How badly did Spo get outcoached?

[Bill_Brasky]

Carlisle made all the right adjustments in this series, while Spo wasn't quite able to figure out what made the Mavs so effective. What could he have done differently? How much blame does he really deserve?

Starting Chalmers earlier?

Keeping James Jones(won the 3pt shootout, was a solid shooter in the PO's) in the rotation? IMHO they lacked 3pt shooting, and he would have been able to bring some of that.

Maybe developing a better defensive scheme to counter the Mavs ball movement, rather than just switching everything?

Anyone else got anything else to add?

[21_Blessings]

Spo's hands were tied with a whiny cunt like Lebron being Lebron and the fact that he's a 6-8 monster that has no idea how to post someone up.

Heat had more talent and the players just shit the bed. No scheme or coaching style is changing that.

[Bill_Brasky]

Spo's hands were tied with a whiny cunt like Lebron being Lebron and the fact that he's a 6-8 monster that has no idea how to post someone up.

Heat had more talent and the players just shit the bed. No scheme or coaching style is changing that.

So Heat choked rather than Mavs outplaying/outsmarting them?

[elemento]

Spo cannot give Lebron a strong mind and a pair of balls. Lebron was not the same after the game 2 meltdown. He is mentally weak and even Marion could get into Lebron's head.

Game over

[John Basedow]

So Heat choked rather than Mavs outplaying/outsmarting them?

Both, tbh. Each game came down to the end pretty much. LeBron averaged just under 10 ppg less in the Finals then he did in the regular season. Wade, Bosh, and Chalmers were all above their regular season averages. With the close margins in these games, those extra 10 points would've won it for the Heat. You can't blame Spo when LeBron has Kidd guarding him one-on-one and he either passes it or shoots a face-up 21-footer.

Spo carries some blame, but LeBron choked. Credit Dallas for recognizing his chokage in Games 4, 5, and 6 and moving Stevenson off of him and onto Wade (who was killing them).

[21_Blessings]

So Heat choked rather than Mavs outplaying/outsmarting them?

Those aren't mutually exclusive.

[ogait]

I'm assuming this is just about the finals, in which case I don't think he got severely out coached. The Mavs were the better team as a whole and Lebron did in fact chocked when the game was on the line.

I think most of Spo mistakes came earlier but somehow Lebron and Wade manage to hide most of the team deficiencies.

He could've at least got into the playoffs with a fixed rotation. At some point Zilgauskas, Juan Howard, and even Jamal Magloire got playing time in the playoffs and then got cut off.

Mike Bibby was awful the entire play offs but he waited until the game 6 of the finals facing elimination to cut him off the rotation. Imo they shouldn't even have signed him, they should have trusted Chalmers with the starting pg job which would allow a guy like James Jones who had been there all year and gave a solid contribute to keep playing ( he shot 47 % from 3 in the playoffs and didn't play a single minute in the finals).

Also having a few set plays besides pick n roll and iso will help but as I said most of that is a job for the regular season and wouldn't change in the finals.

[Isitjustme?]

46>0

[Ace]

Spo deserves some blame but LeBron choked which ultimately killed the Heat.

[TDMVPDPOY]

LOL did he do any coaching all year?

[21_Blessings]

Spo deserves some blame but LeBron choked which ultimately killed the Heat.

Wade choked in game 6 pretty badly.

[DUNCANownsKOBE]

IMO the kinda offense LA has next year with Mike Brown is gonna determine a lot of things. If LA has a good offense next year with good movement and everyone getting involved, it becomes an even bigger indictment on Lebron stopping the ball on offense and preventing his team from running good plays.

[IronMexican]

Spo deserves some blame but LeBron choked which ultimately killed the Heat.

"I haven't been wrong all post-season" :lol

[Proxy]

I'm curious as to how much of Stevenson's rant that other coaches gave Carlisle advice has... and if it's true, I wonder how much it helped.

[ohmwrecker]

Did Spo tell LeBum and D-Fade to quit playing in the 4th?

[Bill_Brasky]

The rotations were very strange in the finals...seemed to me like they sorta went away from Joel Anthony, who was rebounding and defending the post pretty well, to give Haslem a lot more minutes, which he might not have yet been ready for.

James Jones.....how did that guy fall out of the rotation??

Set plays....even teams with superstars need them. And they need to have an offensive identity. You can't completely rely on iso plays against a finals-caliber defense, and you have to have better spacing, which the Mavs had. Also, we talked about Bosh being a good zone-buster, but they didn't seem to try it too much...

IMO Chalmers showed some nice things in the finals...not only with his shooting, but with his passing...if they give him a full year as starter it would take some pressure off of Wade and James to create some offense.

[Findog]

Spo's hands were tied with a whiny cunt like Lebron being Lebron and the fact that he's a 6-8 monster that has no idea how to post someone up.

Heat had more talent and the players just shit the bed. No scheme or coaching style is changing that.

