Last night lose is all on the USA NBA mentality/culture

[takezor]

Yes, you read it right.

Last night's game lose against the Nuggets trascends Monty or the Pelicans players. It's way more serious than that.
It's all on USA NBA basketball mentality & culture of not playing the foul game in the end of games. They were just victims of it.
If you're up by 3 with the last possession for your opponent you HAVE TO MAKE a foul every now and then, back and forth, play the game at the free throw line till the clock runs out. Don't let your opponent any chance to take the game to the overtime.
You put your best free throw player on the court, in Pelicans case it's Fredette aka 95%, and go play the free throw game. Game over. You take the win.

But no. Let's be 'nice' and let the opponent take the 3 and make it go to the Overtime. Then at the end, you may even lose the game, like it finally happened. Don't people learn, right?
A few days ago, the Spurs lost to the Cleveland for not fouling Irving with 3 sec remaining before he shot, so he made the tie buzzer beater and the Spurs ended losing in OT. It has happened many times over the years and will still be happening, sadly.

Do I have to remind you why the Spurs lost a ring on 2013 against the Heat? Because they didn't play the foul game with 20 seconds remaining being up by 3. Ray Allen and the Miami Heat say thanks once again. A ring!!!! A ring!!! Not even a regular game, not even the chance of getting into the Playoffs like us, a ****ing ring!!!
I still can't understand why Popovich didn't call for it - when sometimes he has done it -. He could have 6 rings now. I was mad when I saw that happen. I'm sure that Popovich has been having nightmares till last year when they won his 5th ring, which eased the pain a bit.


The only answer I find is that you want the "show", the "buzzer beaters" and the "impossible" to happen over the win of your team. The USA NBA culture/mentality could take a lesson from the European basketball and their seriousness, pride & passion for the game, they wouldn't have let you take the game when they're up by 3.
Foul - Free Throw, Foul - Free Throw, Foul - Free Throw, Foul - Free Throw, end of the game, you win. Win comes first.

But no, let's not make a foul because it's not nice for the "Holywood show", it goes against the non-written rules of fairness. There is a blatant hipocresy here. People may not like the foul game at the end but the Hack a Shaq game is OK and is used pretty often now, right? I would say this goes more against the game than ensuring your win by playing the foul game at the end of a match. This is just in case that this is the real reason behind teams not fouling intentionally at the end.


Pelicans may remember this lose later on at the end of the season, when they let a game slip away for not making an intentional foul and play the free throw game.




Now, let me put you in 2 situations, even more tough and dramatic than being up by 3 points like yesterday, but worth to take an extense thought. Tell me what would you do:


Last game of this season, April 15 against the Spurs. We have the same losses as OKC, they are up by 1 victory. So we have to take the win to tie with them and enter as the 8th seeded in the Playoffs.


Case 1: We are up by only 2 points, 8 seconds remaining in the 4th, possession for the Spurs. Do you foul intentionally right away, let them go to the FT line, tie you and then take the last shot to win it and if you miss, at least you make sure you don't lose to a 3, and just go to the OT?

The second situation is even more critical than the 1st.
Case 2: We are up by only 2 points, 2 seconds remaining in the 4th, possession for the Spurs. Do you foul intentionally, let them go to the FT line, tie, go to OT and battle it out for the next 5 min and winning it by you deserving it?


Final Note: Will you throw away all the work you have done during all season long by letting your opponent drain a 3 on you and sent you home/out of the playoffs 8 seed or will you ensure YOU DON'T LOSE by some ridiculous shot (that even the worst player could hit in an extremely lucky shot), and play your cards on the OT?

I will tell you I would not put into play all the work & effort I have done during a year in just a few seconds.




BONUS:

Stop it, stop being 'nice' and make sure you go away with the win.

[Cheaney]

There's no guarantee you'd win in ot if there 2 seconds left and up by 2 if they want to try a 3 you play defense and don't give them a good look let them miss and you win chances are tho they don't go for 3 they try to get in the paint and get a quick 2 to force ot

[sting]

Our perimeter defense is the worst.

[takezor]

And again happened. Losing the game for not playing the intentional foul game. GG WP.

[RobertM320]

Up by three with just few seconds left,we could have fouled. But also, we COULD have rebounded the Curry miss, or any one of 20+ other offensive rebounds during the game and not been in that position. If they don't get Curry a second look, we win.

[Asteptooslow]

Curry got fouled.

[Pelicans78]

Monty said the plan was to foul but no one executed.


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[DroopyDawg]

Monty said the plan was to foul but no one executed.


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And this is why I've always believed that "players play". I don't necessarily remove all blame from the coach, but a coach can draw up all the right plays and say the right things, but when the players step on the court the coach is totally helpless. All the coach can do after he sends the players on the court is HOPE they carry out their assignments.

I know damm well monty didn't tell the team to go out there and allow damm near 100 offensive rebounds in the 4th quarter.

[UptownFuz504]

Monty said the plan was to foul but no one executed.


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Please don't muck up this conversation with facts and truth.

[DroopyDawg]

In the previous timeout leading up to the play, Williams instructed the Pelicans to foul immediately while they were up by three points, thereby preventing any Hail Mary trifecta from having a chance to send the game into overtime. But that never happened.

"We didn't execute the game plan," Williams said as he shook his head on the postgame podium. "We were supposed to foul."

The players owned up to that fact after the game.

"I'm not going to call anybody out, but we definitely did not execute," point guard Norris Cole said. "We did not execute what we said we were going to do. And it cost us."

Either the young Pelicans didn't listen to their coach or the 43-year-old coach didn't reach his players. Neither is a good look for a franchise that desperately wants to prove it belongs with the big boys of the Western Conference.

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