The first half the N.B.A. season has demonstrated the progression of offensive basketball at the highest level. Young players can develop their own game by playing with focus and patience and applying some of these elements. When young teams run discipline sets, the ball moves, everyone looks good and the team takes advantage of good looks. If that same team rushes, disjointed basketball unfolds and teams look their age. Any team can play hard, play smart and play together on offense. Coaches should study the best teams in the league because they are applying concepts that work against the most …
Recovery & Regeneration in the Playoffs
As the regular season concludes, the Toronto Blue Jays and their fans are wondering whether they should go the extra mile in order to ensure that they surpass the Kansas City Royals in the standings and earn home field advantage throughout the World Series. Manager John Gibbons is making his first appearance in the playoffs and needs to make a good impression but he must be careful not to push too hard. There remain viable arguments as to why the team should try to finish first, featuring their improved hitting at home, but I do not think that home field …
Raptors-Warriors: Compare and Contrast
The Toronto Raptors are a good team with an effective offense but the Golden State Warriors are a great team with an elite offense. The Dubs do a great job of consistently creating high percentage looks with their activity. On Friday night, Golden State made forty-nine field goals on thirty-five assists (71.4%).
End of Game Situations
Coaches spend a great deal of time planning each possession in the last two minutes because these plays are closely scrutinized. Control that cannot be wielded throughout the game is certainly exerted as the clock winds down. “Clutch situations” define players and coaches and even though players perform at the levels consistent with their season-long statistics, they especially want to be known as someone who can succeed in these memorable moments. The free hand of basketball means that what a coach emphasizes when preparing for the last possession of a game will trickle down into the rest of the team’s …
Free Kobe
During a 102-96 loss to the Memphis Grizzlies on Sunday, Los Angeles Lakers coach Mike Brown was criticized for leaving Kobe Bryant on the bench for about four out of the final six minutes. During this time, Memphis continued their run and sealed the victory (the margin would have been nine points except Andrew Bynum made a three-point shot as time expired). As the Staples Centre crowd chanted for Kobe, Brown left the N.B.A.’s leading scorer on the bench. When Kobe went to the scorer’s table to check in, play did not stop so he waited an additional minute of …
Blue Devils and Raptors
I like ball movement. I like player movement. I even like it more when the two coincide. I like the Duke Blue Devils. I like the Toronto Raptors. So the twenty-four hour period that began at 21h00 on Saturday night contained both highs and lows. There was one primary reason that Duke beat West Virginia in the National Semi-Finals: motion. Golden State beat Toronto Sunday afternoon for the same reason: motion. I like motion.
The Revenge of Don Nelson
The Association Playoffs have provided a number of interesting moments regarding how decision-making, self-actualization, creativity, and aggressiveness come to the surface on the basketball court and in life. First of all, ESPN Page 2 is entirely correct to congratulate “the Golden State Warriors for making us watch the N.B.A. again.” The Warriors – led by Baron Davis and playing with a five-second shot clock – provided one of the few surprising moments in an Association that had been mundane and predictable for the past eight or nine years. As Bill Simmons wrote, at least Golden State took chances. A number …