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Shot blocking 101 and the art of the contest

In this excerpt from "Basketball is Jazz," David Thorpe outlines the strategy to productive shot blocking, when to simply contest a shot and understanding the difference between the two.

The single smartest nugget of basketball knowledge I ever heard was from Hubie Brown, who taught that screens are set for one reason -- to make defenders think. It’s pure genius. I could spend an hour discussing its merits. It challenged me to come up with something that perhaps could be that simple yet that insightful. I’m not saying this is as good as what he said -- only that’s it the cleanest and best advice I can offer on any one subject.