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A lot of good comments from Doug and Brog in here.
https://theathletic.com/1427784/2019...nate-mcmillan/
A game through the eyes of Pacers coach Nate McMillan
Scott Agness Dec 4, 2019https://theathletic.com/app/themes/a...mment-icon.png 1 https://theathletic.com/app/themes/a.../save-icon.png
MEMPHIS — Press row is no longer what it used to be, where sitting courtside, overhearing conversations and feeling the game action was typical. Over the years, radio broadcasters and reporters have been moved higher and higher as teams have chosen to monetize some of their best seats. Media courtside seating still exists in a few places such as Phoenix, Memphis and Orlando.
It’s the Monday after Thanksgiving and I am seated in Row 2 of the FedEx Forum. The view is easily worth the trade-off of suddenly having a tight workspace and having my view blocked occasionally. For home games at Bankers Life Fieldhouse, I’m up in the corner by the Pacers’ bench — 25 rows up.
So on this night, with this extraordinary viewpoint, I’m giving my full attention to following Pacers head coach Nate McMillan, who has coached in the NBA since 1999. I want to track his interactions, how he reacts to big calls and how much freedom he gives players during a game.
Due to the sparse crowd, there is very little energy. The announced attendance is 11,919, but I’m not sure it is half that. Rookie sensation Ja Morant and Jonas Valanciunas of the Grizzlies are out due to injuries, it is a Monday night and the first game following a holiday weekend.
However, the quietness does help in my attempt to hear every word McMillan calls out to his team. What surprises me the most is how quiet and composed he is — mostly empowering his guys to play and do what they practice. He believes that most of the coaching is done during practices and before games, then once it’s game time, it’s on the players to go out and execute.
“I love his demeanor,” Pacers guard Malcolm Brogdon said after the 117-104 victory. “His demeanor is very much like mine. He’s just calm, he’s pretty stoic, doesn’t show a lot of emotion — good or bad — and that’s the type of coach I want to play for, especially when you have tough games and you go through stretches where you’re struggling, he’s going to stay the same.” Pregame
McMillan arrives at the arena on the second bus for road games. He meets with reporters to answer last-minute questions and provides injury updates. At home games, he wears a black tracksuit that zips up in the front. Nike shoes, always. At road games, he’s already dressed in his suit and arrives without the coat and tie. And he always takes a swig of mouthwash before his media obligations. He then answers a few questions for the local television broadcast before heading back to the locker room until it’s time to head out to the court.
The front office has three Ts: Togetherness, Toughness and Trust. And McMillan has his three Cs approach: Calm, Clear and Connected. On the erase board in the locker room before the game, he writes the three Cs as a reminder to his players.
Most locker rooms have a small digital clock that is connected to the scoreboard. By the time it’s all zeros, McMillan and his coaching staff are on the court and lined up for the national anthem. He stands close to the players, with Myles Turner on one side and the other coaches to his left.
During team introductions, he stands next to the bench on the out-of-bounds line and claps after each starter is introduced. As his team gathers together at the foul line for a final pep talk, McMillan diagrams the first play on his erase board. Standing, he addresses the starters one last time, goes over the play and then fist bumps each of the starters as they rip off their warmups and make their way onto the floor.
Game time
McMillan, outfitted in a brown dress shirt and navy suit, begins the game seated between assistants Dan Burke and Bill Bayno. Since last season, he’s been trying to sit more during games because he feels players tend to glance over more at him after a mistake if he’s standing. He wants them to just play. He also remembers how Hall of Fame coach Phil Jackson rarely got up. But just 3 minutes later, though, the standing for McMillan begins.
9 minutes, 3 seconds, remaining in first quarter: Burke rises from his seat and says something to McMillan about an adjustment. McMillan doesn’t respond and continues to follow the ball with his hands on his hips. After the Grizzlies’ Jae Crowder throws up a 3-pointer and it’s rebounded by Jeremy Lamb with the scored tied, 4-4, McMillan points to the spot in front of him on the court, the non-verbal way for a coach to say “bring it across and call a timeout.”
8:43: T.J. Warren has it in the corner and then throws it toward Myles Turner, but Turner has looked away and gives a look of “what are you doing?” Sitting down with his elbows resting on his knees, McMillan opens his palms and looks down in frustration. So much for that play call during the timeout.
5:34: Out of another timeout, McMillan instructs his team to switch positions one through four defensively. Two possessions later, Lamb, who is trailing Grayson Allen, switches on to Crowder, jumps the passing lane and gets a layup in transition. First-year Grizzlies head coach Taylor Jenkins burns his second timeout.
