Last night’s Toronto Raptors – Sacramento Kings game proved very controversial as fans, coaches and players were disappointed by the loss and eager to designate an appropriate culprit to focus their frustration. Ultimately, the team aims to improve and while a loss can serve as a powerful motivator, they need to target their efforts appropriately. Discontent breeds disillusionment but dedication and determination lead to progress.
External Attribution
Most fans attributed the failure to an external factor, an offensive foul called by Michael Smith that cancelled a made three-point basket that was followed by a technical foul and Kyle Lowry’s ejection.
Internal Attribution
Dwane Casey’s postgame press conference was more subdued and introspective about the process that formed the unsuccessful outcome.
In short, Casey gave a speech that could apply to any team after an inconsistent effort:
This is a business … It’s all of us … we can’t wait until the fourth quarter … Come out hungry … You don’t let one call decide the game (Raptors Post-Game: Dwane Casey).
Normally, Toronto is capable of limiting the other team’s field goal percentage but trait was undermined by sixty-five points on free throws and second-chance points. The Kings shot worse than the Raptors did but late and out of position defense led to fouls and missed box outs. Most disturbing, an overall malaise permeated the team for the first three quarters.
A play that symbolized all of the above was immediately prior to Lowry’s misfortune when the Raptors played tough defense for the entire shot clock and forced Jimmy Fredette to take an awkward turnaround jumper. The long rebound caromed around the half-court and Ben McLemore out-hustled DeMar DeRozan to corral the rebound. After Isaiah Thomas went to the line, Toronto was down six points with half a minute to play. If the game had a definite turning point, it seemed more like this moment than Smith’s call.
So What’s the Best Rationale for the Raptors?
People have a locus of causality that ranges from external (the uncontrollable: referees, media, crowd, opponents, teammates, coaches, equipment, facilities) to internal (the controllable: what is within the athlete). More often than not, successful athletes attribute their success or failure to internal causes that they can control. However, athletes must maintain a growth mindset; perceiving the internal factors as unstable and temporary instead of fixed and permanent is critical to maintain self-esteem.
If sports is to be a metaphor for life and function as a healthy pursuit of excellence (rather than an impossible quest for the Holy Grail of perfection), Casey’s words and an internal attribution for this poor performance offer the best chance for athletes to improve (Stoeber & Becker, 986). The Raptors should avoid the social media distractions and resolve to better the areas that Casey highlighted: defense, rebounding and work ethic. They have experienced some success in this area but have not yet reached consistency so the objectives are achievable and appropriate.
It’s a tricky task because blame is externally attributed more when the outcome appears to be uncertain. It’s an easy trap to fall into and criticize a specific person or action for failure if it appears that others did their job. The game seemed to be in doubt because of the late comeback but it really wasn’t. If Lowry had converted his free throw, Toronto would have had to foul, hope for a miss and hit another three to force overtime. The moment of doubt had long since passed. When everyone performs badly, the failure is equally attributed (Gerstenberg & Lagnado, 733) and this was certainly the case last night in Sacramento.
The fourth quarter was tight but a lack of passion earlier had already nearly guaranteed the result:
| Stats by Quarter | Defensive FG% | Defensive Rebound % | Opponent Free Throws |
|---|---|---|---|
| First | 37.5% | 42.9% | 12 |
| Second | 52.5% | 70.0% | 16 |
| Third | 45.0% | 70.0% | 10 |
| Fourth | 18.8% | 88.9% | 13 |
To continue their development, the team needs to understand the big picture. That offensive foul was not the big moment because so many moments had come and gone without the team raising the intensity or quality of their play.
Amos Bronson Alcott stated: “our bravest and best lessons are not learned through success, but through misadventure. ” Casey (and all Toronto fans) hope that the team learns brave lessons throughout the season so they can succeed in the playoffs. Altering their defensive positioning, playing more physically when the short goes up and steadying their effort will convert this misadventure into part of a worthwhile journey.
Once the Raptors degrief, they’ll debrief in the film session and hopefully resume pounding their particular rock. Can their supporters do likewise? Other teams can learn from the Raptors’ mistakes and improve their performance without the pain of a similar misadventure with a growth mindset. But one of the cornerstones of that mindset is to look inwards and control the controllables. Every player and team owns at least one little irksome chattel that they can chip away at over the course and eventually eliminate.
Works Cited
- Gerstenberg, T. & Lagnado, D.A. (2012). When contributions make a difference: Explaining order effects in responsibility attribution. Psychonomic bulletin & review, 19 (4), 729–736.
- Raptors Post-Game: Dwane Casey [Video file]. Retrieved from http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n_zhmYtWjR0
- Stoeber, J., & Becker, C. (2008). Perfectionism, achievement motives, and attribution of success and failure in female soccer players. International Journal of Psychology, 43(6), 980-987.