610-610. That was the score through 24 quarters of basketball between the Cleveland Cavaliers and the Golden State Warriors. Game 7 would break the tie in a series rich with movie script quality narrative for both sides. There was so much on the line. Regardless of the outcome, we were all watching a real-time 30 for 30 film. Golden State would cap off the best season ever. Or Lebron James would finally bring home the championship that the seemingly cursed city of Cleveland so desperately longed for. Either way, we would all be witnesses to basketball legend.
I was nervous watching the opening minutes of the game, and I wasn’t even playing. Every possession felt like it was the biggest one of the year, and in reality, each one was. It is amazing how the importance of the little things is magnified when the value of each possession carries so much weight.
Players, it is imperative that you understand the importance of the little things. You can take your game to another level if you create the habit of doing the little things that make a big impact in basketball games. Here are 8 little things that made a huge difference in the NBA Finals.
1. Casual Carelessness
“Don’t let winning make you soft.” -Larry Bird
Look, I love Steph Curry. I respect his work ethic and think he is one of the best players in the game. I also think he was deserving of the NBA MVP. Having said that, I believe that Steph Curry is not a finished product. He can still improve. The main area that comes to mind is how he handles success. He had a dream season this year, but his success seemed to make him feel bulletproof at times. It shows itself with how he tends to get careless with the basketball. I am all for playing loose and free, but not when it makes a player devalue the ball. Many of Steph’s turnovers in the playoffs during the last two years were a direct result of him simply being casual handling the basketball. It has been a bad habit that he has been able to get away with, but not this year. When it mattered the most, with the title on the line, his habitual casual ball handling came back to bite him.
2. Excuses Only Hurt Your Game
When something doesn’t go your way, you have 2 choices:
- Take ownership/Think about what you could’ve done better to avoid the bad situation
- Make excuses/Find someone to blame
All this talk about the NBA Finals being rigged has me shaking my head. Even the Warriors head coach Steve Kerr and Steph Curry played the victim card in the post-game press conference after game 6. I guess it’s logical for them to think this could be a possibility. The reality is the NBA is an entertainment business. Money does play a factor. The Warriors made over 13 million dollars on game 7 alone. That’s not even taking into account how much money the NBA made on the TV deal.
“Adverse circumstances are just a chance to show off.” -Dick Devenzio
Hostile environments are just that… A chance to show off what you are truly made of. Was the NBA Finals officiated in a way that would give the NBA the best chance to have a 7 game series? I can’t say for sure. But I do know this… If Golden State refused to play the victim card and chose personal responsibility above all, they would have played better. There are things that are out of your control, but your response and your resolve when the deck is stacked against you is always in your control. Life is not always fair. Sports are not always fair. But expecting fairness is the mindset of the mediocre. You have to rise above it by taking the challenge head on and doing all you can do to overcome it. Before you make an excuse, you must look in the mirror first and ask yourself, “Did we do all we could’ve done?” If your habit is making excuses, you won’t give yourself a chance to overcome. You have to let go of what you cannot control and take total responsibility for what you can. When this is your habit of thought, you will be amazed at the mountains you can climb. Which brings me to my next point…
3. Fouls are mistakes
I don’t want to hear about fouls that were called on the “MVP”. At least 3 of Steph’s fouls in game 6 were completely avoidable. 3 of his last 4 fouls were on unnecessary reaches while he was already in foul trouble, and the one that fouled him out occurred 70 feet from the basket. That’s just bad basketball. He gambled and he lost. He put himself in a bad spot and left his 6th foul up to the official. You don’t need to be reaching and gambling when you are in foul trouble. Just be in position and guard.
His 4th could have been avoided as well by simply making one of basketball’s most fundamental plays. Box out. He didn’t battle and box out Kevin Love. Love got the rebound, and he reached and got a piece of Love’s arm. Oh how much the little things matter.
Players, before you whine about a bad foul call that sends you to the bench, ask yourself this- “Did I have any silly, avoidable fouls.” If the answer is yes, you have no right to whine about it. It’s your fault. So don’t deflect the blame. You gave someone else (the officials) control over your game. Take ownership and learn from it.
Bottom line- Fouls are mistakes, and it is the silly, avoidable ones that get you in trouble.