In addition to being the senior medical director/head athletic trainer, Josh Corbeil assists McMillan during games by keeping track of personal and team fouls as well as timeouts. And when there is a timeout, he pulls his seat away from the pack. Corbeil moves his chair and flips it to face the bench, serving as a place for McMillan to sit while he addresses the players on the floor.
5:12: McMillan talks with an official for the first time. He looks down at crew chief Ken Mauer, who is standing on the baseline, and argues after a moving screen on Jaren Jackson Jr. went uncalled, freeing Dillion Brooks for a 3-point make. He briefly states his case and moves on.
40 seconds: Corbeil leaves his position at the front of the bench and alerts McMillan that both teams have fouls to give. As that is going on, McMillan sees how De’Anthony Melton is camped out in the lane. McMillan, with his arms crossed, repeats, “Three seconds! Three seconds!” for official Jonathan Sterling to hear. The call is made.
7 seconds: Corbeil hops off the bench and signals two with his right hand, informing McMillan that Domantas Sabonis’ now has two fouls after being whistled for an offensive foul. McMillan disagrees with the call and has a few words. With his hands on his hips, he looks down the bench and says, “Goga, let’s go!”
McMillan didn’t call out for many plays in the first quarter and that’s by design. Earlier in the day, either at morning shootaround or walkthrough, he had huddled with Brogdon to script out the quarter, similar to football teams.
“We have a series of plays in that first quarter that he and I both want to run,” McMillan said. “That’s part of his job, to get everybody involved.”
End of the first quarter: Pacers 24, Grizzlies 19
10 minutes, 15 seconds remaining in second quarter: McMillan begins vocally coaching more in the second quarter, mostly putting guys in the right spots. As T.J. McConnell brings the ball up, he yells to Justin Holiday, “Other side! Other side!” as they try to run an action with Goga Bitadze shooting down the lane. The ball is kicked out of bounds and will be inbounded from the side. McMillan calls the play. The ball is sent in to McConnell, who tries to use a screen set by Bitadze, but it’s not a good one. An offensive foul is called and Bitadze pats his chest, taking responsibility for the miscue.
9:49: After the Grizzlies go on a 15-2 run to move in front, 29-25, McMillan instructs McConnell to cross midcourt and signal for a timeout. McMillan takes out a piece of paper tucked away in his inside left pocket and looks down at it while surrounded by his three assistants. Not much is said and 20 seconds later, he confidently walks to the huddle, sits down and addresses his guys.
“I’m thinking through to the next play call, substitutions, who’s in, who needs to get in, what do we need to run, do we need movement, do we want to go at some player,” McMillan explains the following day. “All of that is going through my mind. Then, the coaches are giving me feedback on some plays (to potentially run). Not too many, I don’t want to hear too much.”
8:09: Brogdon brings it up and McMillan signals in the play call. Doug McDermott runs a pick-and-roll with Sabonis, who easily scores on Bruno Caboclo.
7:31: The Pacers are on a 9-0 run. “Be smart, Domas!” assistant Bill Bayno hollers from the bench because Sabonis is playing with two fouls. Those two have developed a tight relationship that was further solidified in the offseason when they spent countless hours in the gym together in Los Angeles.
6:31: McMillan tugs at the front of his jacket and watches as Justin Holiday hits a 3-pointer in front of their bench. It came as a result of Brogdon attacking and drawing multiple defenders. Brogdon, an extension of the coach on the court, has been everything for which the Pacers had hoped.
“We have put in a lot of sets on this team,” Brogdon said Monday. “In the preseason, we’ve had as many sets as I’ve ever had on a team at any level. But, when we get in the game, he lets you play, he gives you freedom, he puts the confidence in you to go play your game.
“I think I’ve had the most freedom on this team than I’ve ever played with. So I love playing here, I love playing for him because it’s the right amount of structure with the right amount of freedom.”
That includes the freedom to call his own plays.
“Sometimes he’ll call a play and then I’ll call a play too and it’ll be different, and then he’ll say, ‘Okay, go ahead,’ and he’ll let me run what I want to run.”
4:24: Jackson Jr. earns an offensive foul and McMillan nods in agreement. He barks to get Brogdon’s attention and flashes a signal that is understood but not seen by the Grizzlies. Once again, it’s a give-and-go between McDermott and Sabonis on the left side. And it would have worked had Crowder not slid over from the weak side to block Sabonis’ layup. McMillan turns to the bench and instructs Turner to check-in.
