{"id":45674,"date":"2022-06-11T01:28:06","date_gmt":"2022-06-11T01:28:06","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/harchi90.com\/how-to-survive-the-nba-playoffs\/"},"modified":"2022-06-11T01:28:06","modified_gmt":"2022-06-11T01:28:06","slug":"how-to-survive-the-nba-playoffs","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/harchi90.com\/how-to-survive-the-nba-playoffs\/","title":{"rendered":"How to survive the NBA playoffs"},"content":{"rendered":"<div wp_automatic_readability=\"156.41968911917\"><!-- tml-version=\"2\" --><\/p>\n<p>If the <span>Warriors<\/span> were playing the <span>Celtics<\/span> during the regular season, they probably wouldn&#8217;t prepare for more than an hour.  The team would hold a shootaround in the morning, have a walkthrough, go over a couple of Boston&#8217;s pet plays and maybe take a look at some personnel videos before the game.  Then they would go home or fly to the next city and repeat the process 81 times.<\/p>\n<p>In the playoffs?  The difference, according to Warriors coach Steve Kerr, is &#8220;dramatic.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt&#8217;s hours and hours and hours of preparation,\u201d Kerr says.  \u201cYou&#8217;re looking for every little edge you can get.  You go through every scenario as a staff.  All you do is prepare for that one team.<\/p>\n<aside class=\"m-in-content-ad-row l-inline mm-in-content-ad-row--in-content not-size-b not-size-c not-size-d\" data-ad-group=\"in_content-0\"\/>\n<p>&#8220;It&#8217;s almost a different sport.&#8221; <\/p>\n<div class=\"m-detail--body-item m-detail--body-item-inline\">\n<figure class=\"l-inline tml-image m-detail--tml-image--inline\" itemscope=\"\" itemtype=\"http:\/\/schema.org\/ImageObject\" wp_automatic_readability=\"1\"><phoenix-picture><a><picture class=\"is-waiting-to-load\"><source type=\"image\/webp\" sizes=\"(min-width: 1240px) 700px, (min-width: 675px) 620px, calc(100vw - 40px)\" data-srcset=\"https:\/\/www.si.com\/.image\/c_limit%2Ccs_srgb%2Cq_auto:good%2Cw_380\/MTkwMDk5NzA4MjgxMTA0MDMw\/steve-kerr-coaching-warriors.webp 380w, https:\/\/www.si.com\/.image\/c_limit%2Ccs_srgb%2Cq_auto:good%2Cw_620\/MTkwMDk5NzA4MjgxMTA0MDMw\/steve-kerr-coaching-warriors.webp 620w, https:\/\/www.si.com\/.image\/c_limit%2Ccs_srgb%2Cq_auto:good%2Cw_1240\/MTkwMDk5NzA4MjgxMTA0MDMw\/steve-kerr-coaching-warriors.webp 1240w, https:\/\/www.si.com\/.image\/c_limit%2Ccs_srgb%2Cq_auto:good%2Cw_700\/MTkwMDk5NzA4MjgxMTA0MDMw\/steve-kerr-coaching-warriors.webp 700w, https:\/\/www.si.com\/.image\/c_limit%2Ccs_srgb%2Cq_auto:good%2Cw_1400\/MTkwMDk5NzA4MjgxMTA0MDMw\/steve-kerr-coaching-warriors.webp 1400w\"><source sizes=\"(min-width: 1240px) 700px, (min-width: 675px) 620px, calc(100vw - 40px)\" data-srcset=\"https:\/\/www.si.com\/.image\/c_limit%2Ccs_srgb%2Cfl_progressive%2Cq_auto:good%2Cw_380\/MTkwMDk5NzA4MjgxMTA0MDMw\/steve-kerr-coaching-warriors.jpg 380w, https:\/\/www.si.com\/.image\/c_limit%2Ccs_srgb%2Cfl_progressive%2Cq_auto:good%2Cw_620\/MTkwMDk5NzA4MjgxMTA0MDMw\/steve-kerr-coaching-warriors.jpg 620w, https:\/\/www.si.com\/.image\/c_limit%2Ccs_srgb%2Cfl_progressive%2Cq_auto:good%2Cw_1240\/MTkwMDk5NzA4MjgxMTA0MDMw\/steve-kerr-coaching-warriors.jpg 1240w, https:\/\/www.si.com\/.image\/c_limit%2Ccs_srgb%2Cfl_progressive%2Cq_auto:good%2Cw_700\/MTkwMDk5NzA4MjgxMTA0MDMw\/steve-kerr-coaching-warriors.jpg 700w, https:\/\/www.si.com\/.image\/c_limit%2Ccs_srgb%2Cfl_progressive%2Cq_auto:good%2Cw_1400\/MTkwMDk5NzA4MjgxMTA0MDMw\/steve-kerr-coaching-warriors.jpg 1400w\"><\/source><\/source><\/picture><\/phoenix-picture><!-- disableImageMeta is needed to prevent duplicate rendering of the image meta.--><!-- Duplicate rendering can occur because we have moved the image metadata outside of--><!-- the .m-detail-header--container. The original image metadata in tmlImage is needed--><!-- for the InContent detail header which renders when the media size is inline or breakout.