Was That Lakers Coach Darvin Ham’s Strategy To Block Warriors Jordan Poole’s Final Shot?

It is simple to become a little bit overexcited by the competitive spirit during difficult playoff situations, and that is what occurred to Lakers coach Darvin Ham.

On Tuesday night, Ham, who helped the Lakers defeat the Grizzlies in the first round of the Western Conference playoffs, contributed to Los Angeles’ triumph over the Warriors.

Was That Lakers Coach Darvin Ham’s Strategy To Block Warriors Jordan Poole’s Final Shot?

With less than 10 seconds remaining, the Lakers led 115-112 and Golden State guard Jordan Poole was available beyond the arc. The Los Angeles head coach chose to divert Poole since there were no Lakers defenders closing in.

In addition to yelling at Poole, Ham also made a stride toward the ground and raised his hand in an aggressive manner as if he was contesting the shot himself.

With fewer than ten seconds left in regulation, Golden State guard Jordan Poole shot a remarkably deep 3-pointer, and the first-year head coach had the finest view in the arena.

In fact, Ham was so near that it seemed like he attempted to “block” the shot.

Dennis Schroder grabbed the rebound after Poole’s jumper was missed and then made two free throws to give the Lakers a 117-112 win.

After the game, Ham claimed that he was speaking to his players rather than Poole at the time.

“I’m not one of those coaches that try to contest shots from the sideline,” Ham said. “I probably was telling my players to contest, hurry up, get out on him, press up. But I’ve seen a lot. I’ve seen a lot of coaches in those situations that cross the line, but that’s not me man.”

Golden State went on a 14-0 run during a 4:40 period that knotted the game at 112 but the Lakers held them off. Ham praised his team’s composure during such a challenging period of play.

 

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