Fire Sam Mitchell.

Stan Van Gundy had a remarkably insightful (and somewhat sympathetic: Wall you better freshen up, because like Ron Burgundy, Writing wants to be on you) quotable defending Sam Mitchell and that last play in Game 2:

“Look, Chris Bosh had a great shot. Here’s the funny thing — I sort of laugh at the coverage, nothing personal, guys. I do. Because here’s what coaching comes down to: When Chris Bosh raises up to shoot that shot at the end of the game, and the ball is in the air, stop it right there. Stop it, write your stories. Write your stories right now. Did Sam do a good job, or not do a good job? Write your stories right then, without seeing the ball bounce out. Because if it goes in, you’re writing about their resilience, how Sam kept them in the game, he made great adjustments and the whole thing. And it bounces out and all Sam’s adjustments are screwing them up, they’re confused. You know, that’s the game, and that’s coaching. The ball is in the air, and you guys are going to write your stories based on whether it bounces out or goes in. That’s the bottom line. There’s nobody writing what they wrote if that ball went in.

[quote from National Post]

Of course, Van Gundy is correct regarding one play deciding the media’s spin on the game. It’s natural - the build up must suit the result. With the Raptors’ approach, however, it isn’t quite as black or white.

Clawing back in the 2nd and 3rd quarters on the coat-tails of a superhuman effort by Bosh and sublime shooting by Kapono, are one-of’s that cannot be counted on consistently - the fundamental shape and motif of this team’s offense and defense are not made for winning over the long haul.

All things being equal, riding the waves of upward momentum at the start and end of games is tantamount to being a quality coach in this league. Sam’s Raptors have been close to abhorrent at both junctures - symptomatic of Mitchell’s inability a) to devise an apt gameplan for the players he has b) to have those players execute that plan for most of the 48 minutes.

You can coach less than a perfect game and still win; ultimately it’s the ebb and flow of the many micro-decisions being made throughout the game. Good coaches know their team, their opponent and adapt accordingly (or ideally BEFORE) with these decisions, and when the final buzzer sounds, have made more good ones than bad WHEN it counts.