1:58: “Hey Warren, Warren!” McMillan yells toward T.J. as Brogdon brings the ball across the timeline. He directs him from the left corner to the right corner. Warren then curls around Turner to go set a screen for Brogdon, but he rejects it and attacks, then bounces a pass to Turner, who is fouled from behind. Warren comes over to McMillan and is told where he’s supposed to be on that play. After one free throw, Warren is replaced in the lineup by McDermott.
One area where the game has changed, according to McMillan, is how he can coach the younger guys. Some don’t handle criticism well, and he also doesn’t want to chew out a player out in front of the crowd and thousands more watching on TV. That can be done in the huddle or locker room, behind closed doors.
“He’s not getting on us too much on the sidelines, it’s more in the huddle,” McDermott says. “He’ll draw up a couple of plays and then we’ll get defensive assignments. Other than that, he just lets you play.
47 seconds: As Lamb steps to the foul line, Corbeil approaches McMillan and says, “No fouls either way,” informing him that neither team has any fouls to give. If they do foul, it can disrupt the play call. He briefly looks at Corbeil, acknowledges the update, then turns his attention back to the court, this time with his hands in his pockets.
4 seconds: Turner is whistled for a blocking foul against Melton as he hedges the screen. Corbeil reminds McMillan that it is Turner’s second foul. Melton goes to the line and while he is shooting, McMillan shouts out, “Break 1, break 1!” and Brogdon begins directing players where they’ll need to be.
o seconds: McMillan claps twice after Turner misses a high-arcing 3-point attempt from the top of the circle and then calmly makes the walk across the width of the floor to the locker room. His team is up by 10 and has plenty of work to do.
Halftime: Pacers 57, Grizzlies 47
Start of the third quarter: McMillan addresses the starters briefly, adjusts his suit coat, then takes a seat on the bench. Burke, who is the scout on the Grizzlies (the three assistants scout every third game), is on the floor telling both Sabonis and Warren who to guard. The sitting for McMillan only lasts 13 seconds. He’s up after the first stoppage in play.
11:20: McMillan wants his guys to play faster and to push it. “Let’s go, let’s go, let’s go!” he commands of them with his arms crossed. He wants them to run, even after a made basket. It’s exactly what he preached throughout training camp. As Brogdon misses a 3-pointer, McMillan dips his left shoulder, hoping his body language helps it go through.
9:12: Lamb is called for a foul as Jackson Jr. is in traffic. McMillan disagrees that it is a shooting foul, saying, “He’s not shooting the ball! He had it in his hands.” Palms up, he looks across the floor at official Karl Lance with a look of disbelief on his face.
Twenty-one head coaches have earned at least one technical foul, along with two assistant coaches. But after the first 20 games, McMillan doesn’t have one. Former Pacers assistant Jim Boylen leads all coaches with four. Warren (2) and Aaron Holiday (1) are the only Pacers to have earned the dubious mark.
McMillan isn’t going to get a technical foul for the sake of getting one. “It’s a different group,” he said later. “I’ve been places where I’ve had more technicals because I’ve had a younger group. Most of these guys are getting close to their prime. It’s not a bunch of first-year guys. I had Brandon Roy, LaMarcus Aldridge, Greg Oden (in Portland), all of those guys who were in the first or second years. So you had to fight for them and get more technicals for a group like that.”
7:46: Corbeil leaves his seat to let McMillan know that the next timeout is charged to the Grizzlies. Teams have use-it or lose-it timeouts. But the next stoppage doesn’t come for almost two minutes, making the first six minutes of the half very quick. When the timeout arrives, McMillan stands to gather his thoughts while Bayno and Burke have a conversation. Then, he heads to the huddle, takes a seat with the Pacers up, 73-62.
At this point in the game, it’s clear that McMillan isn’t calling too many plays. He’s letting them grab and go, and get into something that’s working. He mostly calls sets during timeouts or stoppages in play.
“He’s a guy who lets you play,” McDermott said afterward about McMillan’s empowering coaching style. “He’ll draw up sets during timeouts and stuff, but if we get a stop and we’re running, he gives us the freedom to just play.
“I’ve played for a lot of coaches and some guys are more micromanagers, but Nate’s a guy that has played in the league and kind of understands the flow of the game and for the most part, he lets you go.”
5:04: McMillan is the loudest he’s been all night, screaming for a three-seconds violation on Jackson Jr., who has 18 points, but the call isn’t made. The Grizzlies don’t score, so it doesn’t matter too much. As the Pacers run their offense, McMillan turns behind him and reaches for the stat sheet. He looks it over for a quick four seconds and then refocuses back to the game.
