CaribouJim
03-22-2016, 03:06 PM
http://www.si.com/nba/2016/03/22/boston-celtics-brad-stevens-danny-ainge-isaiah-thomas-jae-crowder
Really good article. Some good mentions and quotes from Jae and good insight into Stevens' M.O.
Some highlights:
- "Nearly any team in the league would find a way to get Crowder into the starting lineup."
- The advantage they found is players who came to Boston pissed off. "It's our DNA," Crowder says.
This is the best part the article IMO:
- Ask a fan to explain what makes Gregg Popovich great, and it will start with "wins," and then you'll hear mumbling about "culture" and "systems" and other words that get thrown around in every HR meeting in America. Let's try to settle this without buzzwords, then. Here is a theory about what the best basketball coaches actually do, with Stevens as the perfect case study. "Every NBA player has an elite strength," Stevens explains. "Some of them have 10 of 'em, and those guys are the very best in the league, right? But every one of 'em is here for a reason. And there are times when you can really soar with that skill, and there are times when they may not be as effective." The best coaches understand those times before they happen. For example, Thomas struggles on defense, so that means Bradley or Marcus Smart will always handle the best guard on the floor. Bradley struggles creating his own shot, but he's the fastest player on the court and he can hit threes, so he's going to spend the possession running off screens like Reggie Miller, and he'll get his open looks that way. Crowder won't scare teams in isolation, but if he's popping off a screen, he can knock down threes or get into the lane to create for everyone else.
Really good article. Some good mentions and quotes from Jae and good insight into Stevens' M.O.
Some highlights:
- "Nearly any team in the league would find a way to get Crowder into the starting lineup."
- The advantage they found is players who came to Boston pissed off. "It's our DNA," Crowder says.
This is the best part the article IMO:
- Ask a fan to explain what makes Gregg Popovich great, and it will start with "wins," and then you'll hear mumbling about "culture" and "systems" and other words that get thrown around in every HR meeting in America. Let's try to settle this without buzzwords, then. Here is a theory about what the best basketball coaches actually do, with Stevens as the perfect case study. "Every NBA player has an elite strength," Stevens explains. "Some of them have 10 of 'em, and those guys are the very best in the league, right? But every one of 'em is here for a reason. And there are times when you can really soar with that skill, and there are times when they may not be as effective." The best coaches understand those times before they happen. For example, Thomas struggles on defense, so that means Bradley or Marcus Smart will always handle the best guard on the floor. Bradley struggles creating his own shot, but he's the fastest player on the court and he can hit threes, so he's going to spend the possession running off screens like Reggie Miller, and he'll get his open looks that way. Crowder won't scare teams in isolation, but if he's popping off a screen, he can knock down threes or get into the lane to create for everyone else.