NBA Playoffs 2012: 3 Coaches Who Will Outsmart Their Opponents in 2nd Round

When you get to the second round of the NBA playoffs, things get tight.

In the regular season and the first round, more often than not, talent wins out. However, things get tight, and the competition really heats up when the proverbial fat is trimmed off the remaining teams.

Bid your adieus to teams like the Atlanta Hawks and Orlando Magic.

Say sayonara to head coaches like Tyrone Corbin and Mike Woodson.

The talents start to even up in Round 2 of the playoffs. Each team has a legit shot in every game, and you will rarely see blowouts or sweeps.

This is when intangibles and coaching take over, and that is how you win games in the playoffs.

Grit and determination mean more than pure basketball skill. Coaches can sink their teeth into teams with the lengthy series, and these three coaches will use guile, experience and intelligence to outsmart their opponents.

Greg Popovich, San Antonio Spurs

Longevity is the most impressive thing that strikes you with Greg Popovich. He has been at the helm of the San Antonio Spurs since 1996, and the advantage that gives him is that he knows his team better than any other coach in the league.

These are his players, this team is his creation.

At the time of posting this, the Spurs are still awaiting their second-round opponent. The possible coaching matchup for Popovich is either Vinny Del Negro or Lionel Hollins, neither of whom have been with their respective team for more than five years.

The Los Angeles Clippers and Memphis Grizzlies are surviving on pure talent alone right now.

The Spurs are more than that—they are Greg Popovich.

Popovich's experience is illustrated with his team. The Spurs are chock-full of experienced veterans of the NBA or European leagues and four-year college players. 

In the opening round, San Antonio did not just dispose of the Utah Jazz in four games—the Spurs lost just two quarters in the entire series. They kept coming and did not stop, not even after Al Jefferson all but waved a white flag in the middle of the series.

Popovich can have his team play any style or tempo of game. He has a deep team that is laden with veteran leadership, but the most important veteran for the Spurs is himself. 

Doc Rivers, Boston Celtics

Doc Rivers' in-game management can be questionable at times, playing strange lineups and expecting contributions from players who haven't seen the court in multiple quarters.

However, his intelligence and managing brilliance can't be questioned. As this is "year five of a three-year plan," what can't be overlooked is how Rivers has managed minutes and personalities to force the Boston Celtics into the second round. 

Rivers' ability to manage personalities such as mercurial point guard Rajon Rondo is eye-popping. His management of the aging Celtic veterans' minutes has also been outstanding.

Boston is running with much younger teams in both Atlanta and now Philadelphia. Should they outlast the 76ers, the Celtics will take on the equally young and athletic Miami Heat or Indiana Pacers.

Yes, the talent is there for the Celtics, but talent alone won't get you far in the playoffs—just ask Tracy McGrady and Joe Johnson.

Rivers was licking his lips when he saw that old assistant Tom Thibodeau was eliminated by Doug Collins' 76ers. He can now utilize his proficiency with his guys to outsmart Collins' talented, but naive group.

When Philadelphia beat Chicago in Round 1, it was time for celebration. Evan Turner and Jrue Holiday weren't thinking about Round 2, but Doc Rivers was, and that will be the difference in this series.

Erik Spoelstra, Miami Heat

The Miami Heat have the best talent in the NBA; they have the league's MVP and two other perennial All-Stars.

This is a blessing and a curse for Erik Spoelstra. He is short-changed because the Heat did not win the NBA Finals last year. However, that was their current form's first season together and only Spoelstra's third season at the helm.

Pat Riley would not allow this to continue if he didn't believe in Spoelstra, and I tend to trust Riley's judgement on most things since he has the most impressive of brass knuckles.

Spoelstra's advantages over coaches like Rivers and Popovich are his youth and open mind. The Miami Heat are not conventional in any sense, and neither is their head coach. Spoelstra has just as tough calls to make as the other coaches in the NBA, but he does it with the burden of a "championship or bust" weight from the media and fans.

For fear of criticism or his job, Spoelstra can be reckless, but he has the advantage of the top talent and the open mind to utilize that talent in any way he feels will give the Heat an edge. In Riley's three years with Miami, he had a 16-11 record in the playoffs, identical to Spoelstra's current record. (The difference is, though, that 2006 ring his boss wears every night.)

Just as there is advantage in experience, there are advantages in youth and a raw mind.