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Alert the media Coaches use reporters to play mind games with officials
Updated: Thursday April 26, 2001 2:47 AM
Portland head coach Mike Dunleavy and Dallas head coach Don Nelson have been pleading their cases to the media in the first round. They're telling anyone who'll listen how Shaquille O'Neal gets away with anything and everything and how the Jazz "manipulate refs" and "abuse the rules."
While it may sound as if they're "whining and crying," as Shaq says, their players understand that it's all about gaining an edge with the officials. Coaches know that refs pay attention to the media, so it's part of a coach's job.
During a game, though, that kind of complaining can be a distraction to the team. And if it gets repetitious, it can really cause trouble. But in many cases, the coach will tell the players, "Don't listen to what I'm saying." The bottom line is, Dunleavy just wants to make the officials aware of Shaq's swinging elbows, and Nelson wants them to see the Jazz flopping. But, usually, the officials disregard all of it.
Lone stars get lonesome in playoffsStar players such as Tracy McGrady, Vince Carter and Kevin Garnett can carry their teams through the regular season; there are enough mediocre teams they're able to handle. But in the postseason, the good teams have so much time to prepare, especially in the first round, that a singular offensive focus becomes a huge disadvantage.
In the playoffs, the defensive concentration on guys like Allen Iverson, McGrady and Carter is monstrous, and it puts role players in an unfamiliar position. They're forced to take shots they wouldn't normally take, and unless they can deliver, their team's postseason run is a brief one. But there's more bad news for those lone-star teams: Next spring, the zone defense will make this situation worse. Double-teams are allowed now, but the defense has to stay honest. With a zone, there's nothing to keep defenses from collapsing on the stars.
Aggressive Hornets have been story of first roundThis first round has been full of storylines and interesting subplots, but the Charlotte-Miami series really has been a shocker. After the first game, there was no doubt that Miami would blow Charlotte out in Game 2. But head coach Paul Silas and Charlotte's frontline had other ideas. Silas, Jamal Mashburn, P.J. Brown and Elden Campbell have done a tremendous job. The Hornets' frontline was thought to be soft, but they haven't backed down from anything the Heat have thrown at them. And offensively, their guards keep attacking. While most teams get conservative on the offensive end, Charlotte isn't afraid to take an open jumper in transition. In fact, Toronto should take a page out of the Hornets' playbook. Silas has created a tremendous gameplan, and the players have carried it out. But with four days off, Pat Riley and the Heat can't be counted out. You have to think they're going to respond.
Kevin Loughery is a former NBA player and head coach. He appears each Sunday on CNN/SI's This Week in the NBA.
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