NBA: Holiday with the Pelicans: Damian Lillard’s nightmare

The New Orleans Pelicans have also won Game 2 of the Portland Trail Blazers play-off first round series. It wasn’t Anthony Davis, but Jrue Holiday who was the decisive player – because he put Damian Lillard on the chain and couldn’t be controlled on the offensive either.

The term “Two-Way Player” has enjoyed great popularity in the NBA in recent years. It should be a player who plays at a high level in both offense and defense and can thus decisively influence the outcome of a game – depending on “demand”. The unfortunately inactive Kawhi Leonard is perhaps the prototype of it, with Klay Thompson and meanwhile also Kevin Durant the Warriors have two, in Houston Chris Paul raises the Rockets to a new level since his arrival.

The Pelicans, who surprisingly won the first two games of the first playoff round in Portland, also have one. Head Caoch Alvin Gentry recently said about this one: “Since Kawhi is out, I’m not sure there is a better[two-way player] right now. Can you name one?” Silence.

The special thing about this statement: It was not about Anthony Davis – the franchise player, the top scorer, the fixed point of the offense and defense – to whom the definition would no doubt also fit very well. Gentry spoke at the press conference of Jrue Holiday, who was the best man of his colours on the floor, especially in Game 2. On both sides of the pitch.

“Night after night, we’re asking him to give us at least 20 points and defend the other team’s best perimeter player, no matter who he is or how big,” Gentry continued. The victim of this demand: Damian Lillard.

To date, Dame has produced 17.5 points on average with a field throw quota of 31 percent, plus 3.5 ball losses and only 5.5 assists. So far, it seems that he has found his master in Holiday, who chases his opponent across the field and, together with “his” big men, robs him of the sharpest weapon: the pick and roll.

The Pels Defense was elitist right from the start of the series and apparently Blazers coach Terry Stotts hasn’t yet found the right adjustment. This is difficult anyway, because NOLA reacts to blocking and unrolling with different variants.

In most cases, the Big – often Davis or Nikola Mirotic – helps out against ball captain Lillard to take away the trio (5/16 in the first two games). Meanwhile Holiday fights his way around the block as fast as possible to take lady back.

If he succeeds (which is usually the case), Lillard doubles for a short time, thereby giving up the spalding – goal achieved from the point of view of the pelicans. Spacing Portlands is devastating in the previous series, so the double team can be dissolved without any problems. Also, any throw not fired by Lillard or McCollum (who are not usually helped away) is a good one for NOLA.

In cases where Holiday is not fast enough to get back in front of Lillard before he starts the drive, the Pels use the VEER variant of the Pick and Roll Defense (to veer: turn off, change direction). In this case, a signal comes from the Big Man to the Guard, which immediately turns around and prevents the dispenser from entering the zone undisturbed. Also here Holiday does a very good job with his aggressiveness and good hull stability.

Especially with Davis as second defender the variant is well suited, since AD can complicate every throw Lillards despite his speed disadvantages. But also Mirotic solves this task surprisingly confidently to date.

Most of the defensive success so far, however, goes on Holidays cap, after all it is he who defends Lillard alone outside the pick-and-rolls. Then another quality of the 27-year-old becomes apparent: He is a master at pushing the ball leader in the direction that is more advantageous for the defense. The statisticians of ESPN have recorded the influence of holidays on Lillard in figures: In the current series, he is out of the field at 0/8 when Holiday is the primary defender.

So much for the defense – which is only part of the predicate “Two-Way Player”. The other part is the offense.

First, the pure numbers: With 33 points (14/24 FG) and 9 assists Holiday was the match winner and even outdid AD. Cracking dunks as momentum changers he had in his repertoire as well as various final variations from the pick-and-roll, which worked much better with the pels than on the other side.

If Holiday is through a block – preferably from the brow personally – past his opponent, he knows how to take his opponent by the use of the body on the back. In such cases, someone like Lillard is more concerned with not committing a foul. Holiday took advantage of this by enormously delaying his dribblings, deceiving degrees and thus provoking the help side.

If this became active, put Holiday through, if not, he completed it himself. ESPN numbers again: From his 19 drives in game 2, 14 own points (7/12 FG) and 7 counters (3/4 FG) of other players resulted from Holiday-Assists.

Game 1, Blazers vs Pelicans 95:97

Game 2, Blazers vs. Pelicans 102:111

And: Although the Pelicans prefer a fast game, the decision was made in the semi-field. Because when the Moda Center awoke euphoric in Crunchtime and Lillard finally had a good moment, the game threatened to tip over. Holidays reaction? He slowed the pace, took the fire out of play and provided for the dagger 95 seconds before the end with a cheeky three-way over Zach Collins.

“I never doubted for a second that he would take the long three-way,” said coach Gentry afterwards. This was unthinkable a few weeks ago: Davis is not involved in a decisive posession, as the team’s best player this evening is another.

The blazers have not yet found an answer to this question and therefore provide the usual statements. “I’m disappointed in myself,” said Damian Lillard. “I just have to play better and hit my litters.”

Stotts also looked ahead: “Mathematics now says that we have to win two games in New Orleans, preferably the next two, of course. And my gut tells me that we are absolutely capable of it.”

What would help them would be a real Two-Way Player.