So... I've seen different advice about the settings for the end of the game.

What settings do smart coaches use for Winning Late and Losing Late both offensively and defensively? And why?

These settings used to seem logical to me.... But the more I play HD, the more I realize that impulse logic is sometimes actually backwards. Or maybe upside down.

i think you need to set the margin low enough, and the time long enough, for there to be a chance for end game settings to benefit your team in a come back. some people just set stuff really high - whats the point, if losing, to set to 10 points with 2 minutes? you already lost. i think this is the biggest end game mistake. on the if winning side, thats a bit different - i think it should be utilized - but frankly, if you are beating someone already, i can see the logic in not wanting to change things up. but when you are losing - why not? you don't have to do something insane, like press with no IQ. but you should run uptempo at least.

i personally like to defend the 3s a little harder when winning late, figuring that is their most likely chance to come back. so i will usually have a 3-2 if zone or a +2 to +3 if m2m/press on my if winning late. i also play slowdown. if losing late, if i have press iq, i switch to fcp even if i don't run it normally, but minimally i play uptempo, and often sag inside - allowing them to take 3s, figuring if they make them, i was probably screwed anyway - but if they miss, i might now have a shot at coming back.

all this said, my end game settings have saved me very few games, that i've noticed. keep in mind if you switch to them, and they start working (if losing), and you get under the limit, you revert back. this is another reason to set the scoring margin low, which is totally different than how i did this in the beginning.

I set my "when winning" to slowdown any time I'm ahead. I figure if I'm in a position to win the game at that point, I want to minimize the number of possessions the rest of the way and take my chances in forcing my opponent to play better than me with a fewer number of chances.

My bigger question has always been what to do with my three-point frequency setting...do I leave it at 0 so that it's no change from how the rest of the game has been? If I have good FT shooters do I kick it to take fewer 3's and trust we'll convert often enough at the foul line to compensate for a possible bypassed trey? If I have a good 3-pt shooting team, do I kick it to +1 or +2 and go for the kill, especially if I expect my opponent to shift to a negative positioning when losing in an attempt to secure more rebounds?

Posted by gillispie1 on 5/17/2014 11:48:00 PM (view original):
i think you need to set the margin low enough, and the time long enough, for there to be a chance for end game settings to benefit your team in a come back. some people just set stuff really high - whats the point, if losing, to set to 10 points with 2 minutes? you already lost. i think this is the biggest end game mistake. on the if winning side, thats a bit different - i think it should be utilized - but frankly, if you are beating someone already, i can see the logic in not wanting to change things up. but when you are losing - why not? you don't have to do something insane, like press with no IQ. but you should run uptempo at least.

i personally like to defend the 3s a little harder when winning late, figuring that is their most likely chance to come back. so i will usually have a 3-2 if zone or a +2 to +3 if m2m/press on my if winning late. i also play slowdown. if losing late, if i have press iq, i switch to fcp even if i don't run it normally, but minimally i play uptempo, and often sag inside - allowing them to take 3s, figuring if they make them, i was probably screwed anyway - but if they miss, i might now have a shot at coming back.

all this said, my end game settings have saved me very few games, that i've noticed. keep in mind if you switch to them, and they start working (if losing), and you get under the limit, you revert back. this is another reason to set the scoring margin low, which is totally different than how i did this in the beginning.

Thanks. This is good stuff.

How about intentionally fouling? How soon and down by how far?

I've struggled with the FT setting as well. I'm currently using 7 points and 3 minutes if my opponent is a poor/average FT shooting team.  Otherwise, I use 6 points and 3 minutes

I think a good rule is that leading by 10 with 2 minutes it's hard to lose unless you miss a lot of FTs.  That said I start fouling down 10 or less with 2 minutes to play.  A few years ago, I did start fouling with 39 minutes to go and ended up losing 80-20 in a Final Four game so I wouldn't recommend that.

As far as + defense goes, I set to +4 or +5 when leading by 2 or more with 2 minutes to go.  I can live with OT, but want to avoid losing on a 3-pointer.

Quote post by Rails on 5/29/2014 12:28:00 PM:

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if you're not too lazy when you gameplan (i know i could spend a little more time on it), you should be changing these every game based on your opponent's stats. for example, if my opponent rarely takes 3's (so i'm playing a -3 all game), i'm not going to adjust to +4 or +5; instead, i might put a +2. also if you are REALLY ambitious (maybe deep in the NT or a must win CT game), the end of game settings can be predicted by what your opponent has done in similar situations throughout the season (because most coaches NEVER adjust these settings, you can be reasonably certain that whatever they've done in the past will remain in place for your game).

Posted by jtt8355 on 5/29/2014 2:27:00 PM (view original):
Quote post by Rails on 5/29/2014 12:28:00 PM:

As far as + defense goes, I set to +4 or +5 when leading by 2 or more with 2 minutes to go.  I can live with OT, but want to avoid losing on a 3-pointer.

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if you're not too lazy when you gameplan (i know i could spend a little more time on it), you should be changing these every game based on your opponent's stats. for example, if my opponent rarely takes 3's (so i'm playing a -3 all game), i'm not going to adjust to +4 or +5; instead, i might put a +2. also if you are REALLY ambitious (maybe deep in the NT or a must win CT game), the end of game settings can be predicted by what your opponent has done in similar situations throughout the season (because most coaches NEVER adjust these settings, you can be reasonably certain that whatever they've done in the past will remain in place for your game).

That seems like a lot of work.

IT IS A LOT OF WORK. I THOUGHT I WAS PRETTY CLEAR ABOUT THAT!!! 

Quote post by Rails on 5/30/2014 1:08:00 PM:

Life is a lot of work