Can the NBA take back a coach of the year award?

[spurs_fan_in_exile]

Some key adjustments Pop made during the series...
1)Throwing his big men to trap Nash out on the perimeter on the pick and rolls more often.
2)Fourth quarter, Amare getting into a groove, Pop switches Duncan to him and shuts him down.
And I'm sure there are a lot more.

Can anyone here possibly name one single adjustment that the Suns have made during this series? I was mad when D'Antoni got this award of McMillan or Scott Skiles. And now that I'm seeing this series I'm really upset that this guy got it. After losing Game 1 the Suns showed up with the exact same gameplan and the exact same story got told. Then game 3, the Spurs showed up with a few new tricks and the closest thing the Suns did to adjusting was playing a guy who was finally healthy. I hope that Mike goes back to Phoenix to find that Stern's goons have broken in and taken that trophy off his mantle.

[Mr. Body]

Thing is - whether or not D'Antoni is a great coach - he simply doesn't have the roster to make adjustments. He has the WYSIWIG team. Oh, and he forgot to instill any defensive acumen, so can't ask anything different on that end, either.

[Crafty One]

True dat, what new move has D`iandosentadjusthisgameplan done to stop T-park. Well he did use Sodemire on Duncan then switches to hunter fast.
Probobly because Amare would crap his pants when Duncan does dunks on him.
Atleast steven H has guts to play Duncan. Even Nazr bashes Stodemire.
(no offence Nazr)What is he letting Nelson coach them behind the scenes??

[ShoogarBear]

Excellent point, sfie.

Seattle, despite being severely depleted, nearly took the Spurs to seven games.

If there's anything these last two series has proven it's that McMillan is a hundred times the coach D'Antoni is.

[sickdsm]

Fourth quarter, Amare getting into a groove, Pop switches Duncan to him and shuts him down.
And I'm sure there are a lot more.


Shut him down? Not really. From what i recall after Duncan took him on (after Walton called duncun out on that) Amare got fouled twice and scored two FG's before Duncan blocked his next shot.

After that i don't think i saw the rest of the game.

[1Parker1]

He still deserved it. The fact that he basically had a six man rotation the entire season, managed to really drive his style of play into his players and make them accept it, the fact that the Suns had the best record in the NBA--despite what they are doing in the WCF, still shows that he did something right.

The playoff's are something else. Spurs simply the better team--that's it. Also, Suns are a little inexperienced--and it is showing in these WCF. You can't coach experience.

If he teaches his players how to play at least a little bit of defense over the summer, and perhaps pick up 1 or 2 good bench players--they have a good chance to be in the same position next year.

[SPARKY]

Then the NBA should've taken back Pop's after dropping 4 straight to the Lakers last postseason...

[Solid D]

Some fairly good points. The Duncan on Amare point wasn't accurate. Sickdsm is correct. Amare had his way in the 4th except on Tim's block. Amare blew a dunk in crunch time or he'd have scored on Timmy again in the 4th.

The Suns did find something with a big lineup in the 4th. Joe Johnson entering the offense with Jim Jackson and Q-Rich on the wings, Amare and Hunter in the pivot. The Suns went on a 9-0 run with this strategy, until the Spurs adjusted.

D'Antoni seems to have really under-utilized Marion's skills, unless Shawn's ball-handling for isos is impaired with his bad hand...this we don't know for sure.

[sickdsm]

How about we don't give out ANY awards until the season's over then the Finals MVP also becomes regular season MVP.

Said team also gets rewarded with COY, Exec OY, and gets to delegate which guy on their team gets MIP, ROY, DPOY, etc.....


I swear the people coming up with this must have never played organized sports.

[1Parker1]

Then the NBA should've taken back Pop's after dropping 4 straight to the Lakers last postseason...

Ummm...Pop didn't win COY last year.

[SPARKY]

No kidding. So what? He should've lost it anyways. After the Lakers changed up their strategy in Game 2 Pop had no response.

[ShoogarBear]

Is anyone here gonna argue that D'Antoni is a better coach than McMillan after what we've seen the last two series?

[Aggie Hoopsfan]

'Sug - some of us thought Nate was a better coach when they picked the winner, so you won't see an argument here.

[pjjrfan]

His team had the best record for the year, he deserved it. Is he being outcoached in this series? Of course, and I'm surprised how many sports outlets including our own SA Express-News, rated the coaching matchup as even. It's not even close, but Pop has had experience, he has won it all and he has lost when he was in the same position as D'Antoni, back in 2001. I like this guy, but he is learning some hard lessons this year, I think D'Antoni's biggest problem is that he can't accept that the system that won him all those games has been neutralized and that the Spurs are beating him at what his team is supposed to excel in.

[spurschick]

http://www.spurschick.com/dantoniowned.jpg

[picnroll]

Actually what the Spurs did to Nash in game three wasn't so much double him as switch the defender when Nash tried to come off screens.