Final Word from Wednesday, May 3, 2006
Dean Smith, former head basketball coach at the University of North Carolina, was famous not only for signing Michael Jordan, but also for perfecting the four-corners offense. It's a strategy for stalling when a team is ahead near the end of the game. ODS, with its 3-4 point lead over ČSSD, is sitting back and tossing the ball from corner to corner as ČSSD uses a full-court press, trash talk and intentional fouls to try to draw it into an all-out brawl. Occasionally ODS darts in for a slam dunk (ČSSD-KSČM collaboration), and occasionally it commits an error (flat-tax confusion) that allows ČSSD to score. But mostly it's building its lead as Jiří Paroubek sends it time after time to the foul line. ČSSD, understandably, doesn't like Mirek Topolánek's "chickenshit" strategy (in David Rath's words) of coaching from the bench. Dean Smith was also accused of cowardliness for using the four-corners offense. But it almost always won him the game. [Czech Republic UNC-Chapel Hill health minister sports]