Video: Dennis Schröder still whining about Saturday challenge
Toronto Raptors guard Dennis Schröder was on the Raptors Show on Sportnet and was asked about Saturday's challenge and decided to complain some more.
He says that Joe Mazzulla asking for the challenge when he did (Just a few minutes left in the game. Celtics with a 20+ lead) is the "same thing" as being up 30 and shooting with 10 seconds on the clock. Sorry, but it's not. Players are still expected to play hard with 3 minutes left and up or down however much. Mazzulla sitting on his hands and not coaching at that point would be wrong.
And if Mazzulla is expected to bark instructions for Luke Kornet or whoever is on the court at that time, then he's allowed to coach. Honestly the unwritten rule used to just be to dribble out the clock up big with 10 seconds left. Now winning teams are expected to not play defense and get multiple shot clock violations the final minute.
In the words of Tommy Heinsohn. "Give me a break!" When a team is up let's say 18 with 55 seconds less the need for them to stop trying while the other team cuts the deficit down to 13 or whatever is ridiculous. Just play to the end of the game and yes if it's the last possession (Meaning more time on the shot clock than the game clock), yes you can dribble out the clock to be nice.
All the expansions of that unwritten rule in recent years are dumb. Whether you lose by 18 or 13, you lost. Let the fans see 48 minutes of basketball and some players only get to play in blowouts. Don't force them not to be able to play in one of the few minutes they get.
Mazzulla has seen too many leads in his short time disappear where I don't blame him for still coaching at the 3 minute mark. Granted he can be oblivious to situations at times (like calling time outs at the end of games), and maybe if he thought about it harder he wouldn't make that challenge, but coaching decisions must be made in that instant. And I'd rather Mazzulla in the moment decide to err on the side of still coaching rather than being kind to the grown men getting paid millions on the other team.
No Dennis, you aren't owed an apology.
