting reports.
Doc Rivers looked at him. "Yes, it's you."
After the meeting, everyone left.
Thibodeau remained in the recording studio, rewinding the tapes.
Doc Rivers stood in the doorway and suddenly turned around.
Tom.
"Um?"
"The word Lin Qi just mentioned."
Thibodeau stopped what he was doing.
"Switch on every defense," Doc Rivers said. "Who told you that?"
Thibodeau thought for a moment.
"No, this person always utters strange words; I'm used to it."
Doc Rivers stood in the doorway, glanced at the five names on the whiteboard, and reached out to turn off the light.