McMillan hired Ociepka in part because he reminded him of an assistant coach during his playing days in Seattle, Bob Kloppenburg.

"In our interview, I just liked Bob’s intensity," McMillan says. "He was a guy who paid attention and wanted to work at the defensive end of the floor, and what I was running, he was running, it seemed."

Ociepka downplays his role with the Blazer defense.

"Nate knows what he wants," he says. "I can have input; the rest of the staff can have input. That’s why I say this is my favorite stop. It’s our defense, not my defense."