Written by The Sports Network TSN

Miami, FL (Sports Network) - An NBA coach is supposed to accentuate his team's strengths while masking as many deficiencies as possible.

In fact that's the job definition of any professional coach.

Talent is the be-all and end-all for any mentor and is supposed to make the job a lot easier, although like anything else, it comes with a new set of problems. Opposing coaches may look at the league's most loaded teams with envy but the pilots actually coaching the superstars often can get in their own way.

Case in point, Oklahoma City's Scott Brooks, who turned a 10-point Thunder lead in Game 3 of the NBA Finals into a 2-1 hole thanks to some decision making that had all of press row scratching its collective head.

Brooks' troubles started at tip-off when the coach again allowed his superstar Kevin Durant to defend LeBron James at the outset.

By midway through the third quarter when OKC had just started to pull away Durant had accomplished a number of things, the mid-range game was heating up and he had defended four different positions, shutting up a host of critics who thought the scoring champion was a one-trick pony. And oh yeah, he also picked up four fouls.

"Foul trouble is part of the game," Brooks said. "You have to play the game the right way, and you're going to get some fouls called against you. Unfortunately (Durant) had two games in a row where he had some foul trouble. But Kevin is an aggressive player. I'd like to see him keep attacking."

Durant's willingness to accept the challenge of guarding Miami's best is to be commended but at the same time Brooks needs him on the floor at key moments and must save the superstar from himself on occasion.

Durant wants to be regarded as the best player in the world and for that to happen he has to prove he's a top-tier defender like James but Erik Spoelstra doesn't point at Durant and tell LeBron to check him every minute he's on the floor.

More here:
The Sixth Man: Brooks' coaching puts Thunder in a hole