Capitanes head coach Vitor Galvani just dropped a truth bomb, flat out admitting, “I take the blame for this,” when talking about their G League playoff exit last season. That raw honesty is apparently paying off, because his squad is currently kicking off their 2026-27 campaign with a scorching 3-1 record. Things are flowing smoother than usual for the Capitanes right now, and it all seems to stem from the lessons learned, however painful, from that first-ever playoff appearance.
From Playoff Learning Curve to Early Season Dominance
That G League playoff run last season, while a franchise first, didn’t exactly end with confetti falling. Galvani, being the stand-up coach he is, isn’t shying away from what went down. He specifically called out the team’s mindset, saying, “We didn’t have the mindset of ‘let’s play until the 15th,’ which is when you become champions.” An early exit was definitely not the goal, but sometimes you gotta take those lumps to grow. And grow they have. The coach stressed that the experience actually helped build a foundation for this season’s upward trajectory. Last year, they came in with “several ideas about how we wanted to play offensively and defensively.” He figures they got about 70 percent of that right, with the other 30 percent having to change as the season wore on.
New Season, New Confidence, Bigger Goals
Fast forward to this year, and that 70 percent is feeling a whole lot more solid. Galvani sounds way more confident, saying, “I feel more confident about doing that 70 percent better this year.” He even admitted there were moments last season where the team was wondering if their system would even work. Now? “We have more confidence in that.” This newfound belief isn’t just about tweaking plays, it’s about a whole new ambition. Last year, the goal was simply to make the playoffs. This year, it’s different. “Now I want to fight for more because I feel confident in our staff and our players, and that we can do it.” Galvani isn’t naive, though. He knows this league can be wild, with three NBA players potentially joining a team in a single week and “everything changes.” So, for him, it’s all about focusing on what they can control: bringing high energy to practice, pushing to improve, and talking things out. That’s how they’re going to keep achieving big things, step by step.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Yahoo Sports.
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