The Playbook is a docu series that currently streams on Netflix. It is about coaches from all branches of sports sharing their road to success.
Now I have been a big sports fan ever since I was little. It is mostly football, the European version not the USA one, and tennis being a close second.
Over the years I have learned more about other sports like basketball, which I followed when I was so much younger than today, and that was mostly because I am a fan of Michael Jordan and his reign as the leading man of the Chicago Bulls.
I still followed the LA Lakers during the Kobe Bryant / Shaquille O’Neal years but not with the same interest as I did when Michael Jordan played. Lately I have been following the Lakers a little bit again and I have followed Lebron James when he was a rising star. So I was very happy when the LA Lakers won the NBA 2020 with Lebron James and Anthony Davis as the leading men.
My interest in basketball was reignited after the legendary Kobe Bryant sadly passed away on January 26, 2020. While I was browsing the news of his passing I stumbled upon a news item by CNN by a basketball coach named Doc Rivers.
Doc Rivers talks coaching philosophy
Doc Rivers is a former NBA player for the Philadelphia 76ers and played as a Point Guard and was known for his defense. Doc Rivers, whose full name is Glenn Anton “Doc” Rivers, was named Coach of the Year while he was coaching Orlando Magic and has won the NBA once in his career as coach of the Boston Celtics.
The interview in The Playbook was a very emotional one. Not only did he discuss the great highlights of his career but also discussed what it was like the work for Donald Sterling.
Donald Sterling was the infamous owner of the Los Angeles Clippers basketball team. He had the reputation of not paying salaries and if your contract was terminated he wouldn’t pay out even if that is agreed upon. But the worst thing is that Donald Sterling is a racist.
On April 25, 2014, TMZ Sports released a recording of a conversation between Sterling and his mistress, V. Stiviano (born María Vanessa Perez, also known as Monica Gallegos, Vanessa Perez, and Maria Valdez).
In the recording from September 2013, a man confirmed to be Sterling was irritated over a photo Stiviano had posted on Instagram, in which she posed with Basketball Hall of Fame player Magic Johnson.
Sterling told Stiviano, who herself was part African-American: “It bothers me a lot that you want to broadcast that you’re associating with black people”, and, “You can sleep with [black people]. You can bring them in, you can do whatever you want”, but “the little I ask you is … not to bring them to my games”
Donald Sterling was forced to sell the LA Clippers and received a lifetime ban from the National Basketball Association (NBA). If that hadn’t happened, I doubt that any of the LA Clippers players would have stayed to play for their owner and Doc Rivers would have handed in his resignation. I know I would have. You can’t work for a man like that.
As the episode went on we also saw how it doesn’t matter if you are the most successful coach in the history of basketball or if you are the player with the most nets. Outside the game, Doc Rivers who is married to a white woman named Kris, had his house defaced with the word “nigger”, a racial slur. And had his house set on fire by racists. It was a very emotional moment for me in the episode because it just showed what it is like to be black in the USA.
The episode ended on a more positive note describing how the Boston Celtics defeated the LA Lakers in 2008 coming back from a 12 point difference. The rest is NBA history.
After watching the episode on The Playbook, I have gained a lot more insight in what goes in the head of a basketball coach and how he prepares the players for an upcoming match.
Jill Ellis – A worldchampion
Jill Ellis was on my blacklist for a long time. Why? Because she won the World Championship for the women in football. But that wasn’t the main reason, Jill Ellis won the championship versus the Dutch women’s football team. I am Dutch and naturally I was rooting for the Dutch ladies.
I have been supporting the Dutch team ever since they won the European Medal and losing to the USA on a penalty that wasn’t even a penalty earned Team USA a spot on my blacklist.
So with a little reluctance I started to watch the Jill Ellis documentary anyway because it was part of the series and I did NOT regret it.
The hardships Jill had to go through in order to become the coach of the USA and the road to success using her philosophy and getting through to the players that this is the way to victory was impressive.
