McMillan Can Coach, Can't Read Minds

Nate McMillan has been asked by the media to play psychiatrist throughout Portland’s first round series. Time and time again, McMillan is asked to gauge the mental state of his team through queries like …

“What’s the team’s mood like today?”

“Is the team loose?”

“How is the team recovering mentally from last night’s loss?”

Understandable questions. People want to know the minds of players, and it’s up to the media to try and ascertain those answers. But McMillan said he has long since given up trying to read the look of his players. He says he used to try, but he eventually gave it up after numerous occasions where the team would get run off the court after he thought they looked “loose.”

Same goes for the opposite. At times, McMillan would think his players looked nervous, uptight. Then hours later, they’d come out and play a great game. So coach decided to give up trying to shrink heads.

But the questions still come, and McMillan gives the same answer.

“I don’t even get into what they look like tonight or tomorrow,” said McMillan. “It’s just preparation for the game. I thought we looked OK the other night before playing (Tuesday’s) game. So it’s not what they look like (Wednesday); it’s what they do (Thursday).”