I’m watching game 4 of the Spurs/Mavs series right now and am always looking for topics to write about that are game relevant. Recently Roger Mason Jr. was trying to receive an outlet pass from Tim Duncan, but Mason was unaware of Jason Kidd pressuring the outlet. Duncan’s pass was stolen by Kidd partly because Mason did not meet the pass and Duncan did not see a play ahead.
When receiving an outlet pass you need to do a few things:
1. Get your back to the sideline so that you can see the teammate making the outlet pass and also be aware if you are going to be pressured
2. If you are pressured you need to make a “j-cut”. This is made by taking a couple steps back towards the passer to shorten up the pass and then cut hard across the floor.
3. The passer, as stated before, cannot simply make a pass. He needs to see a play ahead and be aware of any full court pressure.
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