The Phoenix Suns are just two wins away from their first NBA championship in franchise history, and the excellent coaching performance from Monty Williams deserves much of that credit.
We saw — and heard — that coaching in full force during Thursday’s Game 2 of the NBA Finals.
Early in the fourth quarter, the ESPN on ABC broadcast cut to a mic’d-up conversation between Williams and Suns big man Deandre Ayton. The Suns center hadn’t been at his best for much of the game, especially compared to his stellar Game 1 performance. But Williams made sure to get his center’s mindset back on track ahead of the crucial fourth quarter.
SOUND ON for this Monty Williams coaching moment with Deandre Ayton. #NBAFinals on ABC pic.twitter.com/qPqD2Y4Ryd
— NBA (@NBA) July 9, 2021
Williams said:
“Look at me, you set a high level for yourself. That’s why you’re down. That’s great. Now, go reach that level. And you can reach it with force. Doesn’t have to be stats all the time. Go dominate the game with force. OK? Because you set a high level for yourself. Go dominate the game with force. Let’s go!”
As far as an in-game speech on the fly, that’s pretty great. Williams saw that Ayton was frustrated and urged him to channel that frustration to make a positive impact on the game.
That’s the kind of coaching that gets you to an NBA Finals, and it was cool to hear that as a viewer.
