Saturday, April 27, 2024

Basketball: Number 6

Everyone makes associations. The number three has many associations from religion (e.g. Holy Trinity) to national colors (red, white, and blue), to famous speeches ("duty, honor, country"). 

Number '6' leaves special significance. 


1. Bill Russell's number six earned retirement across the NBA. Russell won fourteen championships in fifteen years - 2 NCAA at San Francisco, 11 NBA championships, and an Olympic gold. The greatest winner in basketball history, he said, "my ego depends on the success of my team." 

2. Sixth man. Basketball recognizes the value of contributions from reserve players. The NBA awards the sixth man since the 1982-1983 season and recently named it the John Havlicek award. Hall of Famer Havlicek (eight NBA titles) along with "Kevin McHale, Toni KukočBobby JonesBill Walton, and Manu Ginóbili are the only Hall of Famers who have won the award; Walton, along with James Harden, are the only award winners to have earned NBA MVP honors in their careers." 

3. UCONN men's basketball team won its six championships since 1999. This ranks them as the most of any team since the tournament expanded to the sixty-four team tournament. 

4. The distance from the free throw line to the top of the key is six feet. 

5. Six wins. To win an NCAA championship in the sixty-four team format a team must win six games, a formidable challenge. 

Lagniappe. Separation can mean acceleration but most commonly means deceleration. That requires physical training and basketball action training. 

Lagniappe 2. Sean Billerman breaks down how a possession creates a quality shot and what other options can also evolve.  

Lagniappe 3. Toughness is a trainable skill. There's a spectrum of toughness.