Earlier this week, former NBA head coach Vinny Del Negro told B/R NBA columnist Grant Hughes his thoughts on what it's like to coach and play in a winner-take-all Game 7.
The tension and intensity are heightened in the playoffs, but there's nothing like a Game 7.
When I was coaching the Los Angeles Clippers team that won a Game 7 on the road against the Memphis Grizzlies in 2012, I knew we had to break down the pressure to relieve it.
That meant ignoring the fact that the home team wins Game 7 80 percent of the time, and it meant taking whatever pressure was on us and making them feel it. We put relentless pressure on them on both ends. Defensively, by making them feel us, making them uncomfortable.
And then offensively, it's always about execution. We knew we had to make them earn everything.
The players had to make plays—just like any other game. You hear coaches talk about how it's a make-or-miss league all the time, and that's what it comes down to. We only shot 38.5 percent against Memphis in Game 7, but we held them to 32.5 percent.
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Article written by Vinny Del Negro