Notre Dame product Monty Williams has coached the Phoenix Suns to two wins away from their first NBA championship. His leadership was on display during the Suns’ 118-108 win over the Milwaukee Bucks in Game 2 of the NBA Finals. One example came during a fourth-quarter timeout in which he talked with center Deandre Ayton about guarding Bucks star Giannis Antetokounmpo. He then immediately transitioned into a motivational speaker for a player whose effort absolutely was needed to get his team to the finish line:
Monty Williams wired, talking to Ayton 1-on-1 during the timeout.
"One, [talks about scheme vs. Giannis]"
"Two — LOOK AT ME…"
Chills pic.twitter.com/rQaz4jot8g
— Matt Petersen (@TheMattPetersen) July 9, 2021
Ayton seemed to take Williams’ advice to “dominate with force” to heart. During the game’s final 7:40, Ayton had three rebounds, two steals and one block. No player on either team had higher numbers in any of those categories in that span. It wrapped up a night in which Ayton had a double-double of 10 points and 11 boards to go with a game-high three steals.
If you have any doubt about Williams’ ability to get the best out of his players during crunch time, look no further than this example.
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