--><figcaption wp_automatic_readability=\"2\">\n<p class=\"tml-image--attribution\" itemprop=\"author\"><span>Kyle Terada \/ USA TODAY Sports<\/span><\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<p>By this point in the NBA calendar, the basketball taking place is on a different plane than in the regular season.  Strategies that worked months ago are thrown out the window.  Losses go from &#8220;We&#8217;ll get the next one!&#8221;  to soul crushing, or even worse, career defining.  And the intensity on a possession-to-possession basis weeds out players who can&#8217;t contribute on both ends of the floor.  For teams to succeed on this level, and ultimately win a championship, what&#8217;s required in June is exponentially more difficult than what&#8217;s required in January. <\/p>\n<aside class=\"m-in-content-ad-row l-inline mm-in-content-ad-row--in-content not-size-a not-size-b not-size-c\" data-ad-group=\"in_content-0\"\/>\n<aside class=\"m-in-content-ad-row l-inline mm-in-content-ad-row--in-content not-size-a not-size-b not-size-d\" data-ad-group=\"in_content-0\"\/>\n<aside class=\"m-in-content-ad-row l-inline mm-in-content-ad-row--in-content not-size-a not-size-c not-size-d\" data-ad-group=\"in_content-0\"\/>\n<aside class=\"m-in-content-ad-row l-inline mm-in-content-ad-row--in-content not-size-b not-size-c not-size-d\" data-ad-group=\"in_content-1\"\/>\n<p>\u201cIt&#8217;s a completely different game,\u201d says Max Strus, a conference finalist for the Heat.  &#8220;The intensity and focus that is required is 10x at this level.  These are the moments you want to be in. &#8220;<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;It means more,&#8221; says JaVale McGee, whose first-place Suns fell to the Mavericks in Round 2. &#8220;It&#8217;s a lot of tension, it&#8217;s a lot of excitement on what&#8217;s at hand, and what the future can hold.&#8221; <\/p>\n<p>\u201cEverything we do is a lot more detailed,\u201d says Dallas center Maxi Kleber, a key cog in the team&#8217;s three-point heavy offense.  \u201cWe have a lot more information.  Everything is so detailed we know exactly how we want to attack. &#8220;<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe game is played differently, everybody is on edge,\u201d says Kerr.  &#8220;There is a level of awareness, energy and physicality that ramps everything up.&#8221; <\/p>\n<p><strong><em>Watch the NBA Finals online with fuboTV: Try for free!<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n<section class=\"m-in-content-recommendation m-detail--in-content-recommendation h-isolated-styles mm-component-stack--is-body-item\" style=\"--title_size_a_font_size:16;--title_size_b_font_size:16;--title_size_c_font_size:16;\">\n<p><span>Scroll to Continue<\/span><\/p>\n<\/section>\n<p>The difference in playoff basketball really starts in the film room.  The Warriors, for example, may break down roughly 25 clips in a regular season film session, according to third-year forward Juan Toscano-Anderson.  In the playoffs, that number can approach 70. No screen angle is overlooked, no adjustment too small.  Coaches are not only trying to counter how they&#8217;ve been attacked, they are trying to anticipate how the other team may adjust as well.  And the schematics can vary both within games and between them. <\/p>\n<aside class=\"m-in-content-ad-row l-inline mm-in-content-ad-row--in-content not-size-b not-size-c not-size-d\" data-ad-group=\"in_content-2\"\/>\n<p>Consider what we&#8217;ve seen between the Warriors and Celtics.  In Game 1 of the Finals, Boston coach Ime Udoka responded to Golden State&#8217;s offensive success by switching more in the fourth quarter, including pre-switching off the ball.  In Game 2, the Warriors responded to their struggles defending the three-point line by switching Klay Thompson onto Al Horford, allowing Draymond Green to guard Jaylen Brown.  Golden State was then in better position to contain dribble penetration, which prevented some of Boston&#8217;s kickout threes.  