Chicago Action - A Microcosm Of What Went Wrong For The 76ers, and Right For The Heat

Doc Rivers is on the hot seat after another disappointing playoffs, and his problems weren't just limited to motivating his players. He was outcoached from an Xs and Os point of view, and in this video we magnify that by taking a look at how both teams ran and defended the same play.
Chicago Action is a basketball play that most, if not all, NBA teams run. It's an excellent action because it creates maximum separation in pick and roll action, and maximizes spacing in a three man game concept.
The idea is to have your big man rolling to the basket at the same time a perimeter player is popping out for three, and with the ball handler as another threat, there's just too much to worry about for the defense.
But Erik Spoelstra gives us a fantastic blueprint on how to limit what the offense can do, and we see the Philadelphia 76ers offense stymied into a poor Joel Embiid post up attempt while the rest of the team is ineffectual.

[@MrBrendan20004]

Great observation. Clearly shows the decisiveness of the heat defense that makes them so good

[@yikes2503]

Great, simple breakdown. I think that Embiid stalls the play slightly tho, when he doesn't force a decision out of PJ Tucker like he would have if he had beelined to the rim off of his screen. The Heat just executed the play with more intent I think.

[@DrawingTheDefense]

That’s a great point. Embiid is such a talented and powerful player, but if there’s one gripe I have about his game, it’s that he doesn’t roll hard enough.

[@Superhero18]

@@DrawingTheDefense I don't think he's ever gonna be a hard Amare-like roller. He'll be effective at it, but he'll always be a soft roller. Given that, we shouldn't run Chicago as we won't have the footspeed to use it to full effectiveness. Also, what was Niang doing cutting on that side of the floor? He took away any opportunity Milton would've had for a backdoor even if Jimmy decided to make the same mistake.