Back in the game: why every possession matters

It’s been a while since my last blog post. Way too long, in fact. The season has been intense, and time just slipped away. But here we are, back in the game.

Feel free to forward this newsletter to colleagues who might enjoy the content. If you’re new and want updates, leave your email on my homepage.

One of the greatest benefits of sharing these posts is the discussions they spark with fellow coaches. At the end of the day – despite being rivals – we share a common goal: to grow the game. Sometimes, in the heat of competition, we tend to forget that.

The handshake snub

Did you ever had an opposing coach refuse to shake your hand after a game? It happened to me at last year’s Campeonato de España. I was stunned. I had no idea why he was so upset.

A few minutes after the game, my players told me he was frustrated because I had them play out the last possession, even though the win was secure. I didn’t – and still don’t – understand his reaction though…

In European basketball teams tend to play hard until the final buzzer. What’s the alternative? Should players stop trying once the outcome  of the game seems decided? That’s ridiculous. Not only for the fans, but also every possession is a chance to learn and improve.

At that Campeonato de España, every point matters for the ranking and seeding. So I had every reason at that point to insist in playing that last possession.

Moncho

This past ’23-’24 season, the Spanish ACB league provided a stark example of why every possession counts.

On gamedays 11 and 15, Obradoiro were down by 14 and 4 points, when in the final seconds, the opposing coaches called a time-out. A time-out to run a specific play to stretch the lead with a last-second shot. It makes it even more devastating that both opponents, Granada and Breogan, used the same (classic) Brad Stevens play to create a three-point shot.  And both teams scored out of the play.

After the regular season, Obradoiro tied both with Granada and Breogan in the standings. But it is Obradoiro that will drop to the second league due to a one-point differential between the three teams. Those final possessions, those last-second timeouts, determined who stays in the ACB (and the huge consequences for these organizations).

It’s the best example why every possession counts. Until the final whistle. Until the fat lady sings.

These time-outs at the end of a decided game would have been a perfect excuse for many coaches to act disrespectfully.  But Obradoiro’s coach Moncho Fernandez is of a different kind. Not only is he 100% professional, to my honest opinion, he’s also one of the most underrated masterminds of the ACB.

I’m sure that he will be contracted rather sooner than later by a top club in Europe. In order to pay my respect to his work despite the regalation of his team, I’ll share a video breakdown I made a while ago when studying his work.

In the video I analyze how Moncho attacks switching defenses with his teams:

That’s it for now. But the fat lady hasn’t sung yet, I’ll be back very soon with more content. Talk soon!