re: Jeff Van Gundy pleading the 5th on Pelicans coaching search

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He preaches elements of various defensive styles, and is well aware of the vulnerabilities that come with being too static or predictable – as a result, he attaches a variety of situational caveats and counters to his schemes while maintaining the basics. His base system, both in Houston and New York, ran inside-out; that is, the big men inside are the captains defensively, recognizing the response particular situations call for and communicating outwardly to their guards. He preaches many elements of “Red” defense – heavy guard pressure on the ball, particularly on the wings and especially after the ball-handler has picked up his dribble. His Knicks teams especially used this in conjunction with frequent fronting of the low post, something modern fans will equate with the Miami Heat’s strategy.3

Van Gundy was particularly wary of becoming transparent against the pick-and-roll, even during the mid-90’s slog-fest when only the Jazz and a handful of other teams were even using it as the centerpiece of their offense. He varied things quite well based on personnel, and his Knicks teams in particular were versatile given the presence of Patrick Ewing and several long, speedy wing defenders. These Knicks would often blitz the ball-handler up high with both defenders4, and were particularly diligent in playing a “down” coverage (also known more commonly as “ice” or “blue” today) against side pick-and-rolls to cut off the middle of the floor5. His Rockets certainly varied things to a degree, but were generally a bit more conservative, again due to Yao’s skill set as a defensive anchor. Elements like heavy on-ball trapping after dribble pick-ups, selective double-teams situationally, and precise rotations remained constants throughout.

Perhaps most vital, though, is the way Van Gundy teaches recovery. First-level stuff is important, but also expected in the NBA – where many defenses break down is in the time it takes them to rotate through multiple offensive actions and remain stout. JVG spends a huge amount of time with his teams on this detail, preaching a “big pushes small” philosophy where wings crash into the paint and bump opposing big men, creating enough time for the recovering defensive big to get back in position and “push” the wing back out to his man. He details specific recovery protocols for each of his defensive schemes and their potential variations, and while complex, these have resulted in his teams always being among the most disciplined in the league defensively. My strategy-inclined readers should gain some real insight from this late 90’s video detailing many of Van Gundy’s defensive principles along with corresponding tape from his Knicks teams:

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