There are two kinds of offenses — execution offenses and read offenses. In the former, players move along proscribed routes from point A to point B and so on. Set a screen here, make this cut, dribble there, catch the ball here. Although NBA teams typically have 10 or so different sets, virtually all of them are based on choreographed execution.
A read offense basically takes what the defense gives. As practiced by the Nets, the Wizards, and the Kings, motion offenses are the most common form. The options in a motion offense, however, are usually restricted — a player can present himself to the ball or go backdoor (or move to either the strong or weak side) depending on how he is being defended. But the triangle is much more sophisticated.
It starts with, let's say, Shaq on the right box. Rick Fox is positioned at the foul line, extended right about fifteen feet from the elbow. Derek Fisher has the ball on just about the same vertical plane as Shaq, and about fifteen feet above the right elbow. Robert Horry is on the opposite or non-ball side of the court, positioned about halfway up and 10 feet to the left of the left-lane boundary. Kobe Byrant is also on the non-ball side, about 15 feet away from Fisher and in a lag position — about 15 feet closer to the midcourt line. (Kobe is above Fisher so that his defender can't deny Bryant the ball without Kobe making an easy backdoor cut to the foul line to receive a pass and take an open jumper.)
Notice that 15 feet is the approximate distance separating most of the players from one another.
Now, Fisher (with the ball) is in position to make an easy pass on the near wing to Fox, loop a pass inside to Shaq, or move the ball backwards to Kobe. It's virtually impossible for the defense to overplay all three of these players without a cut yielding an open shot. Fronting Shaq, for example, is a self-defeating maneuver because of his bulk and power. Also, should Horry move up to the left of the foul line, Fisher can easily make a pass to him.
So, from the initial alignment, Fisher can pass to any of his teammates. There are precious few offenses that present this possibility for an initiating pass. Everybody's next move is keyed to Fisher's next option. A pass into Shaq usually means a shot for the big fellow, or a pass if he's doubled. A pass to Kobe initiates a step-up screen by Horry, Fisher diving into the lane to set (along with Shaq) a double-screen for Fox for a pop-up, after which Shaq ducks into the lane and Fisher runs baseline to the opposite corner — and so on.
The pass following Fisher's initiating pass likewise produces specific options. Ad infinitum.
It's called the triangle because among the most common first-options are for Fisher to dribble toward Fox (and thereby force Fox to the strong-side corner) or else pass to Fox and have Kobe cut into the strong-side, or pass to Fox and have Horry fill the strong-side corner. These are a few of the many ways to form the strong-side triangle — which all end with Shaq squatting in the pivot, a player in the corner and another near the foul-line extended.
Every pass, every move is totally coordinated. The overriding principle is for a player to move into an open area (while maintaining the 15-foot spacing between players) and then moving another player into the vacated area.
In principle the options are unlimited, but in reality Jackson's Bulls — since they ran the offense with the most precision and skill — had approximately 75 options at their disposal. Point guards can be posted (contrary to what Gary Payton complained about last season). Single-doubles can be executed. Isos can be facilitated. Pivot men are hard to double because the basket-cuts can be made from a variety of positions.
The offense requires shooters, passers, a massive body who can hold his spot in the low-post and like-sized players who are comfortable filling any of the positions. When executed correctly, the triangle offense is literally unstoppable. (The 1993-94 Bulls, sans MJ, were the most adept at running the offense.) If and when the offense gets jammed, then the one-on-one skills of a Kobe or MJ can be set up with maximum open space, and a corresponding minimum of nearby help options for the defense. In the past, Quinn Buckner (and then Jim Cleamons) made full commitments to the triangle when they each coached the Mavericks — but that's a long story in itself. Nowadays, several teams run pieces of the triangle — the Nets, for example, run what's called a speed-cut option off the basic triangle-set.
