Wednesday, March 24, 2004
Why he gets paid
Bill Simmons goes nuts. But as usual, he's money:Sure, we're used to good teams self-destructing in March (like Kentucky). But is the coaching situation worse than ever, or is just me?
What about Bob Huggins nearly falling asleep in crunch time in the first round? The Richmond coach hoarding his timeouts as Wisconsin went on a 87-2 run? The list was endless. It was like Isiah Thomas had been hired as a consultant for 20 of the 64 teams.
It's the little things. Coaches calling two timeouts on the same possession to set up one shot. Teams not sticking with what's working -- like G-Tech abandoning their deadly press and letting BC back in the game. Teams that can't adjust on the fly -- like Gonzaga, who kept calling Blake Stepp's number when he clearly didn't have it. Poorly prepared teams that can't even get off a good shot in the final 10 seconds -- like N.C. State running a game-ending pick-and-roll 35 feet from the basket against Vandy.
And then there was Dayton, who did something I've never seen before: At the end of regulation and OT against DePaul, they ran the exact same play -- setting up for a game-ending 3 from the corner when they only needed two. It was insane. Two game-winning shots from a combined 46 feet. Unbelievable.
Brilliant. Analysis of that quality is why he gets paid. Its also why I often post messages that heavily borrow from other sources. Because they're money.
