WARRIORS PRACTICE FACILITY, OAKLAND, CA — It’s cliche to compare a franchise to the “regime” of Gregg Popovich‘s San Antonio Spurs or even the “Zen” of Phil Jackson‘s Chicago Bulls and/or Los Angeles Lakers, but one cannot argue that the systems and philosophies set forth by the head coach in those franchises helped establish an air of confidence, execution, and a certain unwavering way of doing things during their respective tenures.
With the “Just Us” and “We Are All We Got, We Are All We Need” mantras serving as the concrete foundation, Thursday’s buzzer-beating victory over the Oklahoma City Thunder may have been an indication that pillars have risen from the foundation and that the Golden State Warriors are displaying certain attributes that you see from consistent, winning basketball franchises.
Even had Andre Iguodala not hit the game-winner, head coach Mark Jackson was still pleased with the long-term overall progression of the team to put itself in the best possible position to win, both last night as well as on through to the 2014 NBA Playoffs next Spring.
“The thing about last night, even after the game, it’s sad that people live their lives and what type of night they have is predicated on whether a guy makes or misses a shot,” Jackson said after practice yesterday, “That doesn’t mean I don’t care (that the Warriors won on a last-second shot), but we got a good look, they made a big shot, and fortunately we did the same thing.”
“You begin to establish a belief that you belong,” Jackson added, “You believe that no matter who you’re facing, you should win. When you talk about facing heavyweights, you can win, no matter where you play, and I think we’re there.”
Jackson recalled the final play against the Spurs last week, resulting in a 76-64 loss at San Antonio, in which Iguodala drove the lane and missed a difficult and contested driving layup that would have tied the game at the end of the regulation. “The result does not mean whether it worked or not. The play worked in San Antonio. Andre Iguodala missed a runner in the lane. And question marks come.”
Obviously, there were no question marks after the Thunder game. Jackson is now a genius for using Stephen Curry as a decoy and the Warriors get to legitimately be bantered about as an “elite” team by beating another established “elite” team.
It comes down to those moments, embracing those moments, having the confidence to execute and adjust in those moments. That’s what happens when winning franchises like the Spurs or the Jackson-era Bulls face those moments. It pervades even down to the fans. For the most part, Spurs and Bulls fans rarely questioned the moves that Popovich and Phil Jackson made. They put full confidence in those men.
You can see it start to happen in “DubNation” with Mark Jackson.
“I don’t mean to make it sound easy, but as a point guard in this league, that’s what I was thinking my entire career. So in that situation, as a coach, it’s the same mentality. How are they matching up? How have things been going on? What’s been most effective? Not just what play you can run, who you can trust. All of those things. And then you make a decision. And you live with it. The result does not mean whether it worked or not,” Jackson said, “You try to figure what’s the best situation and you make a play. Russell Westbrook — you know, the great ones make plays — he hits a shot that sucks the air out of the building, but we responded. It takes a bunch of things to put you in position. Klay Thompson‘s patience, his pass on point, leading ‘Dre into a shot where he can build momentum, just great execution.”
Some of these “in-the-moment” examples are prevalent with players, too.
“One of the best things you can have as a player is — it’s going to sound crazy — not really caring. I mean, not afraid to fail. And Klay, whether it’s a shot, it doesn’t bother him. So you want a guy with the basketball on the side taking it out or shooting it, that’s not afraid to be questioned or booed or talked about. That’s his mindset,” Jackson said, “He’s a big-time player.”
Sometimes it’s about having confidence in your game plan even when plays result in failures.
“I thought that down the stretch, we got good looks. David Lee posting up Kevin Durant with five fouls. (Lee) got great looks. He missed layups, he missed chippies. What I liked the most is that the guys didn’t panic. Even when we were missing and they were making,” Jackson said. “It shows confidence, it shows a belief, it shows we got guys that believe we’re not going anywhere. It develops something and prepares you for the moment later in the playoffs, as you prepare, as you move on. You know you can do it.”
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