 |
| |
|
 |
 |
||
 |
 |
||
 |
|||
EVENTS
CNNSI.com GROUP
COMMERCE
|
'There are no plays' Duke's offense tough to describe, tougher to defend
DURHAM, N.C. (AP) -- The players at Duke have a difficult time describing the team's offense. Opponents have an even harder time defending it. The Blue Devils (33-4) head into Saturday's national semifinal against Maryland averaging 90.8 points a game and leading the nation in 3-point shooting. Coach Mike Krzyzewski's offensive plan is quite simple and based on a few philosophies -- ball screening, penetration, passing and constant motion. "We're not curing any diseases here," Krzyzewski said of his offense. Granted, Duke has All-Americans Shane Battier and Jason Williams, but it's the freedom to play that has allowed all five starters to log at least one 20-point game this year. "One of the things we've done over the years is try not to recipe our team," said Krzyzewski, who will be making his ninth Final Four appearance since 1986 in Minneapolis. "I just let them all play. They feel real comfortable doing that." History shows that if you're going to beat Duke, you've got to score with them. The Blue Devils have gotten at least 80 points in 31 of 37 games and are 21-0 when they score 90 or more. Stanford scored 84 against Duke to beat the Blue Devils by one in December, while North Carolina scored 85 in a Feb. 1 victory in Cameron Indoor Stadium. And Virginia and Maryland got 91 each in wins over the Blue Devils. "There are no plays," Williams said of Duke's attack. "It's motion offense. [Coach] might set something up, but the play can change at any time. "Coach K just gives us the go-ahead to use our instincts and I think that's what makes us so dangerous. We just go out there and we play basketball. The offense changes around what the players are feeling at a certain time." Krzyzewski has just one major rule on offense -- don't pass up a good shot. He rarely gets upset on the bench by a miss, not even on the 25-foot shots sometimes launched by Battier, Williams or freshman Chris Duhon. "Our offense is, you take whatever the defense gives us," Battier said. "If they are going to give us open looks, we're going to take 3s. If they try to get up in our face, we're going to drive. We've been very good this year at being scavengers on offense." Missouri coach Quin Snyder, a former Duke assistant, bowed out to the Blue Devils in the second round of the tournament two weeks ago, allowing 94 points. Snyder said Duke's unselfishness on offense also is a key to the team's success. "They pass the ball so well," Snyder said. "To me, that's what makes them such a special offensive team. Yeah, they'll shoot it, but those shots are usually open and they're constantly finding the next guy. To see a team that passes the ball is rare." Battier said the team took "a lot of pride in getting the best shot available. Often that's after an extra pass. That's the way basketball used to be played. That's been lost somewhere, so when we do it, it looks odd, but very effective." Duke has five double-digit scorers in its top seven players, but most of the offensive load in the tournament has been shared by Williams and Battier. Williams is averaging 28.8 points in the four wins, while Battier is at 23 a game. Mike Dunleavy, at 11.8, is the only other Duke player in double figures. Is Krzyzewski concerned about balanced scoring heading into this weekend's game against the Terrapins? "That's a good danger to deal with," Krzyxewski said. "I think there is so much more positive about that. We've been such an unselfish team throughout the year, sometimes there is a tendency for a player to hold back just a little bit. "To have Shane and Jason step forward like this is good. Now it's up to the other guys to step forward and adjust to it."
|
||||||||||||||||||||
|
|||||||||||||||||||||
