The oldest proverb in the basketball bible goes as follows: “A team is only as good as its top defensive assistant”.
Just kidding. All jokes aside, however, the value of assistant coaches and the adjustments that they make are high, and often under-appreciated.
When the Warriors were down 2-1 against the Memphis Grizzlies in the Western Conference Semifinals, Steve Kerr and his staff knew they had to make a change. The Grizzlies were not only the first team to really slow down the Warriors on the offensive end, but they were also able to break down the Dubs’ defensive system, as Marc Gasol and Zach Randolph commanded so much attention in the frontcourt that Memphis’ guards were able to more or less do what they wanted on offense.