Title: Raptors win in Sergio Scariolo’s surprise NBA head coaching debut
Date: February 26, 2021
Original Source: The Athletic
Synopsis: In my latest for The Athletic Toronto, I wrote about Sergio Scariolo being forced into the head coach’s chair for the Raptors for a night, and maybe longer.
It was a minor upset that the play call from Sergio Scariolo that stood out most was not the so-called Spain pick-and-roll.
That action, also known as a stack pick-and-roll, is something Scariolo helped popularize while coaching internationally. That was especially true in his role as head coach of Spain’s national program, where he’d leverage the intelligence and versatility of former Spanish Raptors legends like Jose Calderon, Marc Gasol, Serge Ibaka and Jorge Garbajosa. It’s something the Raptors have used with some regularity these last few seasons, too.
With the momentum of the Raptors’ 122-111 victory against the Rockets in the balance, Scariolo — himself an Italian, by the way — opted to go a different route for a key bucket.
Blake Murphy Sports Writing 