Great teams sweat the small stuff. "The devil is in the details." When Chris Webber called a non-existent timeout in the 1993 championship game, a teammate is signaling him to call timeout. Conversely, in the 2015 Super Bowl, the Patriots had prepared for the goal line stack slant and Malcolm Butler's interception made history. Situational awareness always matters.
Great teams don't cut corners. When I watched the (then) three-time consecutive NCAA Women's Basketball champions practice, I saw them start official practice with two laps around Gampel Pavilion. Every girls 'squared' the corners. Competitors know no shortcuts bring success.
Great teams sacrifice. The Patriots ran ninety-three plays in Super Bowl LI. Players curse "the hill" they run at practice, but extra conditioning provided a late edge.
Great teams set high expectations. A positive attitude builds a foundation for our lives.
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Great teams are disciplined. "The magic is in the work." Aspiration and inspiration mean less than preparation and perspiration. Malcolm Gladwell's Outliers shares the chapter "10,000 hours." John Wooden's Pyramid of Success has Industriousness and Enthusiasm as its cornerstones.
Coach Wooden gave each player a basketball at the end of the season...he expected it returned and worn out by the following season.
Great teams willingly prepare. Ancient wisdom guides our present.
Great teams show more "above the line" behavior. Urban Meyer's Above the Line promotes standards of conduct. Conduct becomes habits. "We make our habits and our habits make us."
Great teams overcome adversity. The Patriots overcoming a 25 point deficit in the third quarter is a memorable example. But Lance Armstrong overcame advanced cancer to become a cycling champion. Both New England tackles, Nate Solder (testicular) and Marcus Cannon (lymphoma) overcame cancer to become multiple Super Bowl champions.
Great teams are mentally strong. The San Antonio Spurs built a diverse group of individuals into a club that won five championships. One of Coach Gregg Popovich's themes is to "pound the rock." If you need to hit it one hundred times to break it, you do. Herb Brooks' "Miracle on Ice" 1980 Olympians weren't the most talented team, just the toughest.
Great teams have a backup plan. Sometimes a great team needs an understudy. Earl Morrall filled that role behind Johnny Unitas and Bob Griese. Morrall had pivotal seasons for the 1968-69 Colts and the 1972-73 Dolphins. The Colts are remembered for losing to Broadway Joe Namath in the Super Bowl and the Dolphins for the perfect (then 17-0 season).
Great teams are never satisfied. Few coaches have achieved more than Nick Saban and Urban Meyer. But within hours of attaining national championships, they return to the recruiting grind to reload for another title run.
Great teams are humble. In David Brooks' The Road to Character he discusses George Marshall as an example of service and self-discipline. Marshall's early youth was not exceptional. He overheard a conversation where his brother discouraged his family from sending him to Virginia Military Institute because he feared George would humiliate the family. Marshall was never a self-promoter, and never received command of US forces in World War II (Eisenhower did), because he humbly refused to ask for it. Instead Marshall became known as a logistics master, planning for hundreds of thousands of troops.
Great teams are adaptable/flexible. In 1970, a segregated Alabama team took on John McKay's integrated USC Trojans and took a pounding in Birmingham, losing 42-21. In the Showtime documentary, "Against the Tide", an Alabama coach remarks that USC could have made the score whatever they wanted it to be. Alabama integrated its football program after the debacle, and repaid the Trojans in LA the next year, running the wishbone and winning. Some say that defeat and Bear Bryant did more to integrate Alabama than any politician or judges.
Great teams learn from history. Character, not characters, wins championships. We all have flaws, but "sports doesn't build character, it reveals character." Roger Staubach has stood for character and integrity, and tells a story of the "Hail Mary" pass. The Cleveland Browns ignored character concerns about Johnny Manziel and suffered the consequences for years.
Great teams place the team above the individual. The Celtics won the 2008 NBA title behind the theme "Ubuntu" the community.
Great teams build a legacy.
Basketball aficionados remember Coach Wooden's UCLA Bruins for not only nine NCAA championships in ten seasons, but for meticulous attention to detail. Whether it was his instruction on wearing socks and sneakers properly, timing of pregame meals, or "UCLA cut", Coach Wooden demanded precision and consistency.
Greatness is intentional, purposeful, and consistent.