Our lives become stories. Stories share triumphs and tragedies, victor and vanquished. How games end define a large part.
No article informs the 'be-all, end-all' of late game management, just sharing ideas. Mom would say, "who died and made you king?" Nothing has changed.
1. It's more than that. Everyone harps on events of the final moments or the last play. A local club lost by a point years ago, a final missed shot. But they had fallen behind 4-0 in the first minute, twice failing to block out and allowing a pair of putbacks. Games are won and lost over their entirety with bad shots, turnovers, wasted possessions, missed free throws.
2. Manage time. Teams need the ability to manage tempo, playing faster or slower with offensive and defensive delay games. Players learn to play based on time, score, and situation by practicing. Create situations such as leading by five with two minutes to go (with or without the ball) and playing them out. Add constraints like no shots allowed during a timed possession.
Part of managing time is having timeouts. Dean Smith set an example with the goal of having three timeouts for the final four minutes. Timeouts allow for rest, substitution, strategic change, and special situations.
3. Win this possession. Part of putting the ball into play is having a reliable inbounder. Getting the ball in safely comes first and opportunistically follows. Develop an inbounder whose vision, decision, and execution you trust.
4. Get stops (Jordans). Excellent teams understand the need to get "Jordans" stops. Play defense as though everyone earns a pair of "Air Jordans" when they get a key stop.
5. Dog days. Tom Hellen has a saying, "teams that can't shoot free throws last as long in the postseason as dogs that chase cars." Find ways to grow guys who make free throws in crunch time.
6. "Trust but verify." Everyone must be on the same page. One player who doesn't know their role can spoil the meal. Unless the close and late situations are practiced, execution and results will suffer.
7. "Foul for profit." If strategic fouling is necessary, be in position to do so by approaching but not exceeding the required foul limit. If you have no fouls and need five, valuable time will expire.
8. Win special situations. We finished the final fifteen minutes of practice with specials - three possession games beginning with BOB, SLOB, ATO, or free throw. On any inbounds play, the action starts the moment the ball is handed to the passer.
9. Identify mismatches. I presume that well-coached teams with switch close and late. That favors pick-and-roll and screens with small on big or vice versa.
10.Whom do you trust? My coach taught, "It's not who starts the game, it's who finishes." Earn your coaches' trust to earn the chance to succeed or fail during crunch time.
Coaches are going to receive criticism, regardless of plan. One told me of a parent who confronted him because the parent's son didn't get the last shot. An open shot was less desired than a shot for one's own DNA line.
Lagniappe.
10 Coaching Skills All Coaches Should Have.
— Greg Berge (@gb1121) March 6, 2024
Coaching goes beyond knowing the game. It is so much more dynamic.
Here are 10 skills all coaches need.
1. Communication
Always remember, "Where there is a void in communication, negativity fills it." Coaches need to talk clearly and…
Lagniappe 2.
Pat Riley said, "A culture is simply a shared vision of what it is you want to do to get to where it is you want to go...It's up to the coach to create the philosophy."
— Coach AJ 🎯 Mental Fitness (@coachajkings) March 5, 2024
Your culture is what you accept on a daily basis.
It sets the floor for your team.
The best teams create a… pic.twitter.com/RltBkmieCi
