In Real Life: Atul Gawande speculates that one of the key drivers behind rising health care cost is overtreatment: excessive and gratuitous procedures which give the impression of thorough treatment without actually improving results. Patients may suffer complications from needless operations or doctors may neglect a low cost preventative measure in favour a more expensive and risky procedure. Certain “anchor tenants” influence the culture of particular hospitals and communities. The key to better health care lies in prescribing the appropriate care for each patient and treating the cause instead of all of the symptoms. Western countries agree that health care costs …
Little Things at Training Camp
“Homer Goes to College” Homer made a bookshelf out of four planks and six cinder blocks: Marge: Homer, we have a perfectly good bookcase. Homer: Yeah, but this is what they’re doing on campus. Besides, it isn’t costing us: I swiped the cinderblocks from a construction site. Meanwhile, at the construction site: Worker: Sir, six cinderblocks are missing. Boss: There’ll be no hospital, then. I’ll tell the children. Neither passing nor cutting are what they used to be and motion offences are suffering as a result. But there’s a nice bookcase next to the bench by the pick-up court. In the N.B.A. During training …
2014 Finals Preview
On the first day of training camp, Gregg Popovich screened the entirety of San Antonio’s Game 6 overtime loss to Miami in the 2013 Finals. He wanted the team to “park it” and forget about any lingering doubts: Kawhi Leonard’s missed free throw, the offensive rebounds or a play that would have made a difference had it unfolded otherwise. If the process behind the 2012-13 season was solid than they would live with the outcome. From that moment onwards, there was no hangover that could jeopardize the season. Now, as the rematch approaches, the hard fought loss has galvanized Spurs’ …
Every Play Counts
The intensity of playoff basketball manifests itself in the significance of each play. A team cannot take a play off without consequences – ranging from points which impact the final margin, a change in momentum that triggers a critical run or a lasting impression that defines a reputation. In both N.B.A. Conference Finals, the team that won the first game has lost the most recent contest because all four teams have altered how they have approached every play at either end of the court. Initiative, collaboration and attention to detail have triumphed almost all of the time. It is not …
Can OKC Win without Serge Ibaka?
On the eve of the Western Conference Championship series, the announcement that forward Serge Ibaka would miss the remainder of the playoffs was an inauspicious announcement for the Oklahoma City Thunder. Although the number two seed behind the San Antonio Spurs, the team possessed a certain edge, evidenced by their win in the 2012 Conference Final and a 4-0 sweep of the season series this year. The explosive athleticism of Kevin Durant, Russell Westbrook and Ibaka was a factor that the experience and execution of the Spurs could never match. Despite a seemingly insurmountable obstacle, the Thunder can still win, …
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 7: The Last Three Possessions of the Season
Towards the end of their 104-103 loss to the Nets in Game 7, the Raptors ran three different A.T.O. sets to attempt to narrow the score. The first two were productive, creating layups for Kyle Lowry and Terrence Ross whereas the final play resulted in a blocked shot in the paint. The spacing of the alignment as the ball was inbounded was diverse and it influenced the quality of the shots that the team attempted. 3rd Last Play: Down 102-99, 22.5 seconds left. Extending a well-known San Antonio Spurs SOB for the length of the entire court offers a mixed …
Game 6: A Series of Unfortunate Events
No to belabour the point, but I wanted to look at two plays: one from Game 5 that shows DeMar DeRozan receiving the ball as he curls towards the hoop and finishing in the paint and another from Game 6 when a Kyle Lowry fade away three point shot proves to be an outlet pass for Alan Anderson.Although Toronto has strong guard play, it is imperative that all other players on the court play a concrete role in constructing a successful possession. When other players are bystanders, it enables Brooklyn to close the paint and force tough shots. Game 5: …
Game 5: Highs and Lows
Leading a seven game playoff series against the Brooklyn Nets, the Toronto Raptors are fortunate because they can say that they have not yet played a fundamentally sound forty-eight minutes but still have two chances to win the series. Since Game 1, the team has improved their execution at both ends of the floor but the forty-four point comeback allowed in the fourth quarter of Game 3 shows that there is still room to improve. The Raptors must remember what they need to do well and go back to those core objectives when the Nets respond and the game tightens …
Games 3 and 4: Two Good Plays, Two Bad Plays
To summarize the weekend split that Toronto gained in Brooklyn over the weekend, I wanted to focus on two things that the Raptors should continue to emphasize and two things of which they must remain mindful. Certainly, it was an uneven performance, featuring a fruitful outcome (regaining home court advantage) but lacking a consistent process (reducing errors at both ends of the floor). Toronto Must Feed their Bigs: If the Raptors will maintain their size advantage, they must make the Nets pay by going inside early and often. Paul Pierce does not want to play physically with Amir Johnson and …
Game 2: Improving Toronto’s Screen and Roll Game
When all five players are involved in a screen and roll, the defense cannot simply collapse and play the drive and the roll. Passing lanes open, space in the paint expands and high percentage scoring chances develop. The increased movement also permits those away from the ball to crash the offensive glass. In Game 1 of the playoff series, Brooklyn was able to blitz Toronto’s ball screens and limit their passing chances. down 1-0, the home team performed much better in Game 2 at the offensive end (when they did not turn the ball over as a result of an …
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.
Utah Jazz Basketball Lessons
The John Stockton-Karl Malone era of the Utah Jazz, which began when Stockton was drafted in 1984, took shape when Malone was selected in 1985, picked up speed when Stockton became the starting point guard in 1987 and was consolidated when Jerry Sloan became coach in 1988 ended in 2003, providing many lessons relevant to today’s coaches and players. Some might argue that the team’s peak – back-to-back losses in the N.B.A. Finals – exemplified how the two players were ultimately unsuccessful but they still illustrated a number of concepts that any youth coach or player. The team definitely made …
Offensive Spacing
Spacing forces the defense into difficult choices. This year, the Raptors have greatly improved their outside shooting (36.8% in 2013-14, 12th in N.B.A., compared to 34.3% in 2012-13, 26th in N.B.A.). Spreading out the shooters, with all players engaged in the play, provides Greivis Vasquez with several options when he is double-teamed after a high screen (Dwane Casey substituted Steve Novak into the game for Chuck Hayes immediately before this play). The Grizzlies want to blitz the high rub as time runs down without conceding a high percentage look. Two outside defenders still attached to Novak and Kyle Lowry. At …
Determining Responsibility for Improvement
Last night’s Toronto Raptors – Sacramento Kings game proved very controversial as fans, coaches and players were disappointed by the loss and eager to designate an appropriate culprit to focus their frustration. Ultimately, the team aims to improve and while a loss can serve as a powerful motivator, they need to target their efforts appropriately. Discontent breeds disillusionment but dedication and determination lead to progress.
Poor Late Game Execution
The New York Knicks passed up one shot after another (for worse shots), failed to manage the clock and lost the game. They may have run a perfect drive and kick drill for a practice session but game situations demand that a team know what shot they want to take, what they can settle for and what they can’t do (jack threes and commit loose ball fouls). During many critical plays, the Knicks fail to get a great scoring chance (such as a Carmelo Anthony drive or post up or an open look). And sometimes, there’s a reason that they’re …