Also in her personal life she had to overcome struggles and that wasn’t easy. She gathered Team USA at one point and told them that she was gay and that she adopted a little girl. It was one of the biggest and best moments of the series.
Her background was interesting as well. She immigrated from England at a young age. She found out that football isn’t as big in the USA as it is in England where people eat, sleep and breathe football. Let alone women’s football. But through perseverance and sheer determination she won many many prizes including Olympic Gold and the world championships.
Although Jill has quit the national team, I am hoping that she will return to football at some point. From what I have read is that Sarina Wiegman, the current Dutch national coach, will leave to coach the England’s women’s football team, so here is a hint KNVB (The KNVB is the Dutch Football Association): Get Jill! She’s an accomplished coach with a clear philosophy and a great communicator who can teach the women how to play. I do hope she will go for a 4-3-3 if not then please use the 4-5-1 like Portugal did in the 1990s during the Figo years.
Basically Portugal’s 4-5-1 is a strategy that when they lose possession of the ball they will change formation into a 4-5-1. When they gain possession the outer midfielders turn into wingers while the central defender moves up a spot to become a playmaker for defense, while the other midfielder becomes either an attacking midfielder or a shadow striker.
It is especially beautiful to see the wings unfold with that tactic. Ofcourse you would have to convert the defense into a zone defense rather than the old fashioned one-on-one defense. Much like Antonio Conte did back when he coached Chelsea.
As for me: It took me a few years to get over the loss of the World Cup Finals but thanks to The Playbook on Netflix and Jill, I think I have gotten some closure.
► Must read: Cobra Kai on Netflix
Jose Mourinho – According to The Playbook
Jose Mourinho is one of the best coaches in the world. I don’t admire his tactics however. I don’t, because parking the buss (11 people behind the ball waiting for the counter) isn’t my thing.
I grew up with attacking football like Ajax from the 1970s, which I watched on tape. And lived through the years of Johan Cruyff during his tenure at Barcelona and of course the mighty mighty Ajax during the Louis van Gaal era.
Louis van Gaal and Johan Cruyff remain on top of my list of best coaches of all time. Rinus Michels, the father of 4-3-3 and Ajax’ unique style that has been copied many many times, remains my favorite. So when I saw that Jose Mourinho was part of the docuseries, I just had to watch it.
But I digress.
Back to Jose Mourinho. The Mourinho documentary started off really weird. “Do you want to talk about your philosophy?” No… “Anything that happened in your past that formed you as a coach?” I don’t want to talk about that.
And that just marks his amazing personality. I am a fan of how he coaches players. Whenever Jose is coaching, ALL of the players are willing to walk the extra mile for him. They are willing to walk the extra mile for each other, for the team, for the club and for the fans.
I think, and I speculate here, that Jose is a brilliant motivational speaker. However this does not go without any conflict. For instance feud between him and Arsene Wenger is legendary. Or the time that Jose poked his finger in Tito Vilanova’s eye.
In The Playbook, Jose Mourinho says out loud what all coaches on Topsport think but won’t say out loud: Nice guys finish last. And he is right. You don’t get to reach the top without being a dick sometimes.
I haven’t fully watched full episode of Mourinho yet because I kept getting goosebumps. Despite his football philosophy, he is one of the coaches in football I look up to.
Other coaches in The Playbook
The other coaches in The Playbook are legendary coaches Patrick Mourataglou and Dawn Staley.
Patrick is the coach of female Greatest Player of All Time (GOAT) Serena Williams and he reflects on his successes with Serena and how to get players who tank going.
Dawn Staley talks about breaking through in a sport, basketball, that is dominated by men. She talks about her background, the way she grew up and what makes her a great coach. A coach has to be a great puzzler and very analytical because putting the players in the right position where their greatest strengths come to fruition is the biggest puzzles a coach will face.
Like I said, I haven’t seen the docu series fully yet but I will with one episode per day.
The Playbook is available on Netflix and it is very well worth the watch, especially in times where inspiring leadership is needed.
