In these NBA Finals, much attention has been given to the players out on the floor. With a star-studded cast, NBA fans will enjoy seeing some of the finest players in the NBA compete for the championship. Linda Loman would yell, "Attention must be paid," to people disregarding the major role the coaches will play in this matchup.
Already in Game 1, four-year coach, Scott Brooks made a game-changing decision that would have drawn negative reaction had the Oklahoma City Thunder lost.
He placed James Harden on the bench after noticing he was inefficient on the floor. Few coaches would have dared to sit the Sixth Man of the year, especially in the Finals.
Brooks played Harden for only 2:44 in the fourth quarter. He left the veteran and five-time champion, Derek Fisher, out on the floor. Nick Collinson also got a lot of burn in the final quarter, playing over 11 minutes.
Fisher would most likely be seen as too old to be left on the floor in such a pivotal quarter. Half of the NBA world probably does not know who Collinson is and wondered why this guy was out on the floor.
Fisher brings toughness to this young Thunder team. Collinson did an excellent job on the boards, grabbing 10 rebounds, five of which were on the offensive end. Quietly, he almost finished the night with a double-double as he also scored eight points.
Scott Brooks simply outmatched Erik Spoesltra in Game 1. Brooks was able to make the proper adjustments and place the right guys on the court.
The Heat's inability to score consistently has made it tough on Spoesltra to trust his players.
Mike Miller has been horrendous in the playoffs and Dwyane Wade looks like he might need to take a seat for extended minutes because he looks useless out on the floor.
Mario Chalmers has showed some good instincts driving to the basket when he given a chance, something Wade has not done as much in these playoffs. Chalmers, however, has spoiled some opportunities on the open floor.
Both coaches are young and only have four seasons with their respective teams. They have helped their teams improve every season.
They are not the type of coaches that drown out their team and are boisterous like a Doc Rivers or former coaches, Jeff and Stan Van Gundy. Brooks and Spoelstra, for the most part, lay low.
Similar to LeBron James and Kevin Durant, they are also looking for their first NBA ring.
When these Finals are all said and done, one coach will be able to say stand by their players as they hoist up the Larry O'Brien Trophy.