3:21: Mauer is at the scorer’s table trying to confirm a foul on Jackson Jr. McMillan wants him to hurry up, saying, “C’mon now!” On the next possession, Turner easily scores in the post and is fouled.
1:10: It has been a quiet game from the fans in attendance. But after a 7-0 burst by the Grizzlies, a man behind me in the third row yells at McMillan, “Timeout! You need a timeout!” It doesn’t even faze McMillan.
“He says be calm, clear and collected out there and I think he exudes that at times,” Turner said after the game.
End of the third quarter: Pacers 85, Grizzlies 73
8 minutes, 33 seconds left: McMillan connects with McConnell during free throws, subtly instructs him what play to run. “Hey, 15 twist, 15 twist,” he mouths, often repeating to be understood. McConnell then zigzags his man off three consecutive screens set by Sabonis and then elevates for a 15-footer, but he leaves it short. McMillan doesn’t react, which is typical on this night. Winning every quarter, being up by double digits most of the game and never really threatened had to help.
5:35: Jenkins earns a technical foul, baffled that a foul was on Jackson Jr. A better approach would have been to challenge the call, although personal foul calls are only overturned 41 percent of the time. While that is going on, McMillan minds his own business. He pulls out the paper from his inside coat pocket then tells Lamb to “be ready.” Once play resumes, Brogdon glances over for the play and then sends a pass to Sabonis. It’s a designed play to get Lamb the ball, isolated at the basket. Lamb begins from the right corner and then is fouled once he gets the ball on the left block.
2:43: With the Pacers leading 108-95, Sabonis checks back in and turns to the bench, “DB, you want me on Jaren or do you want me on Solo (Solomon Hill)?” Burke runs the defense and frequently tells the Pacers on the court who to match up against. He’s a big reason their defense ranks in the top 10 despite having so many offensive-minded players, like Warren and Lamb. Sabonis has five fouls, though, so Burke explains his reasoning to McMillan for putting Sabonis on Jackson Jr. The Grizzlies go right at him, and 10 seconds later he fouls out. With 18 points, 14 rebounds and eight assists, Sabonis will have to wait until another game to get his first triple-double.
2:23: Despite the Pacers being up 12, McMillan isn’t relaxing. With three wings on the left side (Lamb, Warren and Justin Holiday), McMillan yells, “Spacing! Spacing!” Holiday darts to the right corner, Turner drops to the short corner and Brogdon, guarded by Jackson Jr. on a switch, nails a step-back 3-point shot.
“He knows when to touch the right buttons because he played in the league for a long time and has coached for a long time, too,” McDermott said Monday. “I think we kind of reflect his personality for sure with the way we play.”
1:02: McMillan uses a timeout. Lamb yells, “****!” in frustration. His shot was blocked and the Grizzlies beat the Pacers down the court. Melton rebounds a missed layup and puts it in. Turnover, offensive rebound and layup, and McMillan isn’t happy. He unfolds his arms and walks on the court with his hands on his hips. They’re up, 112-101, and during the timeout, McConnell has an extended conversation with Mauer. Bayno joins their conversation, which ends with McConnell wrapping his left arm around Mauer.
57 seconds: The game is basically in hand, but McMillan is still standing and coaching. “Be solid, be solid!” he shouts at Aaron Holiday, who is tightly guarding Melton as they race down the floor.
30 seconds: Memphis calls a timeout. McMillan walks out and greets each player with a hand slap for the first time all game. He is still straight-faced, so you wouldn’t know that the Pacers were winning. After the timeout, he takes his seat on the bench. Burke stands to yell defensive instructions with a 16-point lead and 30 seconds left.
End of game: McMillan raises his left hand to acknowledge the Memphis coaching staff, which includes his former assistant David McClure. Indy starts the first game of the month with a victory.
Final: Pacers 117, Grizzlies 104 Postgame
At 9:22 p.m. (CST), six minutes after the final horn, McMillan walks out to the inner hallway where reporters are waiting.
“That’s how we want to play,” he says of having 31 assists on 44 field goals. “I feel like if we have good ball movement, guys are going to be involved and we’re going to shoot a high percentage.”
McMillan, without his suit jacket on, answers five questions and then returns to the locker room four minutes later. An hour after the game, the bus departs FedEx Forum and makes the 11-mile drive to Memphis International Airport. By 11:29 p.m., it’s wheels up to Oklahoma City.
Through 20 games, without All-Star Victor Oladipo and despite nine players missing a combined 70 games due to injuries, McMillan’s Pacers are 13-7 and sixth in the Eastern Conference.
