Coaching is a piece in the championship puzzle, one of the razor thin margins between winning and losing in the playoffs. At times it is easy to understand, other times not so much. How much impact can a coach have on a player's career arc and a team's chase for a championship?
The Phoenix Suns, led by the star guard combination of Chris Paul and Devin Booker, are more than comfortable dissecting opposing defenses with midrange jumpers. That philosophy was on display in last night's Game 1 of the NBA Finals, as the Suns defeated the Bucks behind the pick-and-roll brilliance of their guards. While the majority of the NBA has leaned away from the midrange, the Suns have leaned in.
The greatest task in sports is building a team capable of winning a championship and this mission can be pursed in a variety of ways. Talent is always necessary. Beyond that, there are infinite ways of arriving at the same destination as teams attempt to find the balance between process and adaptability.
In all sports, unpredictability plays a major role. A golf ball hits the side of a hole and goes in or out. A hockey puck hits a post and goes in or out. A basketball bounces around a rim and goes in or out. An athlete is injured and another is asked to fill the void. It makes for incredible theater and produces some of the most memorable games (and moments) in sports.
For the first time in his 16-year NBA career, Chris Paul is going to the NBA Finals. His performance in last night's Game 6 was a masterpiece, made possible by the team that has been put in place around him. As a shift in narrative occurs, it's time to revisit familiar themes of team success, individual success, and what it takes to win a championship.
It’s always said that good health is a key piece to winning a championship. This year in the NBA, it might be the only piece. Giannis Antetokounmpo went down last night in Game 4 of the Eastern Conference Finals, joining Hawks star Trae Young as yet another injured superstar in these playoffs. The war of attrition intensifies in a year unlike any other.
The LA Clippers staved off elimination against Phoenix in Game 5. It's been a strange yet incredible run of resiliency for a team that was anything but in last year's playoffs. Leading the charge are two players, Paul George and Reggie Jackson, whose performances are flying directly in the face of past opinion.
Referees will always have a large impact on the outcome of a game. It's easy to remember when a call is egregiously bad and directly changes who wins or loses. It's harder to remember all the minimal ways a referee leaves an imprint, from the simple way a game is reffed to individual calls themselves. On some level, which way the whistle blows will always be a determining factor.
A tale of amateur golf, ice hockey, and the journey of learning from your losses in order to win.
The playoffs are a pressure cooker: step inside, see who hardens, and who explodes. Everyone deals with pressure but it can be vastly different depending on the situation of the team. What are the differences (or similarities) between the pressure facing the Golden Knights, Canadiens, Islanders, Lightning, Bucks, and Hawks?
With very rare exceptions, situation is everything for a player. Public perception shifts depending upon what a player is asked to do, and how his teammates perform around him. Deandre Ayton's game-winning alley oop (and overall performance) is the perfect catalyst for a discussion around situation and role.
The Utah Jazz season is over after blowing a 25-point second half lead in Game 6 versus the LA Clippers. After a successful regular season, the Jazz were small-balled to death by LA as their defense cracked at the foundation. Another Donovan Mitchell playoff scoring explosion couldn't cover up their defense flaws or an injured Mike Conley. The offseason looms and with it, uncomfortable questions must be asked and answered.
Nothing brings out emotion like the playoffs and nothing in the playoffs brings it out like Game 7. This weekend featured two Game 7s (Bucks vs Nets, Hawks vs Sixers) that gave fans everything: the razor thin margin between winning and losing; another great, lost performance of the playoffs; winning players playing poorly and losing players playing well; and the inevitability that a flawed team will win a championship.
The Los Angeles Clippers defeated the Utah Jazz 119-111 in Game 5 to take a 3-2 series lead. The highs of Game 1 were met by the lows of Game 5. No Kawhi. Jazz going 3/24 from 3 in the second half. Paul George dominating. Reggie Jackson closing. It's time for the Jazz to dig deep with a possible season-ending game looming on Friday night.
There are two themes consistently threaded throughout the sports watching experience: awe for world-class athletic performance and sympathy for the losing side. Game 5 of Bucks-Nets tapped into both sources. Kevin Durant played the greatest game of his playoff career and pushed Milwaukee to the brink of elimination, forcing the Bucks to confront yet another possible playoff failure.
The Los Angeles Clippers defeated the Utah Jazz 118-104 in Game 4 of the Western Conference Semifinals. It was an ass kicking in every sense of the word. Kawhi Leonard and Paul George both went off. The Jazz offense struggled mightily against LA's ability to switch and swarm on defense. Have the Clippers tapped into something unstoppable with their small ball lineup, or are there adjustments Utah can make going into Game 5?
