"Continuity can win...the culture has remained the same."
"Half of success is just being there."
"You have to be able to coach everything (positions, development, scouting)"
"Always strive to learn more."
"Stay in a constant state of discomfort."
"Share ideas."
Everyone wants the same thing - accountability, effort, connection...
"Where's the fine line between accountability and ownership?" (Coaching millenials)
Doc Rivers, "Get over yourself." (That's also a Popovich principle.)
Book, "How to Rob a Bank" (From Freakonomics authors)
Heat Culture - First class, professional, family, consistency
Got value from losing to the Mavericks
"Be the toughest, nastiest, best-conditioned, most professional, least-liked team"
"Sacrifice was not an empty word." Guys took pay cuts to add players. Also had to have decreased usage rate of stars (Wade, LBJ, Bosch). Bosch usage rate went from about 27 to 17. LeBron had to change position. Spacing can be sacrifice. Screening is sacrifice.
"A big part of culture is getting the right people." (Jim Collins philosophy)
What creates an edge? Sleep, nutrition, sport science, psychology...
"We are the truth bearers...that creates conflict."
"People have a better attitude when they are grateful." Shine the light (on someone else)
Be caretakers for the culture with our staff - honesty, commitment, loyalty, consistency, diversity, "idea machine" and positive culture of disagreeing
"How many teams have synergy (throughout the organization)?"
Communication Stay on the same page
Uniform terminology, a group effort
Player Development
Need trust to get buy-in
Everyone has to be accountable
Coaches have to have uniform belief on priorities and what's important
Style of Play What fits your players. Don't fall in love with what other people do well.
It's easier when you have the best player in the game.
Understand what opponents will want to take away.
Most of the League does the same things: force down, zoning with 5, peel off switch
Heat was disruptive in passing lanes, trapping PnR, looking for transition... with goals of getting steals and points off transition. Rebounding was worse (Spo didn't care.)
Mike D'Antoni is the Chip Kelly of the NBA.
Analytics. It is tricky. Need 3s, layups, free throws (obvious). Defense is designed to stop that. (You need something when it's not working. Rockets and Celtics wiped out in Conference game sevens because 3s wouldn't go)
You can have useful players who don't track well with conventional analytics.
Heat Motion:
There are options...rarely you'll get the curl on the initial pindown. In frame 2, instead of a cut, you could run a spread pick-and-roll. In frame 2, instead of cutting across, 2 can set a brush screen for 1 to attack the rim.
Summary/Key points:
- Always strive to learn.
- Remember great plays.
- The coaching staff needs uniform beliefs on what's important.
- Don't fall in love with what other people do well.
- Truth creates conflict.
- Have a productive culture of disagreement.
- Analytics are known, but you need fallback options.
Lagniappe:
1. Life is a game of skill and luck. Chance fools us to take poor risks. Ego downplays luck.
2.Train ourselves to think in numbers. What's the probability?
3. Intuition fails compared with "slow, careful analysis." Gut is vulnerable to biases and magical thinking.