In Game 3, Udoka tweaked his rotation and went to his small lineup earlier in each half.  His starting lineup of him played 14 minutes together in Game 1 compared to only 10 minutes in Game 3. And those are only some of the obvious changes. <\/p>\n<aside class=\"m-in-content-ad-row l-inline mm-in-content-ad-row--in-content not-size-a not-size-b not-size-c\" data-ad-group=\"in_content-1\"\/>\n<aside class=\"m-in-content-ad-row l-inline mm-in-content-ad-row--in-content not-size-a not-size-b not-size-d\" data-ad-group=\"in_content-1\"\/>\n<aside class=\"m-in-content-ad-row l-inline mm-in-content-ad-row--in-content not-size-a not-size-c not-size-d\" data-ad-group=\"in_content-1\"\/>\n<p>Who can stay on the floor in the regular season vs.  the playoffs is another stark difference between the styles of play.  Strus, for example, played 23.3 minutes per game during the regular season.  His minutes di lui increased to 29.1 in the postseason, where he started every game for Miami after being a bench player most of the year.  Meanwhile, Duncan Robinson went from starter to largely out of the rotation.  That&#8217;s because Strus could more reasonably hold up on both ends of the floor.<\/p>\n<p>In the regular season, Strus guarded isolations on 14.8% of his defensive possessions, for Synergy Sports.  In the playoffs, that number jumped to 20.6%.  That increase was the result of Strus being hunted relentlessly by the likes of Trae Young, James Harden and Jaylen Brown in a way he, or any other lesser defender, wouldn&#8217;t have been before the postseason. <\/p>\n<aside class=\"m-in-content-ad-row l-inline mm-in-content-ad-row--in-content not-size-b not-size-c not-size-d\" data-ad-group=\"in_content-3\"\/>\n<div class=\"m-detail--body-item m-detail--body-item-inline\">\n<figure class=\"l-inline tml-image m-detail--tml-image--inline\" itemscope=\"\" itemtype=\"http:\/\/schema.org\/ImageObject\" wp_automatic_readability=\"1\"><phoenix-picture><a><picture class=\"is-waiting-to-load\"><source type=\"image\/webp\" sizes=\"(min-width: 1240px) 700px, (min-width: 675px) 620px, calc(100vw - 40px)\" data-srcset=\"https:\/\/www.si.com\/.image\/c_limit%2Ccs_srgb%2Cq_auto:good%2Cw_380\/MTkwMDUzNTY5NTk0OTI2MzYx\/stephen-curry-al-horford-warriors-celtics.webp 380w, https:\/\/www.si.com\/.image\/c_limit%2Ccs_srgb%2Cq_auto:good%2Cw_620\/MTkwMDUzNTY5NTk0OTI2MzYx\/stephen-curry-al-horford-warriors-celtics.webp 620w, https:\/\/www.si.com\/.image\/c_limit%2Ccs_srgb%2Cq_auto:good%2Cw_1240\/MTkwMDUzNTY5NTk0OTI2MzYx\/stephen-curry-al-horford-warriors-celtics.webp 1240w, https:\/\/www.si.com\/.image\/c_limit%2Ccs_srgb%2Cq_auto:good%2Cw_700\/MTkwMDUzNTY5NTk0OTI2MzYx\/stephen-curry-al-horford-warriors-celtics.webp 700w, https:\/\/www.si.com\/.image\/c_limit%2Ccs_srgb%2Cq_auto:good%2Cw_1400\/MTkwMDUzNTY5NTk0OTI2MzYx\/stephen-curry-al-horford-warriors-celtics.webp 1400w\"><source sizes=\"(min-width: 1240px) 700px, (min-width: 675px) 620px, calc(100vw - 40px)\" data-srcset=\"https:\/\/www.si.com\/.image\/c_limit%2Ccs_srgb%2Cfl_progressive%2Cq_auto:good%2Cw_380\/MTkwMDUzNTY5NTk0OTI2MzYx\/stephen-curry-al-horford-warriors-celtics.jpg 380w, https:\/\/www.si.com\/.image\/c_limit%2Ccs_srgb%2Cfl_progressive%2Cq_auto:good%2Cw_620\/MTkwMDUzNTY5NTk0OTI2MzYx\/stephen-curry-al-horford-warriors-celtics.jpg 620w, https:\/\/www.si.com\/.image\/c_limit%2Ccs_srgb%2Cfl_progressive%2Cq_auto:good%2Cw_1240\/MTkwMDUzNTY5NTk0OTI2MzYx\/stephen-curry-al-horford-warriors-celtics.jpg 1240w, https:\/\/www.si.com\/.image\/c_limit%2Ccs_srgb%2Cfl_progressive%2Cq_auto:good%2Cw_700\/MTkwMDUzNTY5NTk0OTI2MzYx\/stephen-curry-al-horford-warriors-celtics.jpg 700w, https:\/\/www.si.com\/.image\/c_limit%2Ccs_srgb%2Cfl_progressive%2Cq_auto:good%2Cw_1400\/MTkwMDUzNTY5NTk0OTI2MzYx\/stephen-curry-al-horford-warriors-celtics.jpg 1400w\"><img loading=\"lazy\" class=\"m-detail--tml-image m-image\" alt=\"Golden State Warriors guard Stephen Curry (30) drives to the basket against Boston Celtics center Al Horford (42) during game two of the 2022 NBA Finals at Chase Center.