Detroit Pistons: 5 reasons Dwane Casey will lead them to the playoffs in 2019

4. Playoff experience

Having a head coach with experience in the playoffs is critical. Throughout the regular season, you rarely hear about someone being out-coached if his team loses. During the playoffs, once all aspects of the game are magnified, fans and media often blame coaching decisions for losses. In 2016, Tyronn Lue‘s inexperience was magnified throughout the NBA Finals. Luckily for him, LeBron James and Kyrie Irving bailed him out, and the Cavaliers won the title.

Dwane Casey is coming into Detroit with a wealth of playoff experience as head coach. Casey led the Toronto Raptors into the playoffs each year for the past five seasons. In 2015-16, he led them to the Eastern Conference Finals.

With a playoff record of 21-30, and two first round eliminations in which the Raptors were the higher seed, some doubt Casey’s effectiveness in the playoffs. Casey and the Raptors had a reputation for failing to show up when it mattered most.

However, I believe his ability to adapt and elevate his roster put Toronto in a position to contend for a championship the past five seasons. The Raptors were eliminated by the Cleveland Cavaliers the past three seasons, with two series ending in 4-0 sweeps. This past year, Casey played three different starting lineups in an attempt to contain LeBron James. He just didn’t have the talent on the roster to contend with James. That’s a front office issue, not a coaching issue.

Throughout the history of the NBA, 32 coaches have won an NBA title. Those championship coaches averaged nearly six years in the NBA before winning it all. With nine years as a head coach and five years of playoff experience, Casey has the credentials to lead the Pistons to a championship.