Rule 1. Know our stuff. Players know the truth and respond to it.
"Are we building a program or a statue?"
Drill: 3 on 3 from "Inside the Split"
Set the spacing and add constraints (e.g. reduced area to play, limit dribbles, etc.). Establish a mental framework for players...what can you do from this position, so-called "chunking" in chess? For example, in SPREAD, an initial pass to 3 could lead to a basket cut, a ball screen, or an off ball screen. Or a dribble at could trigger a DHO or a back cut.
Think of spacing as the "lines on the paper" when we learn to write. We add letters, words, and grammar, but the lines help us start.
When I watched video (from 1972, pre 3-point shots, no shot clock) against zone defenses, we used the dribble sparingly, moved the ball quickly, got paint touches, ball reversals, and lots of open shots. Almost fifty years later, ball movement and player movement are still in fashion.
Concepts: Buffett's partner Charlie Munger says that "it's easier to avoid stupidity than to be brilliant." Jim Croce sang it another way -
"Don't tug on Superman's cape, you don't spit into the wind, you don't pull the mask off that old Lone Ranger, and you don't mess around with Slim."
Three concepts from The Power of Negative Thinking.
1. "The successful person has to be able to change his mind when something isn’t working and try to bail out or possibly find a more creative solution." This wasn't unique or original to Coach Knight. “When the facts change, I change my mind. What do you do, madam?” This is variously attributed to economist John Maynard Keynes and Winston Churchill.
2. "We had to work at doing things that enabled us to win, and eliminate the sloppiness or risky plays that could beat us in a close game." Recently, in Coaching Quotes Jeopardy, Brad Stevens' quote appeared about good and bad defense.
In Kevin Eastman's "Why the Best Are the Best" he reminds us that in a championship playoff series game against the Lakers, the Celtics allowed 32 points because of defensive mistakes and errors.
3. "The first is the inclination to make what psychologists call “fundamental attribution errors.” When we succeed, we’re likely to conclude that our talents and our current model or strategy are the reasons. We give short shrift to the part that… random events may have played." Benefit from a knowledge of mental models and biases. Attribution bias credits us for success and blames other factors (officials, luck, playing conditions, etc.) for defeat. Ask ourselves, are we winning or losing because of what we're doing or despite it.
Annie Duke wrote Thinking in Bets, encouraging us to recognize the process to better decisions and the role of luck.
Play: Spread into pindown with ball screen and options for 3
Lagniappe: John Leonzo's site shares valuable teaching about finishing. Note the "Blind 1 v 1" drill, that I believe is Zak Boisvert's "Butt Ball"
