Playoff Pit-Stop #5: Coaching LeBron

Here at SS, I have mentioned my blanket assessment of coaching in the NBA.

It's relevant to success but no more than a transcendent player's impact on the team. In a nutshell, the NBA, unlike NCAA B-ball, is a player's league. Along those lines, Tim Duncan is the master behind the Spurs success, Jordan behind the Bulls, Shaq/Kobe the Lakers, KG the Celtics, LeBron the Cavs, etc.

Doc Rivers has attested to KG's effect on the recent Celtics team, every sports writer and former teammate (especially Steve Kerr) relates stories of Jordan's unilateral direction of the Bulls squads.

While watching Cavs-Celtics Game 1, my theory faced the test.

With both teams struggling offensively, the game figured to feature some coaching changes down the stretch. Something to get Ray Allen a shot. A new wrinkle to get a mis-match for LeBron James.

But nothing happened. On one end, the Celtics isolated for Garnett, who has repeatedly shied away from taking final shots. On the other side, LeBron stood at 35-feet dribbling the basketball, waiting for something to happen, and preparing for his characteristic launch to the basket. Oddly enough, it was the mirror image of the 2006 Eastern Semi's, when LeBron played the exact same role at the end of games against the Pistons.

As everyone knows, LeBron came up short. The Cavs lost to the Pistons in 7. Last night, he missed a lay-up. The Celtics won.

After the game, my theory held. There was no coaching down the stretch.

Then after the game, Charles Barkley made a very valid point. In a sense, he agreed with my analysis, but he also highlighted Kobe Bryant and Phil Jackson's coaching. Essentially, Barkley pointed out that LeBron ended up with the ball dribbling around at 35-feet, where he is not an offensive threat, trying to create his own play.

He then pointed out where Kobe Bryant, a similarly gifted offensive player, receives the ball and begins to attack. It's the elbow, the elbow-extended, or the post. Much like Jordan, Kobe receives the ball and begins his attack in places where he is already dangerous. Obviously it is much more effective.

At this juncture Chris Webber chimed in and said that coaching matters. In this vein, Kobe's offensive success is a product of Phil Jackson. Similarly LeBron's struggles are a product of Mike Brown's, or lack there of. Maybe that is strong, but I think it holds.

When the game wears down, the possessions count more and more. Teams want easy buckets. Sure-fire offensive sets. At these moments, Kobe posts up his man at the elbow and commands the ball. He gets it, and he is in prime position for a bucket. From here, he can Kobe-fake and jump shoot, attack to the bucket, or pass out of a potential double team to a cutter. A very good formula.

As for LeBron, he all-to-often, receives the ball at 35-feet (just like last night). Sometimes he is successful. He barrels his way to hoop and scores. But nevertheless, wouldn't his chances, and the Cavs' chances for that matter, be far better with LeBron doing what Kobe does? Why have they not incorporated that play into their offense?

To answer my own questions, I think point-guard play factors in strongly here. Derek Fisher is a very comfortable ball-handler and feeder to Kobe. Luke Walton is basically a Point-Forward. Same for Lamar Odom. So the Kobe-elbow-Post-up works for those reasons too.

The Cavs do not have that same group of ball-handlers and play-makers. So when LeBron isolates himself at the elbow, the Cavs operate at a weakness. They are then forced to rely on the ball-handling of their young point-guard corps. This, more than anything, doomed the 2005 Heat. They tried to do the Kobe-elbow-Post-up with Dwyane Wade but ran into all sorts of problems with Damon Jones handling the ball against Chauncey Billups. The 08 Cavs have a similar dilemma.

So maybe coaching is not to blame? Point-guards are important too. This doesn't disprove my NBA-players-league theory, but it definitely expands it and points out its weaknesses (read: coaches like Phil Jackson) and its strengths (read: PG play and Kobe Bryant).

Defense is a whole different matter and Mike Brown deserves credit there--the Cavs play great team D. But regardless, it's puzzling to see LeBron at 35-feet.