Bill Self Thoughts on Team Building

Motivation:

*Competition is great motivation, be afraid of failure. Competition should be day after day after day. Ask the player, "if you keep losing, what are you giong to do to win?"

*Running suicides in 30 sec- run them w/partners. Teach the first guy that he should have the mindset that if he can run it in 28 sec, then he is giving his partner 32 sec to finish.

Confidence:

*Confidence is most important in leadership

*Late in games Coach Self asks his team "What do you guys want to run?" Gives them ownership & the mindset that they will get it done

Players Playing their Roles:

*"Coach, I don't know my role? What does the team need? DO IT!

*Team gave guys a role "nickname" that pertains to them & their role- buy into role.

*Daily affirmations to team as they leave practice, have them sleep on the idea

*Circle up before and after

-What do we want to get done? Did we do it?

-Give them a couple of things to concentrate on

Instilling Confidence

From espn.com's Chris Sheridan:

Confidence is one of the things that define a champion.

And Rivers didn't just get his team to keep its poise when it needed some calming; he also provided the Celtics with some confidence afterward that they never saw coming.

Gathering the Celtics in the victorious locker room, he told them to take the day off and study their scouting books on Orlando.

The players were perplexed: "Scouting books? What scouting books?"

"The ones in your cars," Rivers replied.

Turns out Rivers had sent a team employee to each of the players' cars during the game to drop off a scouting book in each vehicle.

That is the bold kind of stuff that champions do, and the Celtics lived up to their pedigree in ending one of the most memorable playoff series we've seen in any round in NBA history.

Defense leads to Offense

Doc Rivers on the Celtics huge 2nd quarter where they outscored Chicago 29-11 to help them capture Game 7:

“We turned into the Celtics again,” Rivers said. “We started playing defense. We were getting stops. Paul knows, because we talked about it before the game. Multiple stops equal multiple scores.

“We did it for stretches during the series, but never a full game except for Game 3. And when we got the stops, we could run. The one thing we thought we could do was that we could run, and that’s what we talked about. Getting easy baskets. We really felt that if we could get stops and rebounds that we could be a transition team tonight. And I thought we were.”

LeBron's commitment to defense

Excerpt from Chris Sheridan of espn.com

But the real focus for James and the Cavs has been on the defensive end, where they were ranked first or second in the league (along with Boston) all year long. James, never a truly great defender before, became a feared stopper whose fabulous blocked shots rivaled his thunder dunks for highlight appeal.

Daniel "Boobie" Gibson said he and his teammates noticed the difference in James as soon as training camp began. While resting on the sidelines during practices after helping Team USA win Olympic gold, James kept yelling about defense, encouraging his teammates to sell out on that end of the floor. Obviously, he backed up his words once he started playing.

"I had never seen him like that before," Gibson said. "All he was talking about was defense."

Carroll and the Trojans aim for never-ending success

Good article on USC coach Pete Carroll about his philosophy of "Winning Fovever":

On Sept. 4, 1994, the New York Jets traveled to Buffalo and beat the Bills 23-3.

Oddly enough, that game's significance lives on today and into eternity at USC- in a glistening Heritage Hall, in the founding philosophies of the USC football program and in the heart and mind of Coach Pete Carroll.

It was that game- that seemingly any-given-Sunday game- that eventually birthed Carroll's "Win Forever" mantra, which has now become the blood that pumps through the Trojans and has driven the program to unprecedented triumphs.

"After the game I went back into the stadium before we got on the buses and looked aruond," recalled Carroll, who was in his first year as Jets head coach that season. "On the wall, the Bills had documented their division championships year after year after year. Even though they didn't win the world championship, they won the division for years and years and just showed great consistency."

The Bills won five AFC East division titles in a six year span from 1988 to 1993, and with each division championship proudly displayed above that tunnel, Carroll saw the writing on the wall.

"I remembered thinking, that's what it means to really be successful, showing you can maintain success over a long period of time," Carroll said. "Looking back now, that's when I decided that I wanted the team I coached to Win Forever."

