Cracking League's Top Defense

Lokomotiv-Kuban Krasnodar has one of the top defenses in the VTB United League and Europe. So far this season, Krasnodar has never allowed more than 77 points in a game.

Kuban's trademark defense took center stage in the opening minutes of Monday's game in Tallinn. Lokomotiv held Kalev scoreless for the first four minutes, seizing an 11-0 lead.

But the next 16 minutes painted a different picture. Krasnodar gave up 47 points in the first half and trailed by six at halftime.

Following the break, Lokomotiv's defense got back on track, holding the home team to 24 points for a convincing 89-71 win. Nonetheless, Kalev's performance on offense in the first half could serve as a blueprint for future Lokomotiv opponents.

Konstantin Kucher analyzes Kalev's success on offense for Breaking It Down.

Pick-and-rolls
The Estonians jumpstarted the offense with the pick-and-roll. Center Josh Boone did a great job flashing into the paint for easy buckets. 

The pick-and-pop was also effective with Rolands Freimanis and Erik Keedus.

Kuban coach Georgios Bartzokas had to make adjustments and initially chose to double-team the ballhandler. 

The strategy was not very effective. The home team used crisp perimeter passing to get lots of open looks.

Switching on defense
Switching on defense was also ineffective. Kalev got the ball inside to the big man, allowing him to attack the basket against a smaller defender. 

Other times, the big man drew an extra defender.

Then kicked the ball out to the perimeter.

Kalev's guards were not as active on the perimeter. But, on occasion, they also tried to beat the slower, bigger defender.

Lokomotiv's mistakes
Lokomotiv mistakes made it even easier for Kalev to score. At times, Krasnodar defenders were out of position or forgot to box out, giving up second-chance points.

Claver as small forward
With Anthony Randolph's return to the lineup, Bartzokas started experimenting with Andrei Zubkov (205 cm) and Victor Claver (206 cm) at small forward. Midway through the 2nd quarter in Tallinn, the visitors inserted Claver at small forward.

It didn't do much good on defense. What Kuban gained in size, it lost in mobility. Kalev's Janar Soo and Rain Veideman scored several easy baskets against the Spanish forward, who couldn't stay in front of the guards.

Off-the-ball screens
The Estonians were also effective with off-the-ball screens, especially when inbounding the ball.

Here's how it worked. One of Kalev's snipers made a crisp cut, using a screen to get open.

Kalev's center slowed down the Lokomotiv defender.

At the same time, the sniper got the ball and knocked down the open shot.

During the first half, these plays were just as effective as the pick-and-roll.

Defense has been Lokomotiv's biggest weapon this season, but even the best defense is vulnerable. Kalev exploited Kuban's weaknesses to outscore the visitors in the first half. In the end, Loko's superior depth and talent won out. Kalev needed a deeper bench to maintain the first-half tempo and play efficient offense. Nonetheless, other teams may want to learn from Kalev's success on Monday.

Konstantin Kucher