Defense wins championships. And luck, favor and fortune are its prime running mates.
The Lakers and Celtics played a tough and gritty game Thursday night. Shots weren’t falling, which makes non-basketball lovers and those who otherwise just want to see offensive shootouts go crazy. I didn’t mind it though. It was a classic chess match between the coaches and a perfect example of the excitement and nerves that a game seven brings. To me, there are three things to be learned from Game 7 of the 2010 NBA Finals that coaches and players should remember.
First, let it be known that these coaches were well prepared and they prepared their players well both before and throughout the series. The offensive struggles of both teams in this game were not a mistake. Sure the height of this game in the classic Lakers-Celtics rivalry created nervous energy that could be felt even through the TV. But it wasn’t just the nerves of the players that caused those shots to be off-target. Kobe’s shooting performance was due in part to him trying too hard, but also the Celtics made him try harder because Doc Rivers probably knew Kobe was going to try to take control of this game early and so he sent 2 and sometimes 3 defenders at Kobe to make him either pass and trust his teammates or take tough, contested shots. He did both, but he did more of the latter throughout the course of the game.
On the other side, the Lakers knew they would have to crash the offensive and defensive glass hard in order to win since the team who won the rebounding battle won each game in the series. Players: just because a team is taller does not mean they should win the rebounding battle. Phil Jackson did a great job of getting his players to buy into something that both seems simple and common sense, but is very hard to get players to understand and do with fervor and energy throughout the course of a game – let alone Game 7 of the Finals.
Second, the team with more fouls ended up losing the game. As a coach, I tell my guys to play hard. But I also want them to play smart. The Celtics’ 13 point lead in the 3rd quarter began to diminish even more in the 4th quarter because of Celtic fouls which led to the Lakers being in the shooting bonus early in the quarter. By being in the bonus, essentially the Lakers were able to chip away at the lead with the clock stopped. Not only that, but it allowed players like Kobe and Pau Gasol to get a little confidence in a game where they were really struggling to score the ball from the field.
Celtic’s fans and Laker-haters can say that the Lakers got some calls because they were at home. But the reality is that the Celtics fouled the Lakers because they saw their lead beginning to shrink, the Lakers were playing with desperation, thus they were playing with a little more energy, and the Celtics were simply late in making the plays needed to secure the win. Had the Celtics not fouled early in the 4th, I truly believe they pull out the win because they were playing such good team defense that it would have been very tough for the Lakers to make enough field goals to come back and win.
Finally, let it be known that role players play big roles in big games. The superstars are the ones who get all of the attention,and deservedly so because they are typically the main reason(s) why the team wins the championship. But in the case of the Lakers, Kobe and Gasol don’t get their ring without huge contributions from Fisher, Artet, Bynum and Odom.
I dogged Odom in a previous post, and I haven’t changed my mind. Odom needed to be better on defense and if the Lakers plan to three-peat, he needs to be better. But he had two huge offensive rebounds and put-backs in the second half that really helped turn the momentum to the Lakers and even extend it. The first coming in transition and just simply beating Garnett to the front of the rim. The second coming in the midst of crowd where it appeared as though Odom came from nowhere to snag the ball and lay it in before any Celtic player knew what happened.
Those two plays were big and both were effort plays. But the Lakers got great scoring contributions in much-needed parts of the game from Artest as he did many things well that game. Fisher hit a huge three pointer despite a great contested shot by Rondo. And Odom had a big drive and lay-in in the 4th that gave the Lakers hope of a championship.All of these plays came from players who don’t get the same attention and recognition as Kobe and Gasol, but they have learned to accept their role on the Lakers and understand that they are just as important to the success of the team, especially in big games.
I always challenge my players to watch the game both from an entertainment viewpoint and as a student of the game. I want them to be able to learn from the games they play in , but also from the games they watch. I believe that is a valuable skill in becoming a good player and a necessary skill becoming a great player.
