Abstract
The triple-post offense, widely known as the triangle offense, has been accredited for producing 11 NBA championships, but has vanished from the league since the absence of all-time winningest coach, Phil Jackson, pre ‘14-‘15 season. With his return, there has been much interest in the offensive system and its functionality. However, there are more questions than answers surrounding the triangle offense when validating the reason for its success. Excluding the Golden State Warriors and New York Knicks in the current league season (’15-’16), the offense stands untouched by many teams due to the confusion in how it operates. This research bridges the aforementioned gap, presenting the makeup of the triangle offense in order to eliminate misperception and aid in the understanding from the everyday fan and future use of the offense across front offices. Through multivariate analysis methodology, results uncover a pattern of certain player roles utilized in the triangle offense by championship winning teams over 13 seasons, further accrediting the success of the offense to the 2-3 role combination of these players and unique play options. Results further demonstrate that these combinations do not have the same rate of success when utilized by teams who do not run the triple-post offense.
Faculty Sponsors
Dr. Jason Gershman
Project Type
Event
Location
Alvin Sherman Library
Start Date
4-8-2016 1:00 PM
End Date
4-8-2016 5:30 PM
The 'Triangle' Formula: A Role and Play Option Analysis of the Triple-Post Offense
Alvin Sherman Library
The triple-post offense, widely known as the triangle offense, has been accredited for producing 11 NBA championships, but has vanished from the league since the absence of all-time winningest coach, Phil Jackson, pre ‘14-‘15 season. With his return, there has been much interest in the offensive system and its functionality. However, there are more questions than answers surrounding the triangle offense when validating the reason for its success. Excluding the Golden State Warriors and New York Knicks in the current league season (’15-’16), the offense stands untouched by many teams due to the confusion in how it operates. This research bridges the aforementioned gap, presenting the makeup of the triangle offense in order to eliminate misperception and aid in the understanding from the everyday fan and future use of the offense across front offices. Through multivariate analysis methodology, results uncover a pattern of certain player roles utilized in the triangle offense by championship winning teams over 13 seasons, further accrediting the success of the offense to the 2-3 role combination of these players and unique play options. Results further demonstrate that these combinations do not have the same rate of success when utilized by teams who do not run the triple-post offense.
