Basketball: "Who Died and Made You King?" Talking with Other Coaches

"Reason not the need." We need more than the barest necessities of life for happiness. 

"Who died and made you king?" I don't tell other coaches how to play, whom to play, or any panaceas for bad basketball, bad teammates, or stale basketball. God knows none of our teams have been anywhere close to perfect on their best day. 

When another coach asks for observations or suggestions, that's different than providing unsolicited advice. I'm not at your practice, don't know your philosophy, or personnel. I presume that most coaches have reasons why we do what we do. 

In his book, Why the Best Are the Best, Kevin Eastman shared that in an NBA Finals game against the Lakers the Celtics allowed thirty-two points on defensive mistakes. Even at the highest levels of basketball, teams make mistakes of commission and omission. Championship teams make errors during championship play. Why wouldn't ours? 

But that doesn't invalidate observations. During the recent NBA double-overtime Celtics and Knicks opener, some players looked understandably 'gassed.' Jump shots fell short and open dunks got missed. The Knicks put in a fresh D Rose which seemed like a good move. Do you stick with your "best guys" or sub in some fresh legs? Tough choice, which is why coaches get paid handsomely and fired periodically.

The Celtics took 57 threes and only 23 (17-23) free throws in their 138-134 loss. The inefficiency at the line was costly. 

Drill. Free throw shooting. 

• In high school, we took four sets of ten each practice with a partner. The winner (generally 38 or higher) played the coach for the chance to avoid team sprints. Efficient free throw shooting helped us win a top division sectional championship. 
• Legendary Coach Ed Beattie led Winnacunett to seven New Hampshire championships. His team finished practice with each player required to sequentially make 2 consecutive (22 to 24 consecutive as a team). Demanding high standards sets high expectations. 
• Steph Curry finishes free throw practice with five consecutive swishes. I call that "swish or miss" tracking. 

Set Play. "Barcelona" (Horns)

With mobile bigs or maybe a "small ball" lineup, a big and big high ball screen can prove difficult to defend. 

Lagniappe (something extra). Our youth teams sometimes struggle to run simple pick-and-roll actions. High level basketball often involves complex screening (e.g. screen-the-screener) or ultra complex screen-the-roller (Spain pick-and-roll). Basketball Immersion shares.