After Phoenix won the first two games of the 2021 N.B.A. Finals decisively, it seemed as if Milwaukee would be hard pressed to avoid a sweep. Not only did the Bucks extend the series but they completed an impressive sweep. Most teams do not feature a dominant athlete like Giannis Antetokounmpo but there are some ideas that any coach can take from these games and apply to their own teams. Pressure the Ball: Jrue Holiday did an excellent job of setting the tone and pressuring Devin Booker and Chris Paul the length of the top. This used up the shot …
Adjustments and Offensive Execution in the Playoffs
Playoffs progressing from the Second Round to the Conference Finals mean that the level of play in the N.B.A. gets higher and higher. Especially in the Western Conference, every team is very talented and winning and losing hinges on minute defense. Everyone knows each other’s sets so good defenses will strive to eliminate the primary option; great defenses will take away more than that so it becomes incumbent upon the offense to identify the open man and move the ball to them, institute new wrinkles that counter the counter and utilize evolving and improving athletic talents as they develop. Always …
Game 1: Hopes for the Remainder of the Series
Since the Toronto Raptors have made the playoffs after a six year drought, fans want them to do well so a lacklustre fourth quarter and a copious moments that can be most optimistically linked to inexperience was frustrating. It’s not that beating the Brooklyn Nets in a playoff series is an impossible dream but that there is a way the series must unfold for Toronto to win whereas other storylines may better suit Brooklyn.
Running the Same Side Out Twice
Running the Same Side Out Twice: At the end of the game, running the same play or a similar play from the same look offers some advantages. During the first play, Al Horford sets a pindown screen for Kyle Korver and slips the screen, receiving a pass from Josh Smith and finishing with a dunk. Larry Drew tried to recapture lightning in a model and expose Dwight Howard – who was caught in no man’s land – by slipping another pindown for Korver, who is an excellent shooter in this sideline out of bounds play. The second time, Smith receives …
Game 5 Preview
Hopefully, OKC makes some adjustments in terms of sharing the ball more and playing with more tenacity on the glass and at the defensive end. All four of the games have been close so far and although no team has come back from a 3-1 deficit in the N.B.A. Finals, the Thunder can send the series back home by turning a few small disadvantages in the box score into advantages.
Coaching the Players on the Team
ESPN’s 30 for 30 documentaries have been very intriguing. Some of have covered famous events, others have brought intriguing issues to light. Directed by Billy Corben, The U covers the rise and fall of the Miami Hurricanes football program in the 1980s. To me, the Miami Hurricanes program is interesting because of how a small academic school in Coral Gables won four national titles during a span of twelve years. The University of Miami had flirted with the idea of becoming “The Harvard of the South” but decided to place greater emphasis on football as the 1970s came to a close. …
French Open 2009
The triumph of Roger Federer’s win is not in the compilation of fourteen Grand Slam titles but his recovery from adversity and the adjustments and evolutions that he has made to his game. Rafael Nadal has displayed phenomenal athleticism and power during his six Grand Slam wins but he has never exhibited the consistency shown by Federer in three areas: Consistency: Federer has always played the entire year and wins during each season. Like Tiger Woods – another blue chip brand name athlete – he wins about half the time. Federer has made every Grand Slam semi-final for the past …