Submitted by rsteel on
Another tool in your handicapping chest is to know your coaches. Good coaches are tough to beat especially down the stretch of a close game. Bad coaches will beat themselves. Great coaches are even rarer. So when you get a chance to bet on them in a favorable spot you should take advantage of the opportunity. Smart coaches bring discipline defense and sound fundamentals. They know not to over coach and have an innate ability to close out games effectively.
In order to fully handicap effectively you need to know your coaches tendencies. For example as a big favorite does he run up the score or take his foot off the pedal. Does he utilize his entire bench especially in back to backs or does he just play the core group. How does his team react after a loss or a win. How does his team play at the start of a road trip vs. games at the end of the trip. Is the team able to maintain its’ focus or succumb to fatigue. Does the team bring it every night for the full game. Is the team prepared for the oppositions tactics. How is he at in game adjustments.
It is no coincidence that the San Antonio Spurs year after year despite roster turnover is at or near the top. There is only 1 constant coach Popovich. He gets the most out of his roster. There is no better coach to bet on after a loss or taking points. I am sure you can think of other coaches in all sports that are worth a few points on the good or bad side.
However this is 1 tool to use when handicapping games. As I always say you need multiple reasons to play on a team or against a team and this is another category.