I'm not sure about Lavin's "coaching acumen" either. Is he calling the wrong plays? Or not drawing them up correctly on the clipboard? Or not explaining them properly to the players?
I'm sure he didn't draw up the play for Phil to pull back and shoot from 25' as the shotclock ran out. It seems to me that maybe because the defender has been in D'Angelo's jersey most of the 2nd half, they had to look for something other than what the coach may have drawn up.