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When Steve Nash was hired to coach the Brooklyn Nets last year, it was shocking and controversial.
Verdict on the rental is still a long way off, but Nash’s first postseason on the sideline was impressive. Nash ran circles early on around two-time NBA Coach of the Year Mike Budenholzer in what was supposed to be a highly competitive playoff series against the Milwaukee Bucks.
Brooklyn leads 2-0 after spanking 125-86 in Game Two on Monday.
It was his first two home games, and Nash was a talented man by his side; Kevin Durant scored 32 points from 18 shots that would make any coach look good. But Nash expertly manages and motivates his team, especially in the wake of James Harden’s indefinite loss to a hamstring injury, an advantage the Bucks squandered.
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Even when he had Harden in the mix, Nash made it clear how important shot numbers are against the Bucks. In the three regular season encounters between the two teams, Milwaukee had 37 more shots. Even with an attack as impressive as the Nets, this is not a survivable margin.
This shooting disparity was present because the nets turned the ball 19 times more than the Bucks and allowed Milwaukee to have 10 more attacking rebounds in those games. So entering the series, Nash emphasized ball security and defensive glass awareness.
In two games, the nets were the ones who shot seven more times and scored 14 fewer turns. After the Bucks hit Brooklyn 20-4 in second-chance points in Game 1, the Nets overturned that vital number in Game 2, 15-11.
Brooklyn also executed the textbook’s defense scheme on Giannis Antetokounmpo, backing away to tempt him to take outdoor shots and lure him into charges when he came to the driveway. The Nets don’t get the counts, but the connection seems to make Antetokounmpo more cautious – he’s only 2 out of 10 in the series’ rotten streak.
As a result, Antetokounmpo only attempted 15 shots and scored only 18 points in Game 2, which is a big win for the nets.
But perhaps more important than any strategy, Nash got his team focused and ready to play Game 2 without Harden, just as he did after Harden was knocked out in the first minute of Game 1, when Nash pleaded with players not to feel sorry for themselves. Brooklyn overshadowed Milwaukee in a lopsided first quarter Monday night.
Several Nets players, including Durant, mentioned the level of detail in the game plan after winning.
“Our men were ready and hungry,” Nash said. “The guys are just locked in and they know the game plan and can pay attention to the details.”
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Blake Griffin gets on the fairway and rises on the baseline to knock an ace in the face of Giannis Antetokounmpo with power.
This was not the case for Milwaukee. Budenholzer has been scrutinized for the Bucks’ struggle to get out of the second round for the past two years, and more criticism is sure to come if there is no rally.
Throughout the season, Budenholzer has used some diverse defensive strategies aimed at preparing for the playoffs, something he hasn’t done in the past. One of them was switching to pick-and-roll, which he doesn’t usually like.
Budenholzer avoided this in his in-game 2 scheme. Concerned about how the Nets would attack big man Brook Lopez in screen roll events, Budenholzer secured the Bucks playing area in the first quarter. The Nets dealt with that using shots from Durant, Kyrie Irving and Joe Harris over the top of the area.
After a playoff team scored 72 points in the paint against the soft inside of Brooklyn in Game 1, the Milwaukee attack was stuck outside in Game Two. The Bucks retreated to a secluded basketball on the ocean, devoid of passing, driving and kicking, tried 21 fewer shots in the paint and scored 20 fewer points.
Defensively, the dollars were also idle. He appeared in a stark trend as they spent more than 36 minutes of match time without a shooting foul – an indication of how non-physical their defense played out in such a vital match. The nets received their first free throws outside the first quarter when Pax III’s Mamadi Diakite made a blatant foul in frustration during garbage time.
“The plans and the coverage are important, but they take chances and play well,” Budenholzer said. “We’ve all seen it 1,000 times, we should protect our territory as if they were protecting theirs. If you’ve been in the league for a long time, you’ve seen this before.”
The league has already seen 322 times. This is the number of times a team is 2-0 down in a seven-game series. Only 22 times those teams came back to win. Over the past five years, there have been a number of 3-1 comebacks in the NBA, but the truth is that that comeback is a little more rare (15 times in 251 series) than winning four of the next five. The Clippers just made it against the Dallas Mavericks in the previous round.
And to say the nets “did what they were supposed to do” is an oversimplification.
As with every series, there are several things that contribute to the rising tide. Not only do Durant and Irving Winch register all the right buttons. The Nets are playing strong role players too – Brooklyn’s seat is up 62-43 over Milwaukee by two games.
But Budenholzer will have to start winning some classes over his rookie or things can get uncomfortable for him quickly.
“In the locker room, there’s a great deal of great leadership,” Budenholzer said. “Men will respond appropriately.”
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