Another game, another win and now on to the next one.
https://theathletic.com/1427784/2019...nate-mcmillan/
A game through the eyes of Pacers coach Nate McMillan
Scott Agness Dec 4, 2019https://theathletic.com/app/themes/a...mment-icon.png 1 https://theathletic.com/app/themes/a.../save-icon.png
MEMPHIS — Press row is no longer what it used to be, where sitting courtside, overhearing conversations and feeling the game action was typical. Over the years, radio broadcasters and reporters have been moved higher and higher as teams have chosen to monetize some of their best seats. Media courtside seating still exists in a few places such as Phoenix, Memphis and Orlando.
It’s the Monday after Thanksgiving and I am seated in Row 2 of the FedEx Forum. The view is easily worth the trade-off of suddenly having a tight workspace and having my view blocked occasionally. For home games at Bankers Life Fieldhouse, I’m up in the corner by the Pacers’ bench — 25 rows up.
So on this night, with this extraordinary viewpoint, I’m giving my full attention to following Pacers head coach Nate McMillan, who has coached in the NBA since 1999. I want to track his interactions, how he reacts to big calls and how much freedom he gives players during a game.
Due to the sparse crowd, there is very little energy. The announced attendance is 11,919, but I’m not sure it is half that. Rookie sensation Ja Morant and Jonas Valanciunas of the Grizzlies are out due to injuries, it is a Monday night and the first game following a holiday weekend.
However, the quietness does help in my attempt to hear every word McMillan calls out to his team. What surprises me the most is how quiet and composed he is — mostly empowering his guys to play and do what they practice. He believes that most of the coaching is done during practices and before games, then once it’s game time, it’s on the players to go out and execute.
“I love his demeanor,” Pacers guard Malcolm Brogdon said after the 117-104 victory. “His demeanor is very much like mine. He’s just calm, he’s pretty stoic, doesn’t show a lot of emotion — good or bad — and that’s the type of coach I want to play for, especially when you have tough games and you go through stretches where you’re struggling, he’s going to stay the same.” Pregame
McMillan arrives at the arena on the second bus for road games. He meets with reporters to answer last-minute questions and provides injury updates. At home games, he wears a black tracksuit that zips up in the front. Nike shoes, always. At road games, he’s already dressed in his suit and arrives without the coat and tie. And he always takes a swig of mouthwash before his media obligations. He then answers a few questions for the local television broadcast before heading back to the locker room until it’s time to head out to the court.
The front office has three Ts: Togetherness, Toughness and Trust. And McMillan has his three Cs approach: Calm, Clear and Connected. On the erase board in the locker room before the game, he writes the three Cs as a reminder to his players.
Most locker rooms have a small digital clock that is connected to the scoreboard. By the time it’s all zeros, McMillan and his coaching staff are on the court and lined up for the national anthem. He stands close to the players, with Myles Turner on one side and the other coaches to his left.
During team introductions, he stands next to the bench on the out-of-bounds line and claps after each starter is introduced. As his team gathers together at the foul line for a final pep talk, McMillan diagrams the first play on his erase board. Standing, he addresses the starters one last time, goes over the play and then fist bumps each of the starters as they rip off their warmups and make their way onto the floor.
Game time
McMillan, outfitted in a brown dress shirt and navy suit, begins the game seated between assistants Dan Burke and Bill Bayno. Since last season, he’s been trying to sit more during games because he feels players tend to glance over more at him after a mistake if he’s standing. He wants them to just play. He also remembers how Hall of Fame coach Phil Jackson rarely got up. But just 3 minutes later, though, the standing for McMillan begins.
9 minutes, 3 seconds, remaining in first quarter: Burke rises from his seat and says something to McMillan about an adjustment. McMillan doesn’t respond and continues to follow the ball with his hands on his hips. After the Grizzlies’ Jae Crowder throws up a 3-pointer and it’s rebounded by Jeremy Lamb with the scored tied, 4-4, McMillan points to the spot in front of him on the court, the non-verbal way for a coach to say “bring it across and call a timeout.”
8:43: T.J. Warren has it in the corner and then throws it toward Myles Turner, but Turner has looked away and gives a look of “what are you doing?” Sitting down with his elbows resting on his knees, McMillan opens his palms and looks down in frustration. So much for that play call during the timeout.
5:34: Out of another timeout, McMillan instructs his team to switch positions one through four defensively. Two possessions later, Lamb, who is trailing Grayson Allen, switches on to Crowder, jumps the passing lane and gets a layup in transition. First-year Grizzlies head coach Taylor Jenkins burns his second timeout.
