Crunch/Time Daily

How it works

Every ending is a real, close NBA game: the last ten seasons plus playoff classics back to 2001. You coach the team that was trailing (or tied with the ball) with about a minute left. At each real possession you make the call. Then you see what the real coach did and how it played out, and the game moves on from what actually happened.

• On offense: pick a play, a tempo, and whether to burn a timeout to advance the ball. On defense: play straight, run them off the line, trap, or foul on purpose.
• Every call is graded by simulating 2,000 playouts of each option from that exact score, clock, and timeout situation, using league-average rates (about 54% at the rim, 37% on threes, 78% at the line).
• The real coach's call is mapped to the closest option from the play-by-play (a three, a drive, a pull-up two, a timeout, an intentional foul) and graded the same way.
• Your grade is about decisions, not bounces. You can beat the real coach in a game they won.
• Survival: random real endings back to back. Match or beat the real coach's grade to keep going. One loss ends the run.