The Los Angeles Clippers defeated the Utah Jazz 132-106 in Game 3 of the Western Conference Semifinals. It was a white-hot shooting night for nearly every Clipper. Paul George and Kawhi Leonard did whatever they wanted. Donovan Mitchell was constantly double-teamed and ended his night with a tweaked ankle. What can the Jazz change going into Game 4?
The Utah Jazz defeated the Los Angeles Clippers 117-111 in Game 2 of the Western Conference Semifinals. In another close affair, the Jazz relied heavily on six players (Mitchell, Gobert, Bogdanovic, Clarkson, Ingles, O'Neale) to seize control of the game. It was an emphatic answer to the constant playoff question: how do you respond to adversity?
The Colorado Avalanche's season is on the brink, down 3-2 with Game 6 against Vegas tonight. It's time for reflection because it's easier to reflect before the end occurs, if it occurs. What does it mean when something comes to an end?
The Utah Jazz defeated the Los Angeles Clippers 112-109 in Game 1 of the Western Conference Semifinals. On a court with Kawhi Leonard and Paul George, Donovan Mitchell was the best player during an emotional night inside Vivint Smart Home Arena, filled to max capacity for the first time since the pandemic lockdown.
The Brooklyn Nets and Milwaukee Bucks have constructed their rosters in very different ways, yet ended up in a similar place: hopeful championship contenders built upon star power. Through two games of their second round playoff series, Brooklyn has overwhelmed Milwaukee with the combination of Kyrie Irving and Kevin Durant. Is it possible for the Bucks to make adjustments moving forward, or is the Nets star power truly an unstoppable force?
The margin between winning and losing in the playoffs is razor thin. To be in that position, however, you need star power. Yesterday's Game 7 between DAL and LAC featured two superstars, Kawhi Leonard and Luka Doncic, at the peak of their powers. It was a historic series for both players and a reminder of an unshakable truth: supporting cast matters.
A loss is not always an indicator a player performed poorly. Three nights ago, Dame Lillard pieced together a historic 55-point, 12-assist performance against Denver in Game 5. The Blazers lost, and were eliminated from the playoffs last night in Game 6, as Dame's performance joins the long list of the lost performances of the playoffs.
The Utah Jazz defeated the Memphis Grizzlies 126-110 in Game 5, finishing off their first round series and advancing to the second round. Donovan Mitchell was superb in only 29 minutes, the catalyst behind a first quarter offensive explosion that buried Memphis in an avalanche of threes. What is his ceiling and what is the ceiling of the Utah Jazz? As Utah waits for their second round opponent, two major questions loom. What is the health of Mike Conley’s hamstring? And why has the defense strug...
Zora Neale Hurston said, "There are years that ask questions and years that answer." This echoes the continual search by teams (like the Toronto Maple Leafs) and players (like Ben Simmons) to find a better version of themselves in the playoffs. What are the questions that have arisen? Are there answers?
The Utah Jazz defeated the Memphis Grizzlies 120-113 in Game 4 to take a 3-1 series lead. For the second straight game, Mike Conley made enormous crunch time plays, Donovan Mitchell provided quality scoring and creation, and the Jazz bombed away from 3. What are the Jazz learning about themselves through these baptism by fire moments of the playoffs?
The Utah Jazz defeated the Memphis Grizzlies 121-111 in Game 3 to take a 2-1 series lead. The good: the guard combo of Mike Conley and Donovan Mitchell, and Utah's 3-point shooting. The bad: Utah's defensive struggles through 3 games, especially when it comes to limiting the Grizzlies ability to score in the paint.
There is a razor thin margin between winning and losing in the playoffs. A large portion of this margin is injury luck. One of the most compelling series of the first round is Lakers-Suns, a matchup that has been affected by injuries to Lebron James and Chris Paul. Lebron is playing as a diminished version of himself and Paul infinitely more so. How do teams adjust when injuries strike?
The Utah Jazz defeated the Memphis Grizzlies 141-129 in Game 2, knotting their first round playoff series at 1-1. The storylines are endless. Donovan Mitchell returned from injury and provided Utah with an emotional boost. Mike Conley was superb. The Jazz drilled a boatload of 3-pointers. Ja Morant was INSANE. Rudy Gobert was significantly more impactful than Game 1. What to monitor moving into Saturday night's Game 3: the Jazz's 3-point shooting vs the Grizzlies ability to score in the paint....
The proving ground of the playoffs is where reputations are created and solidified. How do we judge individual success relative to a team's failings? Is it true that, in the words of Connor McDavid, "the regular season doesn't mean anything?" And why is it so hard to comprehend the razor thin margin between winning and losing in the playoffs?
