Click Away for Free Picks from the Nations Best   Hoop Success & Motivation by Bryan Leonard 2002 Successful basketball teams need to have a combination of one or two talented players plus unselfish role players. That’s fairly obvious. What is easy to overlook is the guy holding the clipboard on the sidelines.  Yes, coaching is an important factor when handicapping games. The reason is, it’s the coach’s responsibility to organize, teach and motivate players. And that’s not always easy to do with professional athletes making much more money than the coaches.  Arguably, the most important thing an NBA coach can do is to teach defense. Notice that Shaquille O’Neal and Kobe Bryant were together for three years from 1996-99 and flamed out badly in the playoffs each time. It wasn’t until Phil Jackson’s arrival that the Lakers turned into champions, and Jackson’s greatest contribution was his ability to teach defense.  Los Angeles was always one of the top offensive teams in the NBA in Shaq’s three first seasons under coaches Del Harris and Kurt Rambis. The year before Jackson arrived, the Lakers allowed opponents 96 points per game (outscoring foes by a 103-96 average at home.) But in Jackson’s first year, the Lakers allowed 93 ppg, outscoring teams by a 102-91 average at home. That’s a significant differential defensively, while the offense virtually remained the same. Instead of getting smoked in the playoffs with lazy defense, the Lakers won the NBA title under Jackson (and they haven’t lost a playoff series yet in three years!)  The Memphis Grizzlies begin this season 0-10 SU and 3-7 ATS. The defense was terrible, giving up 104 ppg. It was clear the coaching staff was in over its head and Sidney Lowe did the wise thing and stepped down. It will be worth watching closely if new coach Hubie Brown gets these guys to play ‘D’.  Nate McMillan stepped in as coach of Seattle in 2000 and it was a surprise to see the Sonics finish with a 38-29 mark and 45-37 last season. The Sonics have gotten off to a great start this year and it appears McMillan is one of the bright new young coaches in the game. Last season, Bill Cartwright took over in mid-season for Chicago. The players seemed to play hard for Cartwright and the team went 17-38 under him, a far cry from the 4-23 start before him.  Watch carefully how teams respond, depending on their coach and their situations. Two years ago, the unhappy and feuding Atlanta Hawks club went 6-23 ATS to end the season! This happened last season with Milwaukee and Phoenix. Coaches can make a big difference in how a basketball team performs – straight up and against the spread!  Join Bryan Leonard for his latest guaranteed selections. Remember you are never charged if you do not WIN!!!    Owned and operated by Alliance Sports Media  Any information furnished by this site is for information and entertainment only and is not to be used in violation of any federal, state, provincial or local laws - Privacy Policy Contact Servus - Picks2bet.com