Skiles felt that they couldn't stop the Bobcats, so they chose to weaken their defense and strengthen their offense;
Philip Saunders felt the star matchups weren't right, overly emphasizing team balance, key shots being thrashed by Zhang Yang and Felton;
Van Gundy... he wanted to make predictive adjustments.
Popovich didn't attempt that, but instead based on his own defensive strengths, adjusted defense from details and focused on steady play.
For example, in defending Zhang Yang, he certainly noticed the recent popular topic of Zhang Yang's 'new style threes,' but he still chose to focus on defending Zhang Yang's mid and long-range shooting. When Zhang Yang goes for a solo three-pointer, he lets Bowen stick to him; if Zhang Yang runs to find space for a three, he just uses perimeter rotating switches to cover leaks.
Popovich: If you can kill me from outside the three-point line, then you're truly tough.
