About This Play/Drill

In Game 2 of the Spurs-Rockets series, in the 2017 NBA Playoffs, Popovich ran this ATO set. It is a terrific design, based on the fact that the Spurs love to isolate Kawhi Leonard (3). On the screen-the-screener action, it looks like an isolation, but is actually a "Hammer Action." This is a screen, to set up the baseline drift pass. It resulted in a wide open 3 for Danny Green, as the Spurs opened up a 10-point halftime lead in Game 2. Look for more isolation sets, and "Hammer Actions" from the Spurs, throughout the Playoffs.