Coaching with a small lead

[podsox]

these guys know way more about basketball than I will ever know but I just get the stall ball . every coach does it and it allows teams back in the game. what is the point of running the shot clock down with a small lead and 3+ minutes left in the game. teams have enough trouble scoring as is. fighting the shot clock only makes it more difficult. it seems to happen game after game

 

[Arizona_Sting]

Coaches believe that speeding the game up with a lead late in the game works against themselves for whatever reason. Sometimes it's true, but if it's 4 points or less there's really no need for any of that. I wouldn't run the clock down with 3+ mins left unless I was up by 5 or more to a great offensive team.

 

[mr.hockey4242]

Everyone bitches about stall ball and yet ike you say, most teams do it.


It's so stupid.

 

[ericd7633]

No coach played stall ball more than Tubby, and it never worked.

 

[tducey]

Yeah, playing small ball is stupid and slows down the game. even if you got the lead, shoot the ball no matter how much time is left on the shot clock.

 

[ChicagoIrish]

I see a lot of good looks get passed up because they're milking the clock. Nothing wrong with slowing down the game a little in the final minutes, but stop passing up good looks! If it's there, take it.

 

[ChicagoIrish]

No coach played stall ball more than Tubby, and it never worked.

Tubby Smith? He does have a National Title, doesn't he?

 

[ericd7633]

Tubby Smith? He does have a National Title, doesn't he?

I was talking about his time with Minnesota. Up late, he went to the stall, and it cost the Gophers pretty much every time.

 

[TrollyMcTroller]

Stall ball in and of itself is a perfectly legitimate strategy. Bo Ryan won a lot of games playing stall ball.

To me the problem is completely altering your style of play when you get the lead. It's not unlike the prevent defense. It just seems stupid to me to alter your style of play because it was working.

"Well we've built a lead and bested out opponent thus far. It's all worked out exactly how I planned."
"Oh, so you're going to continue to execute the plan, right?"
"Screw that. We've got THE LEAD. We're going to do the exact opposite of what we've been doing and see how that works."

It's obviously beyond stupid, but so is the average sports fan, And that's the problem. If you don't go into "clock management mode" late in the game with the lead every shitsipping turdbucket watching the game at B-Dubs, starts calling for the coach's head. It seems to be one of the few spots were pressure from the fan base has a tangible effect on the game.