Jon Gruden, Don Nelson: Knowing Your Enemy Is The Key
My friend Julio told me before the start of this series that the Golden State Warriors have a greater chances to upset the Dallas Mavericks than the Lakers against the Phoenix Suns. He was convinced that the three games which the Warriors won all of them were not fluke at all.
Julio is right than Charles Barkley who predicted that the Mavericks would win 4-1. Even all the ESPN and TNT analysts couldn’t believe and are stunned of what is going on. If you are an spectator, the game Sunday night was a thriller and amazing.
There may be a lot of reasons why the Warriors are leading 3-1 in the series but I am going to point the main reason. I am not an statistician so I will disregard the numbers like the fieldgoals, rebounds, assists, and turnovers.
Don Nelson, the coach of the Warriors. There are two keys of victory: knowing your team and knowing your opponent. Nelson knows more of the Dallas Mavericks than his current team, the Warriors. Nelson installed the Mavericks offense, he knows the weaknesses and strengths of the team. Avery Johnson have just placed the defense.
Do you still remember the Superbowl XXXVII? The Buccaners which was coached by Jon Gruden defeated his former team, the Oakland Raiders. Gruden made the Raiders offense, he knew how to stop and what defensive scheme he would used. So does Don Nelson.
The Warriors has the tools to defend the Mavericks. Their players are more athletic than the Mavs. Also, they have the intensity and all of them can make shots.
History tells us that the key to a battle whether in sports or in other fields is knowing your enemy. Let’s see if Dallas can get out of the pit they are in.