Nate confuses me a lot. He talks about getting more shots up, but has always had one of the slowest paces in the league as a coach. He talks about wanting to push the ball more, but plays the 1 PG on the roster that can't do that more than anyone else. He talks about getting shots up late in the shot clock, but has come out in the media and said his strategy is to score in the first 7 seconds, or in the last 7.
That last one has always bothered me. I understand the "first 7" idea, as it means you're getting a shot before the defense has a chance to get set, but why the last 7? If you can get a good shot, it doesn't matter how much time is on the shot clock. It reminds me of the way my wife and I shop. I find something that fits what I'm looking for, I buy it, and I get out. My wife searches multiple stores for several options, compares every feature, the several hours later picks the one she has determined to be the best out of 50 acceptable possibilities, if she hasn't run out of time or patience, or somehow talked herself out of the purchase. Nate runs an offense like my wife shops. I just wish I could give my wife a shop clock.
If that's really a Nate quote, it's the most absurd one I've ever heard. Steve Blake can barely get the ball to half court in the first 7 seconds.
This is just another one of those stupid fucking rules we were talking about when Oden and Aldridge had the "2 Foul" rule earlier this year. Now it's the first 7 or last 7 rule. You should take the first good opportunity you get. If you think you can get a better shot work for it, but otherwise, get the easy opportunity up. No bullshit rules. Get it done.
And yet she picked you? You must be flattered. Plattered? I loved the 'shop clock' line BTW. I'd use it on my wife, but she'd have no clue what I was talking about.
Me? I give the wife permission to buy a nice lunch for her and a girlfriend, then send them off shopping together while I putz around the house. Worth EVERY penny, I might add.
That is the problem right now with the team, is they are having to think too much instead of just play ball. 1. Thinking about whether to take a shot or not. 2. Somehow supposedly able to get a shot off within the first 7 seconds when it takes the team 4 seconds to get the ball up court and another second or two to look over to Nate to make th play. 3. Passing up good shots in between the first 7 seconds and the last 7 seconds in order to get to the last 7 seconds, because if they don't, they think Nate will yank them out of the game. 4. Getting to the last 7 seconds and facing a dwindling shot clock and trying to force something to happen, which is usually the flaming bag pass.
Hopefully not. Remember the end of Hoosiers? They bag the "four passes" in favor of a Jimmy Chitwood Iso . . . which of course culminates with Jimmy nailing a jumper from the top of the key with a hand in his face as time expires FTW. This would only further demonstrate to Nate the need to stick with the current system.
