"Be successful on that particular possession." (I've called basketball a game of "possession and possessions.")
"Treat every possession as though it's the last possession of the game (Chris)."
The last few minutes typically have fewer possessions...but previous ones matter as much, especially because there are MORE possession earlier.
"Players need to tell me they need to be in the game by how they're playing."
"I started grading each possession...so I could figure out who were the most productive."
You could be upgraded for setting screens properly..."more complete basketball player."
"Was your passing on time?" "Did you deny...so they couldn't reverse the ball?"
Each player is graded each possession. You can grade high with limited scoring.
Correlation to winning: the more versatile, positive actions correlates to winning. He reinforces verbally how impactful a player was even in a limited role (minutes).
Scoring by possession depends on the particular defensive goals for that game.
Players know what they are grading well on and where they need improvement.
"They know they are being held accountable for every possession...more concerned about playing right."
He doesn't have a hard and fast rule on subbing out a player with two fouls in the first half because he feels it reduces aggressiveness.
It's obvious that you want your best players in the game for as many possessions as possible.
Baseline inbound defense tries to limit number of actions that can be run with an 'amoeba style' defense. "Our players' memories aren't always so great." (No kidding)
Lagniappe: What disappoints a coach? Lack of engagement, lack of awareness, lack of effort, and lack of transfer of teaching. Core offensive basketball teaches spacing, use of on and off-ball screens, cutting (e.g. give-and-go, back cuts), and shot selection. When players stand, that hurts.
Lagniappe 2: Ray Allen Shooting Drill (552) - 5 lines, 5 consecutive, 2 minutes
Lagniappe 3: Chef Thomas Keller discusses "tools of refinement." That describes coaching...shot-readiness, moving the ball with the off-hand into the shot pocket, the ability to finish with one dribble anywhere inside the arc.
When making an omelet, Chef Keller uses an immersion blender then filters the blended eggs through a strainer to improve the consistency.