Doing things differently is what separates the good from the great, particularly when it comes to sports.
The NBA is no different, many teams copy the system that works, instead of looking at their roster, their talent, and doing what is best with the players at hand.
In 2013-14, the Golden State Warriors finished 51-31 under Mark Jackson, an improvement from the prior season (47-35), and a huge improvement from Jackson’s first year as coach, when they had a 23-43 mark in a shortened season.
That Warriors team was 4th in the league in three point shooting percentage (38%) and was sixth in pace.
Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson were the stars of the team, and Andre Iguodala, Harrison Barnes, and Draymond Green were already in place.
Jackson was let go, and Steve Kerr took over, and quickened the pace of play, as Golden State ranked first in that category. They also led the league in three point shooting, and won the NBA title.
The pace slowed a bit the next season, and even more when Kevin Durant joined the team, and even though the Warriors had plenty of big men on the roster, the “small ball” movement was in full swing, and many teams followed.
Including the Cleveland Cavaliers.
When the Cavs won the title in 2016, they won the last three games by slowing the pace, playing their speed. After winning, it seemed to us they felt like playing at the Warriors’ pace, which we felt was the wrong move, because that was Golden State’s game, and they were better at it than Cleveland.
There is no rule that says every team in the NBA has to play like Golden State, and here’s hoping GM Koby Altman understands this.
Perhaps the wine and gold’s two best players are big men, Kevin Love and Andre Drummond. If you adapt to your talent, and we think J.B. Bickerstaff is a smart coach, it would seem playing smaller, like many NBA teams are, would not be the way to go.
You can’t win that way, you say?
The Milwaukee Bucks have the sport’s best record at 53-12, and they usual starting lineup featured a 7 foot center, forwards that were 6’11” and 6’7″, and guards that were 6’1″ and 6’4″.
The Lakers have the best record in the west, and their lineup consists of a 7 foot center, a pair of forwards measuring 6’10” and 6’9″, and a backcourt of 6’3″ and 6’6″.
Toronto has a smallish set of guards (6’1″ and 6′), but their starting frontcourt measures 6’11”, 6’9″, and 6’7″.
The Clippers? 7 foot center, forwards and 6’7″ and 6’8″, and guards at 6’1″ and 6’4″.
Our point is there are a number of ways to win in today’s NBA despite the talking heads telling everyone teams have to play like Golden State and Houston to do so, and the Cavaliers should be paying attention to that.
This year, the team tried to win with a very small squad, statistically the smallest in the league, and it didn’t work for a variety of reasons, inexperience being one of them.
However, it didn’t help that rookie Darius Garland and his 40.1% shooting was taking the third most shots on the team, because the coaching staff gave him the green light. He was taking one less shot per game than Love, and that can’t happen.
It’s about maximizing the talent you have and adapting a style in which they can thrive.
That’s what Kerr did, and that’s what Bickerstaff is charged with in the upcoming season.
It’s the definition of coaching.
Cleveland Sports Perspective 