BLOB / SLOB / ATO Playbook (Special Situations)

Definitions

• BLOB — Baseline Out of Bounds (under our basket)
• SLOB — Sideline Out of Bounds
• ATO — After Time-Out (out of dead ball, full set)

Why these matter

Special situations are 5–10% of possessions but 15–20% of margin in close games. Coaches who win the SS battle win more 1-possession games.

BLOB principles

• Get a layup or a 3. Mid-range BLOBs are wasted possessions.
• Stack alignment is the most common (4 players in a line at the FT line).
• Box alignment is best vs zone.
• Have at least 3 BLOBs: one vs man-switch, one vs man-no-switch, one vs zone.

Common BLOB sets

• Stack — back-screen for shooter flares to corner
• Box — high-low to the big posting up
• Inbounder cut — passer steps in and screens for himself off a stack

SLOB principles

• Need a scoring SLOB AND a safe-entry SLOB (just get the ball in)
• Prefer ball-screens for the inbounder catching the ball
• "Hammer" action (back-screen for the corner) is a SLOB staple

ATO principles

• Defense expects something — counter their expectation
• Best ATOs run from a non-traditional alignment to force adjustments
• Have ATOs by score situation: down 3, down 1, tied, up 2

How to defend BLOB / SLOB / ATO

• Identify their go-to — every team has 1-2 they trust in close games. Scout it.
• Pre-call coverage in the huddle
• Top-lock their best shooter — make him the inbounder if possible
• Switch all screens on inbound plays unless game plan says otherwise
• Box out — many BLOB plays end in tip-ins

Scout requirements

For every opponent, the agent should answer:

1. What is their go-to BLOB late game?
2. What is their go-to SLOB late game?
3. What is their favorite ATO out of dead-ball timeouts?
4. Who is the inbounder? Who is the safety valve?

See also

• templates/scout-report.md (special-situations section)

Sources & further reading

Verified citations (this file's content can be checked against)

• Wikipedia — Brad Stevens — confirms Stevens' coaching record at Butler (2007–2013) and Boston (2013–2021); his reputation as the league's premier ATO designer is widely documented in the press, including by Zach Lowe at Grantland/ESPN/The Ringer.
• Zach Lowe, "The Hoop Collective" podcast and ATO breakdown columns at The Ringer (https://www.theringer.com/authors/zach-lowe) and ESPN — multiple pieces specifically on Stevens' BLOB/SLOB/ATO design (e.g., "loop" action, "horns flare," and stack-into-floppy sets).
• Hubie Brown clinic talks — Hubie's late-game special-situations talks were a fixture at NABC and Nike clinics from the 1990s through 2010s; circulated widely on Championship Productions DVDs.

Recommended further reading for staff

• Fastmodel Sports Playbank — search "BLOB", "SLOB", "ATO", "Stevens", "hammer action" at https://fastmodelsports.com — extensive set library categorized by alignment (stack, box, line) and situation.
• HoopsU.com — special-situations clinic material at https://hoopsu.com.
• BBALLBREAKDOWN — Brad Stevens ATO film studies on YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/@BBallBreakdown.
• The Brad Stevens Playbook compilations — community-assembled PDFs of Celtics ATOs are widely circulated among coaches; verify any version before using.
• Kevin Eastman clinic notes — former Celtics assistant; his special-situations material is highly regarded.

Verification notes (Claude)

• The "5–10% of possessions but 15–20% of margin in close games" figure is plausible directional but I could not find a primary analytical source for the specific numbers in this pass. Treat as a coach's heuristic, not a measured statistic.
• "Hammer action" (back-screen for the corner shooter on a baseline drive) is correctly identified as a SLOB/half-court staple; widely credited to Gregg Popovich's Spurs (2000s–2010s) and well-documented in Lowe's writing.
• "Top-lock their best shooter — make him the inbounder if possible" is a common late-game rule but an aggressive choice (also: bringing the ball-handler onto the inbound risks a deny on entry). Treat as game-plan dependent.
• BLOB / SLOB / ATO acronyms are universal coaching vocabulary.