He says it with such gumption that you almost brush it off as another motivational tool. But it's much bigger that that. Try to rationalize it, and it's just not possible. Attempt to picture it, and nothing comes up. Sit and dwell on it, and the phrase gives you goose bumps. How can you possibly do something forever? Much less Win....Forever?

"It makes perfect sense to me," Carroll says with a shrug.

The consistency is exactly what Carroll means when he says Win Forever. "Trophies are nice, but we want to Win Forever."

Winning forever is much more than winning next Saturday's game. It's about maximizing the opportunities in front of you, Carroll says, so that each player can become the best he can be and each team can achieve it's fullest potential.

"Of course we want to win every game, but winning forever is simply realizing your potential and making yourself as good as you can be," Carroll said. "Realizing that is a tremendous accomplishment, whether it's football or in life."

"Win Forever" has already trickled down into the USC football program. Carroll mentions the phrase- with animated zeal, emphasizing "forever"- every once in a while during team meetings. The eternality part of the phrase plays out in the weight room and on the practice field every day, when players focus on the long-term benefits and consequences of each little action, habit and exercise.

That's the interesting thing about the philosophy- to accomplish the grand, you have to focus on the small. To exist in the eternal perspective, you have to live in the moment.

Each practice takes on utmost importance. Each strength and conditioning workout carries significant weight. They're all monumental, yet none more valuable than another.

And it goes to even more minute scales than that. Each repetition of each drill at practice means everything, because you can't get to forever without right now.

Win Forever has caught fire in Carroll's heart and mind so much that it's become a part of who he is. He mentions it at nearly all of this speaking engagements and drops the phrase to whoever will listen. Win Forever has become truth and reality in his life inside and outside of football.

"The best way to advance something is to live it out, in everything you do," Carroll said. "So that's what I've done.

Coach K on Jim Rome

Heard a great interview on Jim Rome's radio show yesterday with Coach K. Here are some notes from the interview about Team USA & Duke Basketball:

*When asked if he was tired from doing both Team USA and Duke Basketball

-You can’t get tired out when your are invigorated into something. All of us were invigorated. All of the players said it was the best thing to happen to them.

*In the first practice Kobe Bryant talked to Coach K and said, “Coach I want to guard the best player and I promise I will destroy him.” In the first practice Kobe did not take one shot. He gets it.

*Kobe is passionate about his preparation. He had to adjust his practices. He thought they needed two a days to prepare. Players told him that they didn’t need it. Coach K then realized they were lifting & doing their own skill work in the morning, and then coming back at night and shooting. Kobe never left the gym.

*LeBron wanted to learn from the best. Although he is one of the best passers in the NBA, he wanted to learn the fundamentals from teammate Jason Kidd. He wanted to learn how to prepare better so he wanted Kobe. Coach K said the best thing about practice was how everyone wanted to learn from each other to get better.

*Jason Kidd was the most valuable player on the team. He understood legacy, he had been there before. He had his finger on the pulse of everyone there from the coaches to the players. He had the respect of everyone there. Coach K said they don't win a gold medal without him.

*Shane Battier is Coach K’s favorite. Usually a point guard knows what everyone’s position is. Battier knows this better than most point guards. Coach K likes to huddle up to say something motivational. During Battier’s senior year coach is ready to say something and Battier takes over the huddle before practice. He decides he can’t say anything better than Battier so he doesn’t talk. It says that way the rest of the year with Battier leading the huddles before and after practice, they win a championship.

Notes From Hubie Brown

Here are some notes from NBA Hall of Fame coach Hubie Brown at a September clinic.

*What kills a player's potential?

1. Low pain threshold

2. Low IQ (basketball)

3. Selfishness

4. Can the person do the intangibles (charges, loose balls, etc)

5. Drugs and Alcohol

*Accountability is greatly missing in today's game

*Shooting makes up for a multitude of sins. I have a shooter on each unit no matter how bad of a defender he is. We can hide a bad defender, we just need him to make the necessary rotations.

