02-03-2021, 12:11 PM
(02-02-2021, 02:20 PM)dirkfansince1998 Wrote: Pretty much what a lot of us have pointed out in the last couple of weeks. Any improvement on offense doesn´t matter as long as he is borderline unplayable on defense. Right now the Mavs could replace him with Boban and the pick and roll defense wouldn´t be any worse.
You rang?
I've said this before, mainly to vent for myself because its hard for me to watch some of these Mav's losses when some solution is so obvious.
Quote: Any improvement on offense doesn´t matter as long as he is borderline unplayable on defense.
Simple logic. When you have a lead and time is low enough to be heavily in your favor, you don't have to win by defense!
The other team, behind and running out of time, has to win by defense. Sure you want to defend well but if you just keep scoring, often just a bucket or two would be enough to seal your win.
Rick Carlisle as brilliant a basketball mind as he obviously is, has a mental block here. His team is up. Time is low, he's still thinking "My team has to get stops." and not thinking who do I have that could score a few buckets to seal this win?
It's as though he's entirely incapable of thinking that way and the end result is a team that over the last few season is absolutely turrible at holding leads to secure wins.
This applies to the hardly used Boban, yes, because he's very hard to stop offensively and highly efficient if put in good positions but it really applies to a mindset. Luka in the post (but he's not as big and gets banged a lot) or any highly efficient scoring options could seal a win from a lead. No need to keep running the 3 pointers and jumpshots etc. out there. Get some free throws!
Stan Van Gundy explains the NBA coach's mindset that I think causes this mental block.
From my Boban watch thread:
Quote: coming out of my time in Detroit – you always evaluate yourself – I should’ve played him more. I really should’ve. And I think there are other coaches that would say the same thing," Van Gundy said on NBA TV and explained further.
"As the coach, you tend to think about the defensive end of the floor all the time. And he can be a problem there but the man’s unstoppable and unselfish and the whole thing… I wish I would’ve played him more."