The Chris Rawle Show

Coaching is a piece in the championship puzzle, one of the razor thin margins between winning and losing in the playoffs. At times it is easy to understand, other times not so much. How much impact can a coach have on a player's career arc and a team's chase for a championship?

The Phoenix Suns, led by the star guard combination of Chris Paul and Devin Booker, are more than comfortable dissecting opposing defenses with midrange jumpers. That philosophy was on display in last night's Game 1 of the NBA Finals, as the Suns defeated the Bucks behind the pick-and-roll brilliance of their guards. While the majority of the NBA has leaned away from the midrange, the Suns have leaned in.

The greatest task in sports is building a team capable of winning a championship and this mission can be pursed in a variety of ways. Talent is always necessary. Beyond that, there are infinite ways of arriving at the same destination as teams attempt to find the balance between process and adaptability.

In all sports, unpredictability plays a major role. A golf ball hits the side of a hole and goes in or out. A hockey puck hits a post and goes in or out. A basketball bounces around a rim and goes in or out. An athlete is injured and another is asked to fill the void. It makes for incredible theater and produces some of the most memorable games (and moments) in sports.

For the first time in his 16-year NBA career, Chris Paul is going to the NBA Finals. His performance in last night's Game 6 was a masterpiece, made possible by the team that has been put in place around him. As a shift in narrative occurs, it's time to revisit familiar themes of team success, individual success, and what it takes to win a championship.

It’s always said that good health is a key piece to winning a championship. This year in the NBA, it might be the only piece. Giannis Antetokounmpo went down last night in Game 4 of the Eastern Conference Finals, joining Hawks star Trae Young as yet another injured superstar in these playoffs. The war of attrition intensifies in a year unlike any other.

The LA Clippers staved off elimination against Phoenix in Game 5. It's been a strange yet incredible run of resiliency for a team that was anything but in last year's playoffs. Leading the charge are two players, Paul George and Reggie Jackson, whose performances are flying directly in the face of past opinion.

Referees will always have a large impact on the outcome of a game. It's easy to remember when a call is egregiously bad and directly changes who wins or loses. It's harder to remember all the minimal ways a referee leaves an imprint, from the simple way a game is reffed to individual calls themselves. On some level, which way the whistle blows will always be a determining factor.

A tale of amateur golf, ice hockey, and the journey of learning from your losses in order to win.

The playoffs are a pressure cooker: step inside, see who hardens, and who explodes. Everyone deals with pressure but it can be vastly different depending on the situation of the team. What are the differences (or similarities) between the pressure facing the Golden Knights, Canadiens, Islanders, Lightning, Bucks, and Hawks?