*Key halftime stats:

1. Offensive rebounds (and points off)

2. Fast break %

3. Deflections (Why do I love deflections so much? Because it shows that we're working and it tells me we're bothering them from making the pass to the spot they want)

*Give your players a chance to talk

*Never end a drill without a basket. It does 3 things:

1. Improves their confidence

2. Conditioning, forces them to chase the ball down

3. Enforces good habits, conditions them into making scoring a reflexive action

*A coach must pay attention to the last 6 minutes of a game. Ask yourself:

1. Did we get high percentage shots for our shooters?

2. Did we get to the free throw line?

3. Turnovers

*Zone Attack

1. What kinds of shots are you getting?

2. Can you score in the paint?

3. Can you get to the line?

4. Can we get to the glass for offensive rebounding?

Hubie's 3 toughest offensive actions to guard:

1. Staggered screen for a shooter

2. Dribble handoff

3. Backscreen

Team Attitude

"I think the guys on this team have been extremely tough and played through injuries," Pritchard said of the root of the success. "That's No. 1. No. 2 is the character of our team. Everybody in this locker room is a good guy. It's off the charts. Are there small things? You bet. But never has there been a big issue."

-Portland GM Kevin Pritchard on Portland's success

Sticking to your guns

"Look, all I want to do is win. And I want to try and do the things I believe in. So if sticking to your guns when you believe in something is being [stubborn], then I guess that's what I would fall into. I think all good coaches are stubborn in certain areas, and it comes from being confident that what you're saying is the right thing to do. I don't think I'd be in this position or have this job if I didn't have that confidence."

-Josh McDaniels

Broncos Head Coach

Click here for a good story on Coach McDaniels

The Gold Standard

Coach Bob Starkley of LSU had a great post today on Coach K's new book titled The Gold Standard. In this book, Coach K talks about the gameplan that it he used to form a tight-knit group in Team USA.

Gold Standards:

1.) No Excuses

-We have what it takes to win.

2.) Great Defense

-This is the key to winning the gold.

-We do the dirty work.

3.) Communication

-We look each other in the eye.

-We tell each other the truth.

4.) Trust

-We believe in each other.

5.) Collective Responsibility

-We are committed to each other.

-We win together.

6.) Care

-We have each other's back.

-We give aid to a teammate.

7.) Respect

-We respect each other and our opponents.

-We're always on time.

-We're always prepared

8.) Intelligence

-We take good shots.

-We're aware of team fouls.

-We know the scouting report.

9.) Poise

-We show no weaknesses

10.) Flexibility

-We can handle any situation

-We don't complain

11.) Unselfishness

-We're connected.

-We make the extra pass.

-Our value is not measured by playing time

12.) Aggressiveness

-We play hard every possession

13.) Enthusiasm

-This is fun.

14.) Performance

-We're hungry.

-We have no bad practices.

15.) Pride

-We are the best team in the world and we represent the best country.

Defense Makes Denver a Bully

The Denver Nuggets took control of their series against the Hornets last night with a 121-63 blowout at New Orleans. In past years, Denver has been known for their great offense play but soft defense that has led to many first round departures. However, their defense has been the catalyst for their success this season, even leading some to call them bullies for their aggressive style.

"If you play aggressive and you play strong, you can be called a bully," Denver guard Dahntay Jones said. "So I guess you need a team of bullies, because that's a mind-set you've got to have. You've got to be mentally strong, you've got to be tough and you've got to bring the defense every night."

"Defense is our cornerstone. We make sure we get our stops, and we worry about offensive second."

Says Denver guard Chauncey Billups:

"A lot of people think that defense is not fun. But when you've got five guys out there together defending, it's a lot of fun."

Notes From Billy Donovan

Role Players:

*Never underestimate how important role players are

*Stars will get the pub, it's the role players whom you need to make sure feel appreciated

*Stars must endear themselves to those role players. Garnett offers anyone a free meal with him on a road trip

*Building chemistry isn't all on the coach, your best players have the