Watching the Raptors 106-105 win over the Lakers on Sunday it is clear that there are two sides to the team. There is the meek Dr. Jekyll, who settles for outside shots and may not always box out, and the aggressive Mr. Hyde, who gets to the line and contests opponents’ shots. Dr. Jekyll may shoot early in the shot clock or out of the team offence whereas Mr. Hyde is more focus and resolute. More importantly, Mr. Hyde seems to come out on the winning end more than his daytime alter-ego. Why do they need to wait until halftime …
Carleton, Again
It is a daunting task to face the Carleton Ravens not only because of their physical abilities but due to their mental tenacity. Recovering loose balls. Taking charges. Tipping passes. Boxing out. Hitting the floor. Following shots. Talking. Refusing to give up. A post player following his own miss. A point guard stepping in front of a forward to protect the basket. The team is technically skilled and obviously practices diligently. They can take a small opening and use it to break down the door. The game may be close for one moment and a blowout minutes later. The opponent …
Get Confident, Stupid
Whether athletes achieve their goals seems intricately connected to their feelings about themselves. Coaches over the years have seen body language, a lack of energy, and fear of making a mistake result in poor performance just as players have noticed how their self-talk, mental imagery, and focus on specific objectives contribute to their success. LeBron James dropped thirty-one points in the first half on Portland tonight but the Trail Blazers reversed their fortunes by coming out for the second half with much more determination. They moved the ball and took better shots. They played improved team defence and curtailed Cleveland’s …
Just Radiohead and the Raptors
Can’t get the stink offHe’s been hanging round for days This isn’t about outcomes; it never is. Sometimes Dwyane Wade goes off or you play to your potential and lose a tight contest to someone who is somewhat better. Whether any combination of players is successful has less to do with their record but much more about how they play the game. The problems that plague the Raptors are chronic and pervasive. They succeed when they stay focused, such as Sunday’s game vs. the Rockets, the previous week’s game vs. the Bulls, or the early season one-point loss to Phoenix. They …
Early Professional Basketball
“What I remember most is the time Al Attles went after Wilt with a chair,” recollects Rick Barry in Terry Pluto’s anthology about the early days of the National Basketball Association. Tall Tales compiles the memories of players, coaches, and referees from the founding of the league after World War II to the end of the Boston Celtics’ dynasty in 1969. The reminiscences are honest and frank, tinged with nostalgia. Since television was not present at these games, these are the only accounts of many bizarre events. Fans in New York would cheer the spread instead of the score as …
Guarding Manu Ginobili
Manu Ginobili always seems to beat down the Toronto Raptors like they are a bat at the AT&T Center in San Antonio. Whether it is off the dribble or from outside the arc, he seems to perform as well in the first quarter as he does at the end of the game. Although he plays on a roster of superstars, he seems to excel even more when he must carry the Spurs’ load by himself. The Argentine proves to be a model all aspiring players should wish to emulate and a nightmare for defenders across the Association. Fundamentals: When open, …
Cleveland-Boston, Again
Based on the most miniscule sample, I can report that nothing has changed in the Association’s Eastern Conference. Cleveland is too one-dimensional to be a threat to seize the championship and Boston – when healthy – should prevail in the post-season. The two sides clashed last night; the former was incredibly cavalier in their execution and the latter performed superbly under pressure. Cleveland’s side-out consisted of a player coming to the ball and handing off to LeBron James, who would then attack one on three. Cavalier guards made five out of fifteen three-point shots when the defence collapsed. However, it …
Why Are You Trying Out for the High School Team?