\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.si.com\/.image\/c_limit%2Ccs_srgb%2Cfl_progressive%2Cq_auto:good%2Cw_700\/MTkwMDUzNTY5NTk0OTI2MzYx\/stephen-curry-al-horford-warriors-celtics.jpg?resize=1600%2C900&#038;ssl=1\" height=\"900\" width=\"1600\" srcset=\"data:image\/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP\/\/\/yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7\" itemprop=\"contentUrl url\" data-recalc-dims=\"1\"\/><\/source><\/source><\/picture><\/phoenix-picture><!-- disableImageMeta is needed to prevent duplicate rendering of the image meta.--><!-- Duplicate rendering can occur because we have moved the image metadata outside of--><!-- the .m-detail-header--container. The original image metadata in tmlImage is needed--><!-- for the InContent detail header which renders when the media size is inline or breakout.--><figcaption wp_automatic_readability=\"2\">\n<p class=\"tml-image--attribution\" itemprop=\"author\"><span>Cary Edmondson \/ USA TODAY Sports<\/span><\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<p>Exploiting weaknesses until the other team comes up with an answer is perhaps the hallmark of playoff basketball.  Stephen Curry is a prime example of the type of player who puts immense pressure on defenses.  In Game 3, Curry took 11 three-point attempts.  Nine of them were the direct result of attacking Celtics bigs off screens, including eight times he targeted Al Horford in drop coverage.  In the regular season, Curry ran pick-and-rolls 1.9 possessions per game.  In the playoffs, he&#8217;s running 8.4 a night, over one-third of his overall possessions of him.  And considering the attention he commands \u2014 and the Warriors&#8217; lack of secondary options \u2014 that number will almost certainly increase as the Finals go on. <\/p>\n<aside class=\"m-in-content-ad-row l-inline mm-in-content-ad-row--in-content not-size-a not-size-b not-size-c\" data-ad-group=\"in_content-2\"\/>\n<aside class=\"m-in-content-ad-row l-inline mm-in-content-ad-row--in-content not-size-a not-size-b not-size-d\" data-ad-group=\"in_content-2\"\/>\n<aside class=\"m-in-content-ad-row l-inline mm-in-content-ad-row--in-content not-size-a not-size-c not-size-d\" data-ad-group=\"in_content-2\"\/>\n<p>\u201cEvery possession matters,\u201d Toscano-Anderson says.  \u201cEvery possession is do or die.  Attention to detail has become such a theme.  You don&#8217;t want to put yourself in a hole.  Every game has a significant meaning, and that&#8217;s the difference between the playoffs and the regular season. &#8220;<\/p>\n<p>That last point is not lost on the NBA, which in recent years has floated the idea of \u200b\u200ban in-season tournament to add another trophy into the mix.  That idea is multi-layered and the result of many factors \u2014 players resting, revenue, television ratings, trying to find the optimal number of games to play in a season \u2014 but they all come back down to one issue: Trying to create basketball that&#8217;s as meaningful to players and fans as the postseason already is. <\/p>\n<aside class=\"m-in-content-ad-row l-inline mm-in-content-ad-row--in-content not-size-b not-size-c not-size-d\" data-ad-group=\"in_content-4\"\/>\n<p>And that&#8217;s what makes the playoffs so exciting.  All the hours of film, the schematic fine tuning, the intensity, the physicality, the emotion, all are the product of the desperation to win a championship.  And that urgency generally cannot be replicated artificially. <\/p>\n<p>For either the Warriors or Celtics to ultimately win the Finals, the habits they&#8217;ve built during the regular season will certainly be important.  The defensive trust, the communication, the improvement from Game 1 to Game 82 will all be factors in their success.  