Chapter 122: Han’s Happy Zone Defense.
Starting in 2001, when the NBA allowed zone defense, it began to show its charm.
The Kings relied on zone defense to play toe-to-toe with the Lakers, almost reaching the Finals at one point.
The Spurs are also one of the best teams at employing it.
The most common zone defenses are the 2-3 and 3-2 setups—one focusing on interior defense, the other on perimeter defense.
Han Sen had already seen these defenses a lot during his NCAA days, not just from opponents but also from his own team at Barry University.
The 2-2-1 zone is essentially a variant of the 2-3 zone, with the main difference being the center's positioning.
This relates to a rules issue: in the NCAA and international play, there's no defensive three-second rule, so the center can camp under the basket.
But not in the NBA, where centers often have to position themselves outside the three-second zone, resulting in what looks like a 2-1-2 formation.
Therefore, this zone's essence is similar to the 2-3 zone—primarily designed to limit the opponent's interior offense.
With Randolph playing dominantly, this defensive adjustment made sense.
On the Grizzlies' next possession, with Randolph double-teamed by Duncan and McDyess and forced to pass out, the ball eventually landed in Gay's hands, whose three-pointer missed.