For the Thunder, a Coach Who Made the Pieces (and Plays) Fit Since becoming the coach of the Oklahoma City Thunder in 2008, Scott Brooks has led the team to higher winning percentages, and deeper playoff runs, in each of the last three seasons. After a disappointing conference finals loss to eventual champs Dallas last spring, the Thunder dethroned the Mavericks - along with past impediments Los Angeles and San Antonio - en route to the franchise's first- ever N.B.A. finals against the Heat and a Game 1 victory on Tuesday night. At first glance, such steady progress would seem grounds for considerable praise. But Brooks" tenure has not been a fairy tale narrative. From the beginning, Brooks found himself with an assignment both challenging and potentially rewarding: Find a way to get his two peerless superstars, Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook, to work together to win a title. For much of last season, it was the headstrong freelancing of Westbrook that, while at times brilliant, risked compromising the team's chemistry. Inevitably, much of the resulting criticism fell on Brooks, whom many saw as either unwilling or unable to make the pieces fit. In the wake of the team's loss to the Mavericks, calls for a coaching change hit a crescendo. What a difference a year makes. Entering the 2012 season, fears of too many cooks in the kitchen remained. But a funny thing happened on the way to the finals: As the season ground on, Brooks's play calling and rotations, like the players themselves, evolved. Haphazard isolations were replaced with fast-developing screens and pin-downs; James Harden's ball handling and court vision found more suitable outlets; and once-stale rotations and sets were infused with new life. The result is an offense that was second the league in offensive efficiency during the regular season, at 107 points per 100 possessions. During their playoff run, that number has ballooned to 110 points per 100 possessions, a level of efficiency rarely approached in the modern era. Similarly, the team's assist ratio (15.7 during this year's playoffs, compared to 13.9 last season), assist-to-turnover ratio (1.70 to 1.19), and assists percentages have all seen increases (statistics courtesy of NBA.com). Durant, Westbrook, Harden, and the rest of the Thunder deserve the lion's share of applause. But their coach's own plays and adjustments can't be dismissed. In particular, Brooks" reversal of an earlier decision to sit Thabo Sefolosha in lieu of Derek Fisher (and his five championship rings), and instead sic the versatile Swiss guard on Tony Parker after falling behind 0-2 in the conference finals, was one of the season's smartest decisions. The N.B.A. is a league of stars - with few exceptions, the teams touting the biggest, best, and brightest have been the winners of championships. In this context, the most successful coaches are as renowned for their ego management as they are for their play calling. Brooks has emerged as the man who has taken his team well beyond the freelance chaos of seasons past.