"Players only love you when they're playing." - Fleetwood Mac, Dreams
Kryptonite keeps us watching Superman. He has almost unlimited powers, but there's Kryptonite.
UMBC found Virginia's Kryptonite. Kansas found the Kryptonite for Duke's unorthodox 4-1 zone. Kryptonite is out there. Our job is finding it. It helps us discover David Mamet's end of the hero's journey, recognition and reversal of tragedy.
Kryptonite is specific to a given opponent. You can't bring a knife to a gunfight*.
Kryptonite appears in mismatches, strategy, and special circumstances. The element of surprise has a role, too. Superman's no dope.
Kryptonite materializes in the form of full court pressure, transition offense, containment half court defense, or a myriad of combinations. Jerry Tarkanian used the Amoeba Defense as Kryptonite, Dale Brown had the Freak. Hack-a-Shaq had a greenish tint.
Phil Woolpert and Red Auerbach had Bill Russell as their green machine. Rollie Massimino's Kryptonite for Georgetown was Harold Jensen.
The Heat used the 2-3 with mixed results. The Celtics like a Diamond Zone late against SLOBs. Everyone searches for vulnerability.
Even great teams have weaknesses. In Why the Best Are the Best, Kevin Eastman shares an analysis of a Celtics-Lakers game during their peak. He counted thirty-two (32) Laker points allowed by small defensive breakdowns. Kryptonite resides in executing small details.
Lagniappe: Yesterday, Today, and Tomorrow.
Kevin Eastman in Why the Best Are the Best talks about the three days - yesterday, today, and tomorrow. Yesterday was about education and evaluation. Today is execution. Tomorrow reflects preparation.
In the spirit of alliteration, I'll argue for EDUCATION, EXECUTION, and EVOLUTION. Yesterday we knew who we were, today who we are, and tomorrow we forge whom we become.
Lagniappe 2. "Without the ball."
What are you doing without the ball? Can you cut to open spots, to score, or to set up your shot? Some thought J.J. Redick too slow to be an effective NBA player. But hard work and craft allow Redick to pick his spots.
Lagniappe 3. "Get past hard."
Chris Hadfield, MasterClass.com, on Space Exploration
Make practice realistic. During spacewalk simulation in the "Neutral Buoyancy Tank" (pool) in Houston for eight hours, every movement you make 40 feet underwater is resisted by the pressurized spacesuit. That's miserable. And so is wearing a diaper before and during your time in the suit. Get past hard.
*James Coburn in original The Magnificent Seven (1960)