The 2017 NBA Playoffs cheat sheet: 6 plays you missed from the Cavaliers and Spurs going up 2-0

Before the NBA playoffs began, I listed 31 set plays and player quirks that these 16 teams use that you need to look closely to discover. Call them the Easter Eggs or the cheat sheet of the NBA Playoffs. Click the link to learn more about them. Each night, I’ll round up examples of those 31 set plays and examples of other fun plays or player quirks that you may have missed.

PREVIOUSLY: April 15-16.

Here are some interesting quirks I noticed in the Cavaliers’ tight Game 2 win over the Pacers and the Spurs’ Game 2 victory over Memphis. If you have any other cool plays or player attributes you saw, share them with the class in the comments.

With just over eight minutes to go in the second quarter of Game 1, the Cavaliers ran a play that got Channing Frye a wide-open layup.

LeBron James advanced down the left side of the court and executed a dribble handoff with Kevin Love. Meanwhile, Kyle Korver cut from the left corner, then U-turned and set a screen on Channing Frye’s man. The Pacers, fearful of Korver’s shooting, failed to communicate on the screen and let Frye get wide open.

With just over eight minutes to go in the second quarter of Game 2, the Cavaliers got Deron Williams an open corner three. Watch this play. Look familiar?

LeBron James advanced down the left side of the court and executed a dribble handoff with Kevin Love. Meanwhile, Kyle Korver cut from the left corner, then U-turned and set a screen on Channing Frye’s man. The Pacers, fearful of Korver’s shooting, failed to communicate on the screen and let Frye get wide open.

(That’s right, I just copied-and-pasted an entire paragraph. Sue me).

The only difference is that C.J. Miles, realizing his teammates’ error, rushed off Williams to prevent Frye from getting another easy layup. By then, it was too late, and Frye found Williams wide open in the corner.

Same play, same exact time of game, similar result. Do the Pacers do any scouting?

The Cavaliers played off Lance Stephenson in Game 1, but not to this degree.

That’s Kevin Love guarding Lance. The best part? Love eventually went under the screen.

This is even more blatant.

Lance tried to drive in both cases and forced awful shots. It sure seems like the Cavaliers got in his head.

Paul George didn’t do much in the second half because the Cavaliers double-teamed him whenever he caught the ball. Still, here’s an example of him wiggling away for a brief second on the screen maze play I highlighted on the original list (No. 9).

A reminder: the “screen maze” play is when George sets a pick for a big man on the baseline, then pops off another big man’s screen to curl out to the wing for a catch-and-shoot jumper. The Cavaliers denied George his open shot, but that action triggered the ball movement that led to Jeff Teague’s floater.

It speaks to George’s determination and the Pacers’ awful spacing that it took that much ball rotation to get Teague a so-so look, but it went in.

San Antonio continues to put on a ball denying clinic to suffocate the Grizzlies’ offense. There are countless examples from the Spurs’ 96-82 win, but I want to highlight two specific instances that show the Spurs’ commitment.

This first one illustrates how San Antonio does it as a team.

First, LaMarcus Aldridge denied the lag pass back to Marc Gasol. Then, Kawhi Leonard helped way off James Ennis to stop the roll man. Then, Patty Mills didn’t even let Mike Conley find his closest outlet. That forced the Grizzlies to burn a timeout.

This second one shows the importance of timing. Watch Kawhi front Marc Gasol in the post on a switch.

Kawhi didn’t get position on Gasol for long, but it’s at the most important moment. This is the exact point that Vince Carter is looking for Gasol.

Ball denial is supposed to be temporary. If teams could deny the ball for 24 seconds, they’d do it, but they can’t. The whole point is to make teams take an extra second or two to position themselves where they want.

So even if Leonard was only fronting Gasol for a second, the fact that it was the exact second the Grizzlies were looking to throw him the ball is significant and has a domino effect on the rest of the possession.

Did the referees Rook the Grizzlies into getting called for more fouls on Kawhi Leonard than they actually committed? Maybe. But you see how it happens watching a play like this.

Vince Carter defended Kawhi extremely well for two beats. He slid his feet to cut off Kawhi’s first drive left, then stayed right there as he pivoted back right.

But the problem is that Leonard drives in such straight lines that he’s advancing toward the basket even when he gets stopped. Nobody is strong enough to body Leonard off his path, and Leonard uses that to his advantage by not dancing side to side. Even when Leonard spins back to his right, he’s able to drive his shoulders into Carter and force him to retreat. By the end, the only thing Carter can do is foul him.

That bump on the spin move is significant. Even the best wing scorers get hit off their path when absorbing that completely legal blow from Carter. Carter beat Leonard to the spot, so he’s entitled to the contact. But Leonard is so rock-solid that Carter just glances off him. It does nothing to stop his forward momentum, and ultimately Carter has to leave his feet because he’s surrendered all leverage.

That’s how Leonard draws so many fouls.

This is a small thing I’m noticing more this season. Rather than grab rebounds themselves, more players are pulling off what C.J. Miles did here and tapping it to a teammate.

I’m not sure why this has become en vogue this year, but it’s kind of nifty.