4. Don’t get screened
I’m not interested in discussing Steph and Klay’s struggles shooting the ball. Let’s give credit where credit is due by looking into why they struggled. The in games 5-7 the Cleveland Cavaliers refused to get screened. They put on a clinic on getting through screens with a combination of effort and effective communication. Early on in the series, The Cavs were running into screens and settled for switching nearly every time the Warriors set a screen for a Steph or Klay. They were not used to switching away from the ball screens and gave up many uncontested layups to cutters as well as open 3’s. But as the series went on they notched up their effort to desperation level. Every time there was a screen set for a shooter you could see a desperate effort by each player to get through screens. This effort made them virtually unscreenable. And if they had to switch, they communicated effectively.
Have you ever looked at your coach and said, “I got screened” after your man scored a bucket? If so, I challenge you to never say those words again. Just because your man is coming off a screen does not mean you have to run into the screen. I know it sounds silly, but I see players do this time and time again. Honestly, it’s lazy. Be a guy that takes pride in being difficult to screen. All it takes is relentless effort.
3 tips to help you be unscreenable:
- Fake at screeners
- Run through arms and knees
- Don’t stop when you get screened. Spin off solid contact
5. Andrew Bogut
One of the turning points in the series was when Andrew Bogut went down. He did so many little things that do not always show up on the stat sheet that helped the warriors win games. It was obvious how much they missed his screening and passing on the perimeter. He is one of the best away from the ball screeners in the game today. He is a guy that the splash brothers can always count on to get them just enough space to get a quality look at the basket. After he screens, he is also effective with his cuts to the rim when his man gives too much help. His passing also makes him effective when he pops to the outside. He gets shooters and cutters the ball where they want it and when they want it. Defensively, he is a quality rim protector and rebounder. The little things Andrew Bogut brought to the table each night were sorely missed in games 5-7.
6. Mistake Response
When you make a mistake on the basketball court you have two choices:
- You can put your head down and dwell on the mistake.
- You can hustle. Move on the next play.
Take a look at the contrast between Steph Curry and Iman Shumpert on these missed threes:
Against the best teams, you cannot droop. All it takes is hesitation (putting your head down) for a fraction of a second for a good team to punish you for it. In the biggest moments you must move on to the next play immediately without hesitation.
Hustle can cover up a multitude of errors.
7. “I just wanna be a star in my role.” –Tristan Thompson
Tristan Thompson stepped up huge on both ends during game 7, especially on the glass. He also sent a great message on how winning is done to players everywhere- Be a star in your role. When you play on a good team there is enough glory to go around for everyone.
Kevin Love was also a star in his role in game 7. He didn’t play as much in games 5-7 but when he did, he attacked his role and came up huge when it mattered most. He was relentless on the offensive glass from the opening tip. And with 30 seconds left, he made one of the most important defensive plays of the game when Steph could not shake him on the perimeter and was forced into a tough 3 point shot.
When the final buzzer sounded, I don’t know if anyone was happier than Kevin Love. He is a 3 time All-Star who was willing to do whatever it took to help his team. Even if that meant sitting on the bench because their most effective lineup vs. the Warriors’ small ball had Tristan Thompson at the 5. All match ups are different. Kevin Love does not match up well against Golden State’s small ball lineups. So with Bogut being out, his role on the team changed drastically from the Cavs previous playoff games. What I love about Love is that he checked his ego at the door, blocked out all outside criticism from the media, and was committed to doing whatever it took to help his team win the NBA Title.
No matter what your role on the team… even if your role changes during the season or against one particular team… Embrace your role. Attack your role. Be a star in your role. That is what champions do.
8. Chemistry
One common denominator of championship teams is chemistry. The players like each other on and off the court. They support each other. They love each other. Team chemistry is another little thing that won’t show up on the stat sheet. But it is the centerpiece of the story of success for most championship teams. Click to check out this article by Richard Jefferson on The Player’s Tribune. It offers insight into the chemistry of the Cleveland Cavaliers during their championship run.
If you want to play on a great team, invest in the lives of your teammates. You don’t need a blueprint or how-to manual to build team chemistry. It is a product of words, actions, time, empathy, and compassion. It is people. It is family. It is a brotherhood.
Championship teams have players who understand each other on the floor because they take the time to know and love each other off the floor.
THE LITTLE THINGS… THERE’S NOTHING BIGGER.
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