Not to criticize daily physical activity, nor playing for fun, nor a lifetime of good health. Not to demean those who shoot hoops in the school yard or play pick-up with friends, nor those who swim run, or play another sport to keep fit. Seeking instead to address those wishing to tryout for the next level (high school, Ontario Basketball, AAU, university or college) and excel. Anyone considering that step should ask themselves one question: Why am I doing this? Anyone can see the fans at the game more clearly than the name on the jersey. Anyone can play for …
16? Not Like That
In 2008-09, both the Toronto Raptors and the Montreal Canadiens experienced disappointment. Both teams began their seasons with high hopes, both fired head coaches during the campaign, and neither achieved playoff success. In addition to those superficial parallels, there are several significant similarities between the two. Each organization believed that they were a step away from championship contention when they actually had a much longer path to travel. General Managers Bob Gainey and Bryan Colangelo both traded key players (goalie and point guard respectively) for younger and cheaper replacements. The new starters were not able to perform at the same …
Last Sunday
When a Michigan State upsets a Louisville or a Tiger Woods tracks down a Sean O’Hair on Sunday, it often comes about because of one criteria: who forced the other to play their game? The Trojans made the Mid-West Regional Final a defensive halfcourt battle and Tiger Woods started erasing the five-stroke margin as soon as he took the course. The winner of the battle of wills was decided during the months before. Who has the discipline to stick to their gameplan? Who has the desire to do the little things which are part of the program? Who has the …
Why Not?
One can record a maximum break in snooker in less than five and a half minutes. So why not make 147 every time? Since the balls are always arranged identically, how did the first player in this clip botch the break so badly, without potting any balls, so that Ronnie O’Sullivan was able to easily run the table, averaging one shot every nine seconds? Why does a curler slip pushing off the hack at the Brier and therefore compromise their release? How does a collegiate wrestler lose their first match against an unranked opponent when expected to win the national …
O’Neal and Moon for Marion and Banks
The Toronto Raptors acquired Shawn Marion and Marcus Banks from the Miami Heat in exchange for Jermaine O’Neal and Jamario Moon. Bryan Colangelo has made his team much more like the Phoenix Suns, obtaining an upgrade in speed and scoring at the expense of defense and rebounding. On Wednesday, the Raptors beat the San Antonio Spurs with above-average half-court execution and satisfactory defence. Led by Roko Ukic, Toronto was much less predictable; although they mostly alternated Flex-Ball Screen-High Rub, it seemed that the ball ended up in different hands and that there was more penetration. I’m not a fan of …
Basketball Relativism
Seeking to avoid the tendency to move players around like Stratego pieces but still recognizing that the basketball season is like a game of Labyrinth. Balancing the motivation of a group of student-athletes towards meaningful goals while encouraging them when they falter. Generating elite performance from the team on the court and inspiring personal improvement away from it. Coaching becomes much more challenging than diagramming a sideout play down two with two seconds left on the clock. As a moderate Platonist, I try to avoid moral relativism. I think that there are standards of success, of good performance, that shouldn’t …
I Wrote this While Waiting in the Airport
Like 1999, the Toronto Raptors have made a draft-day deal, exchanging their draft pick for a big from the Indiana Pacers. Like 1999, a (relatively) new General Manager is hoping that this is the move that helps the Raptors exchange their “Participant” ribbons from the past two years for real playoff glory. Trading the seventeenth pick, Rasho Nesterovic, T.J. Ford, and likely Maceo Baston for Jermaine O’Neal should do the trick. Rasho is fundamentally sound, defends reasonably well, cares for the team, and is a nice guy … but there are also reasons why he’s always the second or third …
Ifs and Buts
If he were alive, Red would be proud: a Boston Celtics squad that sacrificed individual glory for team success and when faced with adversity knew no other recourse that to turn up the defensive intensity won the Association title. And they smoked the Los Angeles Lakers to do so. Certainly the team had talent – a modern triad to match Russell, Cousy, and Havlicek – but they came closer to the Auerbach intangibles than any other recent champion. These Celtics didn’t necessarily run the court but Pierce and Garnett dominated the screen and roll at both ends of the court. …
The Right…What’s that Stuff?
Kobe Bryant said that if he’d been told in training camp that Los Angeles would have to win three straight games to claim the Association title, he’d take it for sure. On the other hand, Phil Jackson felt that the Lakers hadn’t grasped the significance of their situation between Thursday and Sunday. In a sense, both were right. Boston was laying their bodies on the line, playing through pain. Doc Rivers told them to play every minute of Game 5 like it was their last. The Celtics had bought into a season-long philosophy of team play and personal sacrifice for …