In addition to being the senior medical director/head athletic trainer, Josh Corbeil assists McMillan during games by keeping track of personal and team fouls as well as timeouts. And when there is a timeout, he pulls his seat away from the pack. Corbeil moves his chair and flips it to face the bench, serving as a place for McMillan to sit while he addresses the players on the floor.
5:12: McMillan talks with an official for the first time. He looks down at crew chief Ken Mauer, who is standing on the baseline, and argues after a moving screen on Jaren Jackson Jr. went uncalled, freeing Dillion Brooks for a 3-point make. He briefly states his case and moves on.
40 seconds: Corbeil leaves his position at the front of the bench and alerts McMillan that both teams have fouls to give. As that is going on, McMillan sees how De’Anthony Melton is camped out in the lane. McMillan, with his arms crossed, repeats, “Three seconds! Three seconds!” for official Jonathan Sterling to hear. The call is made.
7 seconds: Corbeil hops off the bench and signals two with his right hand, informing McMillan that Domantas Sabonis’ now has two fouls after being whistled for an offensive foul. McMillan disagrees with the call and has a few words. With his hands on his hips, he looks down the bench and says, “Goga, let’s go!”
McMillan didn’t call out for many plays in the first quarter and that’s by design. Earlier in the day, either at morning shootaround or walkthrough, he had huddled with Brogdon to script out the quarter, similar to football teams.
“We have a series of plays in that first quarter that he and I both want to run,” McMillan said. “That’s part of his job, to get everybody involved.”
End of the first quarter: Pacers 24, Grizzlies 19
10 minutes, 15 seconds remaining in second quarter: McMillan begins vocally coaching more in the second quarter, mostly putting guys in the right spots. As T.J. McConnell brings the ball up, he yells to Justin Holiday, “Other side! Other side!” as they try to run an action with Goga Bitadze shooting down the lane. The ball is kicked out of bounds and will be inbounded from the side. McMillan calls the play. The ball is sent in to McConnell, who tries to use a screen set by Bitadze, but it’s not a good one. An offensive foul is called and Bitadze pats his chest, taking responsibility for the miscue.
9:49: After the Grizzlies go on a 15-2 run to move in front, 29-25, McMillan instructs McConnell to cross midcourt and signal for a timeout. McMillan takes out a piece of paper tucked away in his inside left pocket and looks down at it while surrounded by his three assistants. Not much is said and 20 seconds later, he confidently walks to the huddle, sits down and addresses his guys.
“I’m thinking through to the next play call, substitutions, who’s in, who needs to get in, what do we need to run, do we need movement, do we want to go at some player,” McMillan explains the following day. “All of that is going through my mind. Then, the coaches are giving me feedback on some plays (to potentially run). Not too many, I don’t want to hear too much.”
8:09: Brogdon brings it up and McMillan signals in the play call. Doug McDermott runs a pick-and-roll with Sabonis, who easily scores on Bruno Caboclo.
7:31: The Pacers are on a 9-0 run. “Be smart, Domas!” assistant Bill Bayno hollers from the bench because Sabonis is playing with two fouls. Those two have developed a tight relationship that was further solidified in the offseason when they spent countless hours in the gym together in Los Angeles.
6:31: McMillan tugs at the front of his jacket and watches as Justin Holiday hits a 3-pointer in front of their bench. It came as a result of Brogdon attacking and drawing multiple defenders. Brogdon, an extension of the coach on the court, has been everything for which the Pacers had hoped.
“We have put in a lot of sets on this team,” Brogdon said Monday. “In the preseason, we’ve had as many sets as I’ve ever had on a team at any level. But, when we get in the game, he lets you play, he gives you freedom, he puts the confidence in you to go play your game.
“I think I’ve had the most freedom on this team than I’ve ever played with. So I love playing here, I love playing for him because it’s the right amount of structure with the right amount of freedom.”
That includes the freedom to call his own plays.
“Sometimes he’ll call a play and then I’ll call a play too and it’ll be different, and then he’ll say, ‘Okay, go ahead,’ and he’ll let me run what I want to run.”
4:24: Jackson Jr. earns an offensive foul and McMillan nods in agreement. He barks to get Brogdon’s attention and flashes a signal that is understood but not seen by the Grizzlies. Once again, it’s a give-and-go between McDermott and Sabonis on the left side. And it would have worked had Crowder not slid over from the weak side to block Sabonis’ layup. McMillan turns to the bench and instructs Turner to check-in.
1:58: “Hey Warren, Warren!” McMillan yells toward T.J. as Brogdon brings the ball across the timeline. He directs him from the left corner to the right corner. Warren then curls around Turner to go set a screen for Brogdon, but he rejects it and attacks, then bounces a pass to Turner, who is fouled from behind. Warren comes over to McMillan and is told where he’s supposed to be on that play. After one free throw, Warren is replaced in the lineup by McDermott.
One area where the game has changed, according to McMillan, is how he can coach the younger guys. Some don’t handle criticism well, and he also doesn’t want to chew out a player out in front of the crowd and thousands more watching on TV. That can be done in the huddle or locker room, behind closed doors.
“He’s not getting on us too much on the sidelines, it’s more in the huddle,” McDermott says. “He’ll draw up a couple of plays and then we’ll get defensive assignments. Other than that, he just lets you play.
47 seconds: As Lamb steps to the foul line, Corbeil approaches McMillan and says, “No fouls either way,” informing him that neither team has any fouls to give. If they do foul, it can disrupt the play call. He briefly looks at Corbeil, acknowledges the update, then turns his attention back to the court, this time with his hands in his pockets.
4 seconds: Turner is whistled for a blocking foul against Melton as he hedges the screen. Corbeil reminds McMillan that it is Turner’s second foul. Melton goes to the line and while he is shooting, McMillan shouts out, “Break 1, break 1!” and Brogdon begins directing players where they’ll need to be.
o seconds: McMillan claps twice after Turner misses a high-arcing 3-point attempt from the top of the circle and then calmly makes the walk across the width of the floor to the locker room. His team is up by 10 and has plenty of work to do.
Halftime: Pacers 57, Grizzlies 47
Start of the third quarter: McMillan addresses the starters briefly, adjusts his suit coat, then takes a seat on the bench. Burke, who is the scout on the Grizzlies (the three assistants scout every third game), is on the floor telling both Sabonis and Warren who to guard. The sitting for McMillan only lasts 13 seconds. He’s up after the first stoppage in play.
11:20: McMillan wants his guys to play faster and to push it. “Let’s go, let’s go, let’s go!” he commands of them with his arms crossed. He wants them to run, even after a made basket. It’s exactly what he preached throughout training camp. As Brogdon misses a 3-pointer, McMillan dips his left shoulder, hoping his body language helps it go through.
9:12: Lamb is called for a foul as Jackson Jr. is in traffic. McMillan disagrees that it is a shooting foul, saying, “He’s not shooting the ball! He had it in his hands.” Palms up, he looks across the floor at official Karl Lance with a look of disbelief on his face.
Twenty-one head coaches have earned at least one technical foul, along with two assistant coaches. But after the first 20 games, McMillan doesn’t have one. Former Pacers assistant Jim Boylen leads all coaches with four. Warren (2) and Aaron Holiday (1) are the only Pacers to have earned the dubious mark.
McMillan isn’t going to get a technical foul for the sake of getting one. “It’s a different group,” he said later. “I’ve been places where I’ve had more technicals because I’ve had a younger group. Most of these guys are getting close to their prime. It’s not a bunch of first-year guys. I had Brandon Roy, LaMarcus Aldridge, Greg Oden (in Portland), all of those guys who were in the first or second years. So you had to fight for them and get more technicals for a group like that.”
7:46: Corbeil leaves his seat to let McMillan know that the next timeout is charged to the Grizzlies. Teams have use-it or lose-it timeouts. But the next stoppage doesn’t come for almost two minutes, making the first six minutes of the half very quick. When the timeout arrives, McMillan stands to gather his thoughts while Bayno and Burke have a conversation. Then, he heads to the huddle, takes a seat with the Pacers up, 73-62.
At this point in the game, it’s clear that McMillan isn’t calling too many plays. He’s letting them grab and go, and get into something that’s working. He mostly calls sets during timeouts or stoppages in play.
“He’s a guy who lets you play,” McDermott said afterward about McMillan’s empowering coaching style. “He’ll draw up sets during timeouts and stuff, but if we get a stop and we’re running, he gives us the freedom to just play.
“I’ve played for a lot of coaches and some guys are more micromanagers, but Nate’s a guy that has played in the league and kind of understands the flow of the game and for the most part, he lets you go.”
5:04: McMillan is the loudest he’s been all night, screaming for a three-seconds violation on Jackson Jr., who has 18 points, but the call isn’t made. The Grizzlies don’t score, so it doesn’t matter too much. As the Pacers run their offense, McMillan turns behind him and reaches for the stat sheet. He looks it over for a quick four seconds and then refocuses back to the game.
3:21: Mauer is at the scorer’s table trying to confirm a foul on Jackson Jr. McMillan wants him to hurry up, saying, “C’mon now!” On the next possession, Turner easily scores in the post and is fouled.
1:10: It has been a quiet game from the fans in attendance. But after a 7-0 burst by the Grizzlies, a man behind me in the third row yells at McMillan, “Timeout! You need a timeout!” It doesn’t even faze McMillan.
“He says be calm, clear and collected out there and I think he exudes that at times,” Turner said after the game.
End of the third quarter: Pacers 85, Grizzlies 73
8 minutes, 33 seconds left: McMillan connects with McConnell during free throws, subtly instructs him what play to run. “Hey, 15 twist, 15 twist,” he mouths, often repeating to be understood. McConnell then zigzags his man off three consecutive screens set by Sabonis and then elevates for a 15-footer, but he leaves it short. McMillan doesn’t react, which is typical on this night. Winning every quarter, being up by double digits most of the game and never really threatened had to help.
5:35: Jenkins earns a technical foul, baffled that a foul was on Jackson Jr. A better approach would have been to challenge the call, although personal foul calls are only overturned 41 percent of the time. While that is going on, McMillan minds his own business. He pulls out the paper from his inside coat pocket then tells Lamb to “be ready.” Once play resumes, Brogdon glances over for the play and then sends a pass to Sabonis. It’s a designed play to get Lamb the ball, isolated at the basket. Lamb begins from the right corner and then is fouled once he gets the ball on the left block.
2:43: With the Pacers leading 108-95, Sabonis checks back in and turns to the bench, “DB, you want me on Jaren or do you want me on Solo (Solomon Hill)?” Burke runs the defense and frequently tells the Pacers on the court who to match up against. He’s a big reason their defense ranks in the top 10 despite having so many offensive-minded players, like Warren and Lamb. Sabonis has five fouls, though, so Burke explains his reasoning to McMillan for putting Sabonis on Jackson Jr. The Grizzlies go right at him, and 10 seconds later he fouls out. With 18 points, 14 rebounds and eight assists, Sabonis will have to wait until another game to get his first triple-double.
2:23: Despite the Pacers being up 12, McMillan isn’t relaxing. With three wings on the left side (Lamb, Warren and Justin Holiday), McMillan yells, “Spacing! Spacing!” Holiday darts to the right corner, Turner drops to the short corner and Brogdon, guarded by Jackson Jr. on a switch, nails a step-back 3-point shot.
“He knows when to touch the right buttons because he played in the league for a long time and has coached for a long time, too,” McDermott said Monday. “I think we kind of reflect his personality for sure with the way we play.”
1:02: McMillan uses a timeout. Lamb yells, “****!” in frustration. His shot was blocked and the Grizzlies beat the Pacers down the court. Melton rebounds a missed layup and puts it in. Turnover, offensive rebound and layup, and McMillan isn’t happy. He unfolds his arms and walks on the court with his hands on his hips. They’re up, 112-101, and during the timeout, McConnell has an extended conversation with Mauer. Bayno joins their conversation, which ends with McConnell wrapping his left arm around Mauer.
57 seconds: The game is basically in hand, but McMillan is still standing and coaching. “Be solid, be solid!” he shouts at Aaron Holiday, who is tightly guarding Melton as they race down the floor.
30 seconds: Memphis calls a timeout. McMillan walks out and greets each player with a hand slap for the first time all game. He is still straight-faced, so you wouldn’t know that the Pacers were winning. After the timeout, he takes his seat on the bench. Burke stands to yell defensive instructions with a 16-point lead and 30 seconds left.
End of game: McMillan raises his left hand to acknowledge the Memphis coaching staff, which includes his former assistant David McClure. Indy starts the first game of the month with a victory.
Final: Pacers 117, Grizzlies 104 Postgame
At 9:22 p.m. (CST), six minutes after the final horn, McMillan walks out to the inner hallway where reporters are waiting.
“That’s how we want to play,” he says of having 31 assists on 44 field goals. “I feel like if we have good ball movement, guys are going to be involved and we’re going to shoot a high percentage.”
McMillan, without his suit jacket on, answers five questions and then returns to the locker room four minutes later. An hour after the game, the bus departs FedEx Forum and makes the 11-mile drive to Memphis International Airport. By 11:29 p.m., it’s wheels up to Oklahoma City.
Through 20 games, without All-Star Victor Oladipo and despite nine players missing a combined 70 games due to injuries, McMillan’s Pacers are 13-7 and sixth in the Eastern Conference.
Another game, another win and now on to the next one.
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