Slogans don't win games or championships. Principles and execution do. Teams, coaches, and players must develop a winning mindset.
Study the game. Study great teams, great players, great coaches. Read. Listen to podcasts. Watch video. Watch clinics online or in person. There is always something new to learn and use.
Book: The Team Building Strategies of Steve Kerr
Love our losses. Setbacks happen. Learn from them how we can do better and have enduring lessons.
Book: The Carolina Way The Leadership Moment
"Every day is player development day." If you can't recruit and develop, then you better develop the players you have. Learn how to develop players and put in the time.
Book: Anything by Pete Newell, Basketball Post Play
"Excellent teams play harder for longer." That requires elite conditioning and resilience which can be developed (e.g. mindfulness, visualization).
Implement the Four Factors differentials - SPCA - shoot, protect the ball, crash, attack the basket matter because they inhabit winning.
Book: Basketball on Paper
"Win this possession." That's attention to detail. Are you giving your best every possession?
Book: Basketball: Multiple Offense and Defense
"You have to be able to win in different ways." Wooden's book is encyclopedic, including three pages on managers.
Book: Practical Modern Basketball
"Excellent teams find ways to win." Be great in a variety of circumstances, especially special situations.
Book: Preparing for Special Situations, Herb Brown
"Stops make runs." Times arise when you need a stop...or a score.
If you want to play more, impact winning. Winners have "possession enders." Think about Derrick White in game four against the Pacers. Winning hoop, chase down block on McConnell, strip and score, charge taken.
Dos and don'ts matter. Don't take bad shots. Don't give away the ball. Don't allow easy baskets - in transition, put backs, fouling, missed assignments.
Book: The Power of Negative Thinking
"The best teams do not give away games with bad decisions, poor effort, and poor execution."
"Champions do extra." - James Kerr, Legacy
Book: Legacy
"Focus. Play present. Next play. Be here now." Here's a quote from Robert Greene's book, War. "Ted Williams, perhaps baseball's greatest pure hitter, made a point of always trying to forget his last at-bat. Whether he'd gotten a home run or a strikeout, he put it behind him. No two at-bats are the same, even against the same pitcher, and Williams wanted an open mind. He would not wait for the next at-bat to start forgetting: the minute he got back to the dugout, he started focusing on what was happening in the game taking place. Attention to the details of the present is by far the best way to crowd out the past and forget the last war."
Lagniappe. Don't be too proud or ashamed to ask for help. I get it, "it's your show. You don't need help. The record says otherwise."
"Asking for help is a superpower anyone can have but only some people use. It is brave to ask for help. Asking for help is the first step toward finding a mentor. Mentors can help us change our lives if we let them."
— Alexi Pappas
Lagniappe 2. Do yourself a favor and watch this breakdown post.
Jason Kidd and the Mavs take Game 1 of the Western Conference Finals with a defense that's improved throughout the year and especially this playoff run. Let’s dive into the main adjustments against the Timberwolves.
— Michael Jagacki (@Mike_Jagacki) May 23, 2024
A Thread... 🧵 pic.twitter.com/DkGHprJTMz