But whoever wins will depend on who is best prepared to meet the challenge of playing a style of basketball far more difficult than the one that led to this moment. <\/p>\n<aside class=\"m-in-content-ad-row l-inline mm-in-content-ad-row--in-content not-size-a not-size-b not-size-c\" data-ad-group=\"in_content-3\"\/>\n<aside class=\"m-in-content-ad-row l-inline mm-in-content-ad-row--in-content not-size-a not-size-b not-size-d\" data-ad-group=\"in_content-3\"\/>\n<aside class=\"m-in-content-ad-row l-inline mm-in-content-ad-row--in-content not-size-a not-size-c not-size-d\" data-ad-group=\"in_content-3\"\/>\n<p><strong>More NBA Coverage:<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>\u2022 Warriors&#8217; Finals Dreams Depend on Steph Curry&#8217;s Foot<br \/><\/strong><strong>\u2022 <\/strong><strong>Steph Curry Is Dominating the NBA Like Never Before<\/strong><strong><br \/><\/strong><strong>\u2022 <\/strong><strong>Inside the Celtics&#8217; Dramatic Turnaround<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p><script type=\"text\/template\" id=\"facebookPixel1103097776498609\">!function(f,b,e,v,n,t,s){if(f.fbq)return;n=f.fbq=function()\n{n.callMethod? n.callMethod.apply(n,arguments):n.queue.push(arguments)}\n;if(!f._fbq)f._fbq=n;\nn.push=n;n.loaded=!0;n.version='2.0';n.queue=[];t=b.createElement(e);t.async=!0;\nt.src=v;s=b.getElementsByTagName(e)[0];s.parentNode.insertBefore(t,s)}(window,\ndocument,'script','https:\/\/connect.facebook.net\/en_US\/fbevents.js');\n(function(){\n    fbq('init', '1103097776498609');\n    fbq('track', 'PageView');\n    var contentId = 'ci02a35e21f000269e';\n    if (contentId !== '') {\n        fbq('track', 'ViewContent', {content_ids: [contentId], content_type: 'product'});\n    }\n})();<\/script>    .<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>If the Warriors were playing the Celtics during the regular season, they probably wouldn&#8217;t prepare for more than an hour. The team would hold a shootaround in the morning, have a walkthrough, go over a couple of Boston&#8217;s pet plays and maybe take a look at some personnel videos before the game. Then they would &hellip;<\/p>\n<p class=\"read-more\"> <a class=\"\" href=\"https:\/\/harchi90.com\/how-to-survive-the-nba-playoffs\/\"> <span class=\"screen-reader-text\">How to survive the NBA playoffs<\/span> Read More &raquo;<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"site-sidebar-layout":"default","site-content-layout":"default","ast-main-header-display":"","ast-hfb-above-header-display":"","ast-hfb-below-header-display":"","ast-hfb-mobile-header-display":"","site-post-title":"","ast-breadcrumbs-content":"","ast-featured-img":"","footer-sml-layout":"","theme-transparent-header-meta":"","adv-header-id-meta":"","stick-header-meta":"","header-above-stick-meta":"","header-main-stick-meta":"","header-below-stick-meta":"","spay_email":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_is_tweetstorm":false,"jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true},"categories":[11],"tags":[1202,389,1201],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.si.com\/.image\/t_share\/MTkwMDk5NzA4MjgxMTA0MDMw\/steve-kerr-coaching-warriors.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/harchi90.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/45674"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/harchi90.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/harchi90.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/harchi90.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/harchi90.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=45674"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/harchi90.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/45674\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/harchi90.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=45674"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/harchi90.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=45674"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/harchi90.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=45674"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}