Miami Heat Zipper Series

MIAMI HEAT ZIPPER SERIES

Now that Chris Bosh is out with a strained abdominal muscle, Eric Spoelstra now has an even smaller arsenal of offensive weapons.  The Heat have a team the have extreme pieces/players to utilize on offense,  they have ultra dynamic scorers in Wade and Lebron in addition to players who are limited in there offensive skill at this point in their careers (Mario Chalmers, Joel Anthony, Dexter Pittman, Mike Miller, and Shane Battier).  Spoelstra must find ways to move these pieces around and involve them in sets that set up his best two players and force the defense to give up easy looks to the Heat's role players if they focus all their defensive energy on Lebron and Wade.
In the following frames the 1 and 2 positions are played by Lebron James and Dwayne Wade.  Spoelstra has used them both as the point and the two guard in this set.  It provides mis-direction and false motion and ends in a wing pick and roll as well as transitioning into other sets and counters.  The initial set is as follows







The one dribble enters into a zipper screen for the two, Lebron actually go a quick seal and score when Danny Granger overplayed his cut off this screen at one point in their playoff series, the two receives the ball at the top of the key. after throwing the ball to the two, the one will make an Iverson cut across the free throw line and off the five.  The 2 will then enter the ball to the 1 on the wing who can drive baseline immediately if overplayed.  the 5 will then sprint into a wing pick an roll while the weak side of the floor is spaced by the other 3 players.

One of the first counters the heat run is a two man back door ( I have also seen the Thunder run a play like this for Kevin Durant).  As the 1 makes the Iverson Cut , the four will flash back to the elbow and catch the ball and look to hit the 1 curling the Iverson cut to the rim off the five.  This is work as a counter if the defense sags off the four and/or the are locking and trailing the 1 off the Iverson cut.

Since the two is also usually one of the heats main play makers in this set they also have an option to go into a middle screen for them.  In the frames below after the iverson cut is made and the five's defender is expecting to guard a wing ball screen, now the five will snake into a middle ball screen with the two.