The New Orleans Bench Mob's Second Quarter Explosion
The Art Of Good Process, aka making "Yes or No" Reads
The difference in the Play-In game between Sacramento and New Orleans was a beautiful four-minute stretch of simple process-based basketball during the second quarter. New Orleans' bench mob of Jose Alvarado, Larry Nance Jr., and Naji Marshall helped blow the game wide open, and New Orleans never looked back.
Sacramento won or tied every quarter besides the second. They finished the second quarter -11.
New Orleans’ second quarter run started when Nance Jr. replaced Jonas Valanciunas with the score tied at 31 almost midway through the quarter.
When JV and CJ McCollum checked back in for Nance Jr. and Alvarado with 3:20 left to play in the quarter, New Orleans was up 44-36, and there was no looking back.
Yes or No Reads:
Making good “yes or no” reads in basketball is crucial. It signifies a player's trust in their process, individually and collectively.
During the four-minute run, New Orleans collectively played simple basketball, aka making good “yes or no” reads, while Sacramento forced actions and did not make quality reads.
Ignoring good process and hunting results can cause a ripple effect throughout a team and cause you to lose a game in very short order.
Six plays from the New Orleans Bench Mob’s second-quarter run.
Trusting your process separates great teams from just good ones.
Having the skills to finish the process separates elite teams from great ones.
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