Untitled

[pickaxe]

I watched a very good team play what seemed like Game 1 of a different season last night.

For about 25-30 minutes.

Ultimately, in the GK era we had guaranteed playoff appearances. We had sloppy games, but even the sloppy ones ended up in wins more often than not. We wanted to clean up the sloppiness. Fair enough. I hate to say it, but Karl had more coaching stamina than Shaw has right now. Shaw is completely green and tires easily when the game challenges him.

I see what Shaw is capable of doing, but we need to see him do that work for 48 minutes. That means managing players and having much more effective strategies down the stretch of games. Doubling down on awesome quarters instead of folding because he wants to save face. Karl didn't give a damn about saving face. Big upside.

Karl did know how to push players without pushing them over the limit. You've got to be able to get through to players not just to get them to follow you 100% but also to convince them that all of their energy is going into a watertight plan.

So, I watched a very good team play what seemed like Game 1 of a different season last night. All of us, as fans, have seen a decade of Game 1's from regular season to playoff Game 1's.

Time to learn how to approach Game 2. Quarter 2. Push 2. Humble success, repeat with a flourish.

Any coach can win Game 1.