If LeBron played the way he did against Boston and Chicago, then Miami would have won this series. I'm glad he's a mental midget and my team now has one of these :lobt2:

[NewJerSpur]

I'm curious as to how much of Stevenson's rant that other coaches gave Carlisle advice has... and if it's true, I wonder how much it helped.

Did this happen during the playoffs or after? I'm guessing the latter if true.

[mavsfan1000]

What can you do with a team that lacks mental stability. lol

[Chief]

DOUBLE TEAM DIRK

time for Riley to step in

[Cessation]

Spo cannot give Lebron a strong mind and a pair of balls. Lebron was not the same after the game 2 meltdown. He is mentally weak and even Marion could get into Lebron's head.

Game over

I agree, with this, I don't think heat were the same, after they blew that 15 point lead. Their arrogance and complacency got the best of them, as well.

[TE]

For all of Lebron's troubles, I think if Riley would have stepped in during the regular season, this team would be hoisting the trophy right now.


Spo was outcoached. But not by a lot. Riley is a better coach than both Spo and Carlisle imo.

[LkrFan]

Spo gets a pass in my book. LeHype cannot play without the ball. Neither can Wade. The Hype need to make a choice between the two. It's quite an accomplishment for him to get that team to the Finals, tbh.

They better hope Chicago doesn't get a legit SG or this probably will be their last Finals appearance for a while.

[endrity]

True, Carlisle made some great moves in the series. The zone defense, the staggered pick and roll, Barea, switching Marion on Wade more in the end of the series.

However those things are minor to me. Most of the coaching work is done during the season. In the playoffs, you are what you are, no team can change its identity immediately. The Mavs already had a great passing team during the season, they had worked at the zone defense all year long, they had developed Barea for three years now since RC came on board, they had learned to integrate their bench in the rotations a lot, making sure all the players knew the system.

what you saw in the finals was just the fruition of all that work. If there is a blame to put on Spo therefore, it is that he didn't develop much of those things during the season. Most of their defense was based on the great athleticism their players had, and while at times their rotation was very good, there were also times that it was possible only because LeBron and Wade can fly on the court. When the Mavs wore them out, you saw how wide open the shots became. And the offense was a mess always. But you figure thos things out during the reg season, not in the finals.

[Bill_Brasky]

True, Carlisle made some great moves in the series. The zone defense, the staggered pick and roll, Barea, switching Marion on Wade more in the end of the series.

However those things are minor to me. Most of the coaching work is done during the season. In the playoffs, you are what you are, no team can change its identity immediately. The Mavs already had a great passing team during the season, they had worked at the zone defense all year long, they had developed Barea for three years now since RC came on board, they had learned to integrate their bench in the rotations a lot, making sure all the players knew the system.

what you saw in the finals was just the fruition of all that work. If there is a blame to put on Spo therefore, it is that he didn't develop much of those things during the season. Most of their defense was based on the great athleticism their players had, and while at times their rotation was very good, there were also times that it was possible only because LeBron and Wade can fly on the court. When the Mavs wore them out, you saw how wide open the shots became. And the offense was a mess always. But you figure thos things out during the reg season, not in the finals.

Very true. Seemed to me like they coasted to the finals on talent alone, where they were beaten by a better TEAM that developed throughout the past couple of years. What kinda coach lets Dirk go 1on1 on the final possession of a tied game though? That kinda shit right there is why they got their asses handed to them.

And we thought the east was supposed to be getting stronger.....IMO the only legit team out there is the Heat, and only because they have the talent. Good coaching(and players not being divas, we'll see how that works out) could make them special. God help us all if Riley steps in.

[endrity]

I don't think he will, they'll give Spo another try. Adelman though would probably be a scary thought. He'd finally have the team with the superstar that he didn't have with Portland/Sac/Houston.

[Pero]

Did this happen during the playoffs or after? I'm guessing the latter if true.

ROFL, why would they give him advice on how to beat the Heat AFTER he had already beaten them? :lol
Unless if you meant after as in after the conference finals.

[mavsfan1000]

Spo gets a pass in my book. LeHype cannot play without the ball. Neither can Wade. The Hype need to make a choice between the two. It's quite an accomplishment for him to get that team to the Finals, tbh.

They better hope Chicago doesn't get a legit SG or this probably will be their last Finals appearance for a while.
They need a dominant big. That is a winning formula for many teams of the past. Combining a legit guard with a dominant big.

[Mal]

Spo set up pretty good team D in first 4 matches. Then Mavs started shooting high % 3 point fg, and all fall apart. Didnt catch what exact adjustments Jim Carey did, but Mavs offense exploded in g5 and g6.

Heat`s offense was all about making iso for Wade and LeBron and
"whatever happens next it happens".

[Mal]

They need a dominant big. That is a winning formula for many teams of the past. Combining a legit guard with a dominant big.

Last guard winning without dominant big was Jordan. Kobe after losing dominant big, waited 4 year for another and then he started winning