Minnesota Sports Forum

thedoper wrote:I've played high level athletics and I've just never been on a team in any sport where the coaches speech during the break had a huge impact on performance. I have been on lots of teams where we had a hard time holding the lead because we got complacent. I personally believe the influence of coaching is always longer term, and learning how to hold a lead is developed through discipline and culture. The only real short term impact basketball coaches have is in play calling, substitutions, and timeouts. The emotional speech that turns the game around (for better or worse) is something that is more for Gene Hackman and Coach Taylor than in reality as far as I'm concerned.

To be honest, doper, I haven't either...I'm not a big fan of inspirational speeches. But something else is going on at halftime, and this team needs to figure out what it is, and soon...4 collapses in 10 games is beyond happenstance, and has the potential to torpedo a promising season. My theory is not that Thibs isn't being inspirational enough...it's that he is perhaps micromanaging when what he needs to do is stay out of the way. The Wolves' terrific first quarters is a product of two things, I believe...natural ability that gives them a talent edge over most teams in the league, and excellent preparation by Thibs and his assistants. But when you have a 15 point lead going into the locker room at halftime, a wise coach knows not to mess with what is working. Just keep doing what you're doing! But while I don't see a dramatic change in strategy in the third quarters from our opponents, I do see a much more tentative style of play from our guys...like they are looking over their shoulders expecting to be corrected. I admit we don't know why the Wolves are a completely different team in the 3rd quarter of almost half their games, but we do know that they have just spent 15 minutes with one of the most detail-oriented coaches in the NBA. Isn't it as reasonable a theory as any to suggest that Thibs might be over coaching at halftime, and filling his young studs' heads with too many thoughts. Let 'em play, Thibs!

AbeVigodaLive wrote:UConn is 0 - 2... losing to Wagner and Northeastern.

Obviously, Kevin Ollie wouldn't have been the answer either.



[Note: Hopefully, my facetiousness came across with that post...]

Ha...the guy clearly is over the hill!

We're playing well and up 13-7. But Thibs is yelling.

lipoli390 wrote:We're playing well and up 13-7. But Thibs is yelling.

Thibs would be yelling if we were up 100-0. It's just who he is.

I think Thibs is trying to break a bunch of thoroughbreds right now and this is just part of the process.

-Wiggs looks great and is on a higher trajectory than I thought he would be.
-LaVine is close to the same situation where he simply looks better and more engaged.
-Towns has one less year under his belt and is struggling a bit. Thibs is, no doubt, working to get him to live to his potential, but do so in a league that has annointed him as the next best thing. Towns will need another year or 2 before we really see him come into the player he will be as a vet.
-Our PGs cannot shoot and, hence, cannot bail us out of a 3rd quarter drought. They, all 3, have pros and cons, but when we need a bucket, we cannot get it from our PG.
-Our bench sucks again. I might be in favor of putting Belly in the starting lineup and bringing Zach off the bench for some consistent shooting and scoring, as long as it doesnt mess with Zach's progression.

Just my thoughts.