Scott Brooks: “Technicals are overrated”
Scott Brooks has never gotten a technical foul.
Not in his 21 games as Thunder interim head coach. Not in his six combined games as a fill-in for George Karl and Eric Musselman in Denver and Sacramento, respectively.
“At this point I don’t think it’s necessary,” Brooks said. ”At least I haven’t thought it was necessary up until this point. I think you can handle every situation in a peaceful manner. There’s no doubt that it’s going to happen eventually. But I like to talk to referees man-to-man or man-to-woman with Violet (Palmer).”
Brooks is one of the mellowest coaches I’ve been around in any sport on any level. Still, sitting just a few feet from him during games, there have been several times I just know he’s about to blow a gasket at a bad call. He never does.
The Denver game last Friday was a prime example. There were a lot of bad calls in that game, but the most atrocious came in the second half when Nene Hilario clearly pulled down Jeff Green by the arm as the two were battling for a rebound. The foul was called on Green.
Surprisingly, Brooks simply said his peace and moved on to the next possession.
“I don’t go into games and say I’m not going to get a ‘T,’” Brooks said. “We can’t afford to give up points. Games are too close for a point to be given to another team. I never really did it as a player. I only got a few just because of being in a fight. But I can’t remember getting one from complaining about a call.”
Brooks, known as a fiery player during his 11 NBA seasons, vividly remembers minor scraps and scuffles with former Sonics mainstay Nate McMillan and 16-year journeyman Ricky Pierce.
But Brooks doesn’t subscribe to the take-one-for-the-team tech, the approach some coaches use to fire up their team when energy levels are down or calls aren’t going their way.
“I think there are times it can help the team,” Brooks said. ”But if that’s what’s going to get you fired up, I think your team is in the wrong place. I felt that as a player and I feel it as a coach. You need to be focused every time. That’s what we’re trying to build, winning habits here. And if it takes a coach to get a ‘T’ to get you focused, I think you’re not preparing the way you should prepare. Technicals are overrated.”
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I understand the theory of a coach getting a Tech and his team playing harder but if the game is in a back and forth struggle there is no need to give up stupid points. Especially with this Thunder team which needs the opposing teams score low because we have some serious offensive droughts, luckily in the Denver game they did also.