That Million-Dollar move!: The one that made Adrian Dantley a Two-Time NBA scoring leader. (Basketball).

Player Personnel Director, LA Clippers 

Director, Dantley Nike College Skills Camps

HAVING THE OPPORTUnity to coach basketball from junior high to the NBA over the past 30 years, I am constantly amazed at the inability of so many players to break down and read their defender.

I will pass the ball to a player on the wing or in the corner and ask him to demonstrate a scoring move, and 75% of the time he will have no clearcut idea of how to score, other than getting into a triple-threat position and trying to beat the defender to the hoop with a dribble move.

As the director of the Adrian Dantley Nike College Skills Camp, I have had a great opportunity to broaden my knowledge of individual offense. It has always been rewarding to listen to Adrian Dantley expound the face-the-basket moves that enabled him to lead the NBA in scoring twice and score over 22,000 points in his 13-year career.

I named his particular skill "the million-dollar move" because he was one of the first players ever to make that kind of money in the NBA.

The first priority of the move is to shake free of the defender from a position on the wing or foul-line extended, usually 15 to 19 feet from the basket.

The second priority is to be able to sink 50% of the shots from that range. Otherwise, the defender will not react to the basic shot fake.

Many teams initiate their offense with a pass from the point to the wing area. If the attacker starts in the block area, he can walk into his defender, make contact, and then either pop out or reverse pivot, holding his lead hand up as a target for a pass upon reaching the wing area.

Point of emphasis: The attacker should walk the defender into the lane area and then put his head "into the basket." This serves the dual purpose of keeping the defender honest and creating more space to pop or break out to the wing area.

If the defender aggressively over plays the passing lane, the attacker can cut backdoor to the basket.

The way to do this is by stepping toward the defender to close the space or gap between them, then cutting for the hoop (backdoor).

Once the cutter receives the ball in the scoring area, he must get into the triple-threat position and always look at the basket.

The triple-threat position is ac accomplished with either a forward or reverse pivot. Since most players are right-handed, we recommend using the left foot as the pivot foot and the right foot as the drive foot.

If the defender is guarding the offensive man after he has caught the ball, the attacker's first priority is reading the defense. Basketball is an action-reaction game, and the attacker must take the time to read the defense and put the ball on the floor with a real purpose in mind.

"Be quick but don't hurry" is the great way with which John Wooden taught offensive basketball.

The offensive man must read his defender to determine whether he has a move or a shot, then quickly scan the rest of the floor to see whether anyone else is open for a score.

The offensive man is actually looking for four things: whether his man is playing off him, setting up a jump shot; whether the defender is shading him to his right or left hand; whether the defender has his feet parallel or staggered and which foot is up; and whether the defender is smothering him, giving him no room to move.

These reads or reactions have to be effected very quickly to enable the player to formulate an attack against him (action-reaction). This is the area of the game in which many players go wrong -- fail to come up with the right move for the situation.

In teaching "the million-dollar move," we have the player stand at the right elbow facing the basket with the ball in the triple-threat position. His first action is to fake off his right shoulder and simultaneously take a six-inch step with his right, or drive, foot -- forcing the defender to react to the ball.

It is essential to confine the step to six inches. If the player steps eight inches or more, he won't be able to shoot the ball from a balanced position. He will be forced to pull his right foot back and reload or get back to his original position.

The key lies in convincing the defender (with the ball fake and six-inch step) that the offensive man is going to shoot the ball. That gives the ball defender two choices (action-reaction): one is to step forward to challenge the shot and the other is to back up and defense the drive.

If the defender slides back, the attacker must think jump shot. He is on balance to shoot it because of the six-inch step.

If the defender stays or slides forward, the offensive player can attack him with a strong-side or cross-over drive. The strong-side drive is made with the player's dominant hand which usually will be to the right side (vice versa for a left-hander).

The move is taught by having the player show shot fake and simultaneously take a six-inch step with the right foot, then taking a long step with the right foot that will put the ball out in front for a low dribble.

Teaching points: The lower the player can get, the quicker and longer he can step to the basket. He should also step as close as possible to the defender without making contact -- "closing the gap" is what we call it.

The attacker should avoid going to the side as that will give the defender time to recover. The attacker should drive toward the front of the rim, not the side.

The cross-over drive is the counter to the strong-side drive. If the defender takes away the strong-side drive, the attacker has to go to his left. As before, he starts with the shot fake and six-inch step and makes a quick read on his man. He then crosses over with a long step to his left (as close to the defender as possible), then puts the ball on the floor out front for a dribble with his left hand.

A common mistake is for the attacker to put the ball out to his side or behind him -- letting the defender recover and beat him to the basket.

The concluding move again starts with a strong shot fake and six-inch step. If the defender stays or steps back, the attacker can react with a jump shot. This is why it is so important for the attacker to have a high-percentage jump shot. Otherwise, the defender will just play off him and eliminate the strong and cross-over moves.

"The million-dollar more" is easy to learn and can be very effective on any level of the game. Remember: fake the shot, take a six-inch step, read the defender, take a long step, put the ball out front, dribble straight to the rim, and finish the play.