Inside the chessmaster play NBA playoff teams love to run

There are layers to coaching an NBA team. The foundational stuff is the most important -- establishing a set of values, living them out, and fostering an environment in which players (and everyone else) learn and grow in service of a greater good. You won't make much progress in the nitty-gritty of teaching without that sort of infrastructure. Some coaches can't figure that part out. Some don't get time.

But in the playoffs, the little things take precedence. Matchups and adjustments matter more. If your coach can't hang, you are at a severe disadvantage.

With that in mind, let's look at how one set has rippled across three playoff series -- and perhaps more by the time you read this.

Within…