Zola once said to Cézanne, “Is painting only a whim for you? Is it only a pastime, a subject of conversation? If this is the case, then I understand your conduct: you are right not to make trouble with your family. But if painting is your vocation, then you are an enigma to me, a sphinx, someone impossible, and obscure.” So Cézanne left Aix-en-Provence and joined his friend in Paris. So how do you identify yourself and what provides you with the most self-actualization? What are you willing to do to follow your goals? Do you merely wish to pay …
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 …
Don’t Break Clipboards
Try not to smash clipboards on your knee (or the floor) while coaching. It is dangerous: Clipboards can shatter and cut somebody. It would be unfortunate to cut a player (literally) with a jagged edge. If you slash bespoke slacks, you need to order a new suit, irrespective of the condition of the jacket. It displays emotion: Firstly, treat the underlying emotion, then the technical problem. I have smashed a clipboard and it badly disturbed players. Rather than “firing the team up”, it increased their anxiety and decreased execution down the stretch. Players may be nervous about the outcome of …
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 …
Skills We Should Teach More, Part IV: Taking the Clutch Shot
Trailing Phoenix by one with twelve seconds to play, Toronto called timeout to set up the final shot. The Raptors inbounded to Hedo Turkoglu, who endeavoured to penetrate, lost the handle, and forced a fadeaway jumper. The poor shot was the result of Turkoglu’s slip, not the set but the shot still lacked viable alternatives to the primary option. Posting Chris Bosh against Amare Stoudamire would have been definitely feasible but how could coach Jay Triano better incorporate the Raptors’ young players into these pressure situations? During climatic moments, mental and somatic anxiety heightens. The latter can be controlled by …
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 …
Skills We Should Teach More, Part III: Reaction Time
Introduction: Initially, it was believed that the body and mind were powerfully connected; once a human mind made a decision, the body acted immediately. Galileo Galilei, endeavouring to prove that the speed of light was finite, estimated a human reaction time of 0.5 seconds in the seventeenth century, which was lowered to 0.2 seconds in 1905 by Edward Titchener (Foschi & Leone, 2009, pp. 1255-7). Within the confines of a basketball court – ninety-four feet long and fifty feet wide – both players receive information at the same time and it becomes a matter of who reacts better. Before: Body: …
Dynasty’s End
Celtic Pride – the character, concentration, and commitment – which defined the Boston’s teams when Red Auerbach proved to be integral to the two championships under Player-Coach Bill Russell. Dynasty’s End chronicles the final title in 1968-69 before the team ceded the spotlight to the squads of the 1970s. When Auerbach was the coach from 1950 to 1966, the Celtics were the most talented team in the Association. Under Russell, the team often finished second or third in its own conference and needed to win multiple tough playoff series. Wilt Chamberlain led his teams (Philadephia and Los Angeles) to better …
Skills We Should Teach More, Part II: The Mental Side of Passing
The ballhandler sees a teammate down court and throws a chest pass to his outside shoulder. The defender, having read the point guard’s eyes, closes the gap and times his jump to steal the ball. The opponent goes the other way and scores, finishing an and-1. A bad pass led to two points, a team foul, and a baseline inbounds. During N.F.L. Kickoff Weekend, commentators prattled endlessly about the need for quarterbacks to estimate the distance between the defender and the receiver. One speculated that newly unretired Brett Favre would incorrectly evaluate the strength of his aging throwing arm and …
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 …
Skills We Should Teach More, Part I: What Should the Point Guard Do After Passing the Ball?
What should the point guard do when they have made a wing entry pass and instigated the half-court offence? Sit in quiet contemplation: if one’s role is to handle the ball, what are they without it? Are they still a player or merely an observer? Does giving up the rock entail giving up one’s self? Is their performance a result of their effort or the position in which they have been placed? Atlas was still a man (actually a Titan) before the world was placed on his shoulders and retains his identity despite his onerous burden. Cut through the key and… …
What I Learned this Summer, Part I
Earlier, I described a desire to become a more empathic leader. I hoped to become better at building relationships with other coaches, players, and people in general. I endeavoured to become more sensitive as to what others were feeling and discover how I can help student-athletes on and off the court and inside and outside the classroom. To do so, I read a couple of books which described examples of excellent relationships that resulted in personal development and basketball championships: Red and Me and The Gold Standard. Bill Russell’s tribute to his mentor Red Auerbach was a quick read that …
Basketball≠Moneyball?
A friend asked me to comment on this article, which was published by Michael Lewis in the New York Times. It is related to this article, published on by Howard Bryant on ESPN.com. The first article discusses how teams use statistics to assess performances. There are definitely methods to evaluate effectiveness beyond points, rebounds, steals, blocks, and assists. Plus/Minus, Player Efficiency Ratings, Points-Created, and Win-Shares all offer a more balanced approach. Billy Beane decided to eschew batting average in favour of on-base plus slugging percentage and other statistics, which was catalogued in Michael Lewis’ book Moneyball. Given the success that …
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 …