Toronto Raptors: Nick Nurse has out coached Mike Budenholzer this series

The Toronto  Raptors have been doing enough this postseason to boast that their head coach is the toast of the Eastern Conference. Here is how he’s done it.

The Toronto Raptors are a win away from making history and going to the NBA Finals for the first time. As much as Kawhi Leonard has been lauded for his superhuman play, kudos must also be paid to the head coach, Nick Nurse.Nurse and his staff have been impactful in the series, matching up against the top regular season team, the Milwaukee Bucks. After losing the first two games, Nurse began pulling all the right strings to the point that he can now be considered the superior coach in the series.

The Bucks head coach, Mike Budenholzer, has been a strength for his team. Though his histrionics and cartoonish facial expressions gain a lot of focus, his ability to game plan and make adjustments has helped propel the team into the juggernaut they were this season. It also helps to have what will likely be the regular season MVP, Giannis Antetokounmpo, on the roster.

Throughout the series, Budenholzer’s fingerprints were all over team play. It can be seen in multiple situations. He had his players play off Marc Gasol on the perimeter and dare him to attempt threes. It was a strategy that worked early in the series, until the Big Burrito found his stroke. The Bucks have also been changing their defensive coverages by throwing different zone play and man-to-man at the Raptors. It has been successful in short spurts.

One of the most effective strategies Budenholzer has implement has been to pack the paint against Leonard. The Klaw is seeing two to three Bucks swarm him each time he’s holding the ball near the tin. In Game 5, Leonard was able to break through that defense and distribute the ball, finding open teammates.

Nurse has had made successful moves himself but not without criticism. After the first game of the playoffs, when Toronto lost 104-101 to the Orlando Magic, Nurse was questioned for having his best player only play 33 minutes. Leonard did try to check into the game but was stuck at the scorer’s table for an extended period but Nurse was chastised for that and his choice of rotations.

In Game 2 of that series, Nurse adjusted his rotations and played Leonard for longer stretches, resulting in an 82-111 blowout victory. Since then, we have seen Nurse tinker with his rotations and minutes. Jodie Meeks has gone from getting first quarter minutes, to a garbage time specialist.

Nurse continues to make decisions in this current series that have him shining brighter than his coaching counterpart on the Bucks. Both he and Budenholzer have been calling quality timeouts and adjusting play as needed coming out of them. They have both been realigning their rotations and player minutes based on performance but it is some of Nurse’s bold moves that push him a hair above.

The easiest decision Nurse has made has been to ride with the Klaw in crunch times. Others haven’t been as straightforward. The Raptors have changed their defensive coverage from game to game based on the success they found. Nurse likely found that Pascal Siakam was struggling offensively due to him guarding Antetokounmpo. This is a result of exerting a lot of energy trying to contain the big man. It is difficult to be effective on both ends of the floor for long stretches. In an effort to provide relief, Nurse changed the coverage to have Leonard become the Greek Freak’s primary defender.

Defensive coverage has also changed in-game. The Raptors have kept the Bucks on their toes coming out of timeouts by throwing a different look at them. Nurse has had players defend someone for single possessions just to ensure that Milwaukee players cannot get comfortable.

It is the riskiest of Nurse’s moves having paid off that have made him look like a genius. A perfect example came in Game 3 in Toronto. In a pivotal moment in that contest, with the score tied at 96 in the first overtime, a play was run for Danny Green to fire from downtown. Having missed every shot he took on the night, Nurse’s play call was nothing but brazen. Green made his coach look like a wizard because he knocked down that shot with ease.

Even though Green has not had his shooter’s touch, Nurse has had him on the floor to start every game. This has acted in a way to maintain Green’s confidence and show appreciation for the defense that he brings. Nurse can live with Green’s misfires since he has become the fifth offensive option in his starting group.

Nurse has also been mindful of Green’s minutes. The shooting guard has been given a shorter hook and the coach has been going to the bench a little sooner than he had previously.

When other coaches would count out under-performing players like Fred VanVleet and Norman Powell, Nurse continued to give them opportunities. He recognized their value to the team’s success and ensured that they were given time on the floor no matter how poorly they played. He allowed his bench to preserve, which had the desired effect of turning a deficit into an asset. VanVleet and Powell have helped transform the Raptors into a far more dangerous team this round than it has been all playoffs long.

Finally, Nurse solidifies himself ahead of Budenholzer with the way that the Raptors have subdued the Buck’s best weapon, Antetokounmpo. Other than Game 2 where he had 30 points and 17 rebounds, the Raps have found a way to keep him from going off. The same cannot be said about the Bucks ability to contain Leonard. Nurse’s plans have worked out thus far but there is still work to be done.

The series has yet to be determined but with the Raptors up three games to two, Nurse has out-coached Budenholzer and the Bucks. Hopefully we will see Nurse take on a greater challenge in the near future, matching up against Steve Kerr and the Golden State Warriors.