Kenny Atkinson went viral on Friday for a poster he threw up during his Brooklyn Nets’ 123-116 win over the Houston Rockets on Friday night.
Atkinson’s Nets were trying to protect a lead in the final minute and did not want to allow the Rockets to shoot their way back into the game with 3-pointers. On the sideline, he was seen holding up a poster that featured a picture of Dennis Scott. Scott, who is nicknamed “3-D”, wore jersey No. 3 and was known for being a 3-point shooter.
The message from the Nets’ coaches seemed to be pretty clear: no threes.
Atkinson explained after the game that they used the cards to help the team communicate defensive schemes. He said the use of Scott’s photo was their way of having some fun with it too.
Kenny Atkinson said that the idea of the football-like card he held up during the game came from a staff member. He said the team was struggling to communicate defensive schemes and he wanted to have a “little bit of humor with it, too.” pic.twitter.com/opvbxCFDfa
— Malika Andrews (@malika_andrews) November 2, 2019
The plan worked well enough. The 3-2 Rockets were brutal on threes, going 12/48. James Harden was 2/16 and Russell Westbrook was 1/6. Letting Houston shoot threes seemed to be a winning strategy on Friday night.
