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21 articles in this category. Coaching-lens analysis from HoopBrief, sorted most-recent first.
The Knicks clinched the title with a 94-90 win in Game 5 at Madison Square Garden. Here's the five-game recap, the tactical decisions that decided the series, and the championship-defining moments.
June 13, 2026
The Knicks lead 3-1, Game 5 is at Madison Square Garden, and the math is heavily on their side. Here are the six tactical patterns that decide every NBA Finals closeout game.
June 12, 2026
The Knicks won by 1 to take a 3-1 series lead. The final 4 minutes had 14 possessions — and 4 of them decided the game. Here's the breakdown.
June 10, 2026
Wembanyama's first home Finals game produced the four-point win that kept SAS in the series. Here are the three tactical decisions that made it possible — and what they signal for Game 4.
June 9, 2026
Matchup prep isn't a tendency list — it's the assembly of 6-10 specific exploitable patterns from the opponent's last 30 days. Here is the framework NBA staffs actually use.
June 8, 2026
Breaking down opponent tendencies is the work that turns 30 days of game film into 6-10 specific exploitable patterns. Here is the 5-step method NBA advance scouts use.
June 8, 2026
Positioning IQ in a playoff series is what allows late-game defensive stops and end-of-quarter offensive looks. Here is what it actually means and how it shows up across 7 games.
June 8, 2026
Every NBA offense has 3-5 specific weaknesses that can be exploited with the right coverage. Here is the 5-lens framework scouts use to find them — and how to attack each one.
June 8, 2026
The pick-and-roll ball-handler has 0.4 seconds to read the coverage and pick the right counter. Here's the read-before-you-shoot breakdown for drop, switch, blitz, and ICE — built for the player, not the coach.
June 8, 2026
Defensive coverage on NBA film looks like chaos to the casual viewer. To a coach, it's a small set of recognizable patterns. Here's the coverage recognition guide for any serious film student.
June 8, 2026
Scouts watch the bench, the warmup, the 4 seconds after a missed shot. The micro-behaviors visible in those moments tell them more about NBA projection than the box score does.
June 8, 2026
Every NBA defense has 3-5 specific weaknesses an attacking offense can exploit. Here's the five-vector scouting method to find them — and the attack patterns for each.
June 8, 2026
Game 5 is the biggest single-game probability swing in a 7-game series outside of Game 7. Here are the five adjustments to watch — and what each tells you about Games 6 and 7.
May 31, 2026
Game 4 is the consolidation game. The package installed in Games 2-3 either holds or breaks. Here is the tactical recap of Game 4 and the four adjustments to watch in Game 5.
May 28, 2026
Game 3 is the inflection point of a Finals series. Here are the five tactical decisions to watch in Game 3 of the 2026 NBA Finals — and what each tells you about the rest of the series.
May 25, 2026
Game 2 is when the staffs deviate from the scouting report. Here are the four tactical adjustments each staff made in Game 2 of the 2026 NBA Finals, what they signal about the rest of the series, and the Game 3 watch list.
May 22, 2026
The first game of the NBA Finals is always a coverage audit. Here are the four coverage choices the staffs made in Game 1 of the 2026 Finals, the math behind each, and the adjustments to watch in Game 2.
May 19, 2026
By the time the Finals tip, the staffs already know what they're going to do. The series is decided by which staff executes their brief better, faster, and longer. Here's the brief — in three lenses.
May 12, 2026
We ran the four most-likely Finals matchups through possession-level analysis. Here's where the advantage actually sits.
May 7, 2026
Game 3 isn't just a venue change — it's when staffs commit to the adjustments they've been hiding. Here are the three patterns that show up every year.
May 5, 2026
The 2026 playoffs are here. Here's what every fan, coach, and player should know about the first-round matchups.
March 12, 2026
