Coaching Decisions

After watching a bunch of close games in the NBA Playoffs I figured I would chime in about what coaches are thinking at the end of games. So far the games have been great, can't ask for better games and better series. Teams are playing their tails off, fouls are a little bit harder, and neither team is backing down.

I know every fan wants to question what coaches do at the end of the game. It doesn't matter if it's high school, college, or the pros. Fans usually give the players credit when their team wins and blame the coaches when they lose. It's a tough balance, but as I have said before there is a reason why these guys or gals are coaching at the highest level and you are sitting on your rear complaining that they don't have a clue what they are doing. There are also times when things get out of the coaches' control. Some players are flat out selfish and want their own glory instead of sacrificing for the team and that happens at all levels.

I try not to question the coaching I see on tv. I'm a coach, it's the last thing I want to do is question guys that are at a higher level than me. Now, I might not agree with what the coaches gameplan but it's hard to argue when I don't see practice every day and see how they handle end of game situations or playing time. Just like there are times when I don't agree with what Nelson thinks we should do, but he's the head coach and we usually go with what he wants (I can't always be a "yes" man to him and that's not a bad thing).

There are so many different situations at the end of games that many different coaches handle differently. One example of this is how you handle a three point lead at the end of the game. Do you let them run a play and take a chance at them hitting a 3? Or, do you foul and not let them get a shot off? I have slowly but surely become a fan of fouling at the end. Now, it's something you have to practice and you obviously can't let them get a shot off and all that jazz. We had a situation similar to that in our St. Olaf game at home this year and we didn't foul and the Oles ended up missing a decent look from 3 with a few seconds left. Looking back at it now, we probably would've fouled but they didn't have any timeouts and we didn't want them to draw something up. The decision changes on a game to game basis.

Another example of what you do at the end of the game is when the game is tied or you are down 1 or 2 and you have the ball, what do you do? I think it depends on your team. Do you have kids that can make plays off the dribble? If you remember the Florida State-VCU game in the NCAA Tournament, they didn't take a timeout in regulation and in overtime and didn't score either time. They were tied (obviously) in regulation and then down 1 or 2 during overtime. I'm pretty sure I would've called a timeout when in overtime but I'm not sure what they practice every day. They had a fifth year senior point guard and I'm sure Leonard Hamilton trusted him to make the right decision. Again, I didn't agree with what they did but it's tough to say they didn't make the right call. If they scored, nobody would be talking about the Shaka Smart led VCU squad.

Now, coaches certainly do make mistakes and for the most part those mistakes eats at them for a long time. For example, our loss to St. Thomas in the MIAC Semis still eats at me every day. I'm always thinking what we need to do to win that game. Could we have made different subs at different situations, different plays, or called a timeout earlier? What if we made one more shot at a critical point in the game? What if we contested one of their jumpers? So many different things to think about.

So, before you think about questioning these coaches, think about all the days and time they have spent with these kids or men. They spend more time together than a lot of families and usually the coach or coaches have an unbelievable feel what is best for their team. Whether you agree or not, the coach has the team's best interest in mind.