Revealing | Jeff Van Gundy: The Clippers new defense is a hero who is back in charge this summer?

(The original article was published on April 29, and the author is LawMurray on TheAthletic website. The content of the article does not represent the translator's opinion)

Since the end of the 2011 suspension season, the Clippers' regular season winning rate has exceeded 50% each year, but they have not always had top defenses. The best defense during coach Del Negro's coaching the Clippers was in the 2012-13 season, ranking 8th in the league, which was also the last season of his coaching career. Doug Rivers ranked in the top 10 in the league in just three of his seven seasons as head coach of the Clippers, with the best results being fifth in the 2015-16 season and the 2019-20 season before leaving office. After coach Tyron Lu coached the Clippers, the team's defense ranked 8th in the league in 2021 and 2022, but fell to 17th in 2023 and 16th in 2024.

Coach Tyron Lu's solution to the Clippers' defensive problems this season? Jeff Van Gundy.

Jeff Van Gundy was hired as the Clippers' chief assistant coach and defensive coordinator after serving as a senior adviser to the championship Celtics last season. Before last season, he served as chief commentator at ESPN for 16 years, and has faded out of the front line since he ended his four-year head coaching career in 2007. Van Gundy's last time as an assistant coach dates back to the 1995-96 season, when he succeeded Don Nelson as the Knicks head coach.

Judging from Van Gundy's resume, his focus on improving the Clippers' defense is obvious. This coach, who served as an assistant coach during Pat Riley's Knicks (from Riley before taking office to leaving office), is well aware of the true meaning of Riley's famous saying "No rebounds, there is no ring." Van Gundy's winning rate was nearly 60% during the Rockets and Knicks' coaching period. The teams he coached have always ranked among the top 10 in the league. His defensive rebounding rate has all ranked among the top 10 in the league except for one season. At the same time, it can also effectively limit opponents' inside scores and fast breaks.

Only the Thunder and Magic have better defensive efficiency than the Clippers this season, and the Clippers are the best in the league in defensive rebounds. You should know that they only ranked 24th in this data last season.

The catalyst for all this transformation is Jeff Van Gundy.

"Every year we mention that we are a bad defensive conversion team, a bad defensive rebounding team," said Clippers center Zubac, the only player in the league to grab at least 1,000 rebounds this season, ranking 7th in the league in defensive rebounds per game (8.9). "This is what I have always wanted to improve, and it is also a link that I can directly control. Coach Van Gundy has been pushing me and the whole team since the beginning of the season. We must do better in both aspects."

Zubac said Van Gundy "treats every game as a playoff." This season, the Clippers not only performed well in overall defense, but also rare in maintaining stability. At the beginning of the season, the Clippers ranked fifth in the league in defensive efficiency. From December 6 last year to January 24 this year, their defensive efficiency jumped to 2nd in the league. It fell from January 25 to March 9, ranking 16th. But from March 10 to the end of the regular season, the Clippers played the third defensive performance in the league.

Now entering the playoffs, Zubac said that Coach Van Gundy "has entered a more focused level." This was fully demonstrated in the end of the fourth quarter of the first round series between the Clippers and the Nuggets. Coach Van Gundy and senior Clippers trainer Jason Powell even took the ball personally to compete with Nuggets center Jokic.

"I saw emoticons about Coach Van Gundy online," said Coach Tyron Lu, who claimed to be inactive on social media. "But I mean, the ball rolled in front of him, he didn't grab the ball from Jokic. The ball rolled to him, and he was going to hand it over to the referee. When you are full of competitive consciousness, if someone wants to grab the ball from you, you will definitely hold on, and I think that's what Van Gundy thinks."

Just as Coach Van Gundy showed his full attention on the sidelines, the Clippers defenders also maintained equal concentration when the team was at their best in April. During the regular season, Leonard, the two-time league best defensive player, mentioned in his first game of the comeback, that coach Van Gundy once told the players: "No one has studied these defensive details more than me." In the playoffs, Leonard was inspired by the team's new defensive spirit.

