1-564: What Great Coaches Say After a Colossal Collapse
A good friend of mine—and a great coach—once told me about being up 31-3 in a playoff game.
They were 11-0.
Heavy favorites.
Everything was going exactly how it was supposed to.
Then the game slowly started turning.
Big play.
Mistake.
Momentum shift.
Another mistake.
Eventually they lost in overtime.
He told me later, “The feeling was like being in a canoe. I could see the waterfall coming… but I couldn’t do anything to stop the current.”
Most coaches know that feeling.
And then last night happened.
The Cleveland Cavaliers were up 22 points in the fourth quarter… and lost.
According to reports, teams in NBA playoff history were previously 0-564 when trailing by 22 or more in the fourth quarter.
Now the record is 1-564.
Think about that for a second.
The first team in NBA playoff history to lose a game that way.
The hard part is when the season ends right there.
But an even harder leadership challenge?
What if you have another game?
For the Cavs, it’s a playoff series so what do you say to your team?
Now leadership matters more than strategy.
Now your message matters.
Because after a collapse, teams either:
carry the loss into the next game,
orlearn how to respond.
That’s why the next morning becomes one of the most important moments of the season.
You Make the Call:
What are you saying to your team today?
1. Shoulder Some of the Blame
“We had two timeouts left when regulation ended. That’s on me. I should’ve stopped the momentum.”
Players already feel the weight of the collapse. They already know they missed assignments, missed shots, missed tackles, or failed to execute.
Leadership in that moment is not about protecting your ego.
It’s about helping stabilize the team emotionally.
The best leaders absorb pressure so their players can refocus.
2. Teach This Immediately: You Don’t Lose Games… You Lose Plays
Emotion fades.
Teaching lasts.
Great coaches immediately shift the focus from:
“We blew the game”
to:
“We lost key plays.”
Break down:
possessions,
communication,
execution,
decision making,
body language,
and composure.
Because if you can correct plays, you can fix outcomes.
Championship teams don’t drown in emotion.
They study the details.
3. Don’t Let One Loss Become Two
0-1 is 0-1 whether it’s by 50 or in overtime.
The media will panic.
Fans will overreact.
Social media will act like the season is over.
Ignore it.
Momentum only carries over if your team allows it to.
“So what… next play” cannot just come from the head coach. It has to come from assistants, captains, players, managers, trainers—everybody inside the building.
Mentally weak teams carry losses forward.
Mentally tough teams respond.
4. Perspective Matters
The sun came up in Australia five minutes after the game ended.
The world kept moving.
Practice still matters.
Preparation still matters.
The next opportunity is still coming.
So get back to work.
Win more plays next time.
And keep believing.
