Celtics owner Wyc Grousbeck introduced my wife (a rocket scientist) to Brad Stevens. Coach Stevens said, "Basketball's not rocket science." About a third of games are decided by two possessions or fewer. Attention to detail gets the odds on our side.
What simple tips help win games? Coaches' core concepts are NOT what players know. They need constant reminders and regular quizzes, "why?"
1. "Sprint." Basketball isn't a running game, it's a sprinting game. Beat your man to halfcourt in transition defense. Complacency kills.
2. "Show your hands." Don't give referees a reason to call fouls. If it looks like a foul, it will probably get called.
3. "Dead man's defense." Don't play six feet under the ball. Coach Brown used to yell at defenders, "Don't back down." Balancing ball pressure and ball containment matter each possession. Coach Wooden said, "make every day your masterpiece." I wish he'd said, "make every possession your masterpiece."
4. "Wait, wait, wait." It's better to be late than early coming off screens. This reduces the chance of offensive foul calls and allows you to read the defender's response as you cut, curl, back cut, or "bump."
5. "Silent teams lose." Talk begins in practice. Habits take time (at least three weeks) to establish. Calling screens, cutters, and announcing help intimidates. The best "habit book" is James Clear's Atomic Habits.
6. "Red." Have a call to demand maximum ball pressure. When fronting the post, ball pressure reduces the chances of passers throwing "over the top." It also reminds back side help of their responsibilities.
7. "Load." Load to the ball. Defend 1.5 (one and a half players).
8. "Run wide." Spread out the defense in transition and improve angles to catch and attack the basket.
9. "The ball scores." The player who says, "my guy didn't score" misses the point.
Shot fakes. If the pro’s use them, you should too
— Mason Waters (@MasonWaters_) August 14, 2021
A few points
- Eyes go to rim
- Basketball goes at least to chin
- Get on two feet
- Draw a foul if defense jumps out of position
- Use fake to read defense
- Use shot fake immediately on catch pic.twitter.com/CykC53dEmd
Kelly Olynyk has one of the best shot fakes I've seen.
Lagniappe 2. What's the "best" coaching book? That doesn't exist as books serve different purposes. Two great "leadership" books are Legacy (James Kerr) and The Score Takes Care of Itself (Bill Walsh). Neither are basketball books.
Great coaches don't necessarily write books that help us become better coaches. I won't throw shade on anyone, but a couple were a waste of time and money. A highly underrated book is Herb Brown's Preparing for Special Situations.