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Candidates, YES or NO question:

(https://youtu.be/zfXBNQMj2SE)

NO

(http://e.lvme.me/q551xd.jpg)

I believe we had the talent to win, however Spain did play almost perfect tactics against us. They successfully double gdped our LI tactic. Personally, I would’ve ran LI earlier in the season, because I believe we were a little overconfident in that tactic. We only ran LI twice this season, both times against Spain. Playing it in an earlier match, against Nigeria or China, would allow us to gather data and compare to other offenses in order to determine our truly best offense. Also we got unlucky in the last round with some unfortunate GS on our guards, which is just the luck of the draw. Not much you can change there. As for our defense, personally I wasn’t a big fan of the 3-2 knowing that they would go inside. We were trying to disrupt their flow and passing, but they were just too good at that, and that came back to bite us.

So to recap I would try to run more of variety of offenses and not take any particular offense for granted. Also a higher variety of offenses could help throw opposing teams off of our scent, making it harder to hone in on a double gdp guess. And I would think more carefully about running a 3-2 when we are certain the other team will go inside. But in the end, hats off to Spain for an almost perfect tactical decision.

Oh and I would bench Julius Saunders

Last edited by Nick at 4/11/2018 9:50:35 AM

Teemo raises a good point here that I forgot to mention regarding the 3-2. The SB on our bigs was too low to be fully effective. Although that cannot be fixed for that game, it can be something that is fixed in the future. SB as a whole tends to be overlooked in my experience. Not every big needs to have it, but if a team wants to effectively run a zone, it is a must. In the future I will help train a wider variety of players, including a big with SB to help us be an overall team. We get a lot of guards with just 1v1F, OD, and PA. We get a lot of donkey bigs with high IS/ID and medium REB with little SB. We have a lot of players that do the same thing, with little variety. I believe that with a more versatile team, with a variety of player builds, USA can once again return to its former glory. This is a goal I have in mind that will shape the future. While looking at the past IS useful for gaining knowledge... it is time to focus on the future of this nation, and build a stronger base for our eventual dynasty.

When I candidated 2 seasons ago, I emphasized the need of versatility of the team. So I would have played more outside attacks during the season, even if it would have meant more risks of defeat during the group phases.

Concerning the final, there are two main problems for USA :

- first the pace GDP of Spain : while having an average OD and a big flow from USA, it ended in 11 passes for 13 TO. That is an awful ratio for a LI. Versatility should be able to block these double GDP.

- 3-2 zone defense with inside GDP : there I will disagree with GM-Nick. This was not a bad choice according to me. USA OD was very high and Spain flow very low. But they had 26 passes for 11 to. Something doesn't feel right here. I don't know if we can attribute this to random generated numbers but it may have been an important factor. However seeing the players on sale right now, I would also say that you don't have enough SB on your inside players to benefit enough from this 3-2 zone specifity.

As one of the rare advocates of SB:
What level is your “recommendation” for bigs, SFs, and Gs, for effective zone usage?

Side note: what are your same thing considering passing levels per position group?

Obviously you work with what you get, but what would you find ideal?

@Nick. I ask you as well.