"I have to give credit to the coaching staff. Starting with Coach Van Gundy, they are always focused on the defensive end," Leonard said last week. "They guide us with a passionate and aggressive mentality, and this attitude penetrates the whole team. More importantly, the players on the court are eager to defend and no longer just expect me to keep a guard against their opponents. These guys will look directly at their opponents and say 'I'll defend him'. They inspire me on the defensive end, especially seeing Dunn's fighting spirit in every game. There is also the remedial defense of Derek Jones Jr., Zubac is in the last line of defense, and they show desire for the game... Do you know what I mean? This spirit will really infect me." Coach Van Gundy's task is not only to guide the stars to improve their defense. Before the playoffs began, Coach Tyron Lu revealed that substitute center Simmons and two-way contract power forward Patrick Baldwin Jr. were mocking Jokic in training to prepare for the three-time regular season MVP. Although Simmons later denied the matter, Patrick Baldwin Jr. revealed to TheAthletic his special role under Coach Van Gundy's guidance to TheAthletic after the fourth game of the series.

"In the past two weeks, I have been wearing an actor's hat and studying Jokic's behavior habits," said the 2022 first round pick and 2.06-meter tall player. This is not his first time playing an imaginary enemy. In the 2023 Warriors' series against the Kings, he simulated Keegan Murray, "try to imagine himself as that player and give his teammates the most realistic confrontation.. After all, I'm not on the playoffs list, and that's what I can do. Even in this playoff journey, players who cannot play can have their own roles and you must provide support to the team. When Coach Van Gundy said ‘Hey, you come and play Jokic’, that’s my duty to do this in training and tactical analysis. "

Coach Tyron Lu has always relied on the assistants to provide tactical support, but also regarded them as his backing. At the beginning of the 2004-05 season, when Coach Van Gundy coached the Rockets, Tyron Lu played for the Rockets for 21 games. Later, during the two worked with the national team of the U.S. Men's Basketball Team, the relationship became closer.

"It's just to find ways to make him laugh, let him enjoy the game and enjoy life," Coach Tyron Lu smiled and said with a smile, "When I played for him in 2004, he was always serious and straightforward, and he might not say a word when he was taking the elevator... People who don't know him, from the appearance, he actually had a great personality and was super humorous... From the age of a player to the present, our relationship has been completely different. "

This tacit understanding also left a deep impression on the players. James Harden, a future Hall of Famer who has never missed the playoffs in his 16-year career, became a member of the league's top five defensive systems for the first time this season. After the home intuitive dome ended the series G3, when asked why Tyron Lu and Van Gundy collaborated so efficiently, Harden gave a high recognition.

"They are like a match made in heaven," Harden said, "they are completely clear about what they are doing, do they understand what I mean? To be honest, they are always in line and never interfere with each other. Just tell us what to do on both sides of the offense and defense, and we can just go on the field and execute. ”

As coach Van Gundy once again proves his coaching ability, a natural question that will emerge is: Will this defensive master who has not taken charge since 2007 be back as the head coach?

Currently, there are only four teams in the Western Conference who have vacancies for head coaching or are represented by interim head coaches: the Nuggets, Grizzlies, Kings and Suns. When Frank, president of Clippers basketball operations, admitted when he first hired Coach Van Gundy, he said: "He is a pure basketball coach and will only choose teams that have absolute trust and full protection for the head coach. ”

Whether these vacant positions or other potential opportunities can impress Coach Van Gundy, while Coach Tyron Lu is confident that his assistant is "fully qualified for head coaching."

"We have witnessed his achievements in the Knicks and the Rockets," Coach Tyron Lu said, "it depends entirely on his personal wishes. Although I would be reluctant to let go, he is indeed the most suitable head coach. As I said, the decision is in Van Gundy's own hands. He completely transformed our defensive system and brought about a productive philosophy we never tried. He is a priceless treasure to us, and if he takes the coaching point, he will definitely create new glory. ”

Original text: LawMurray

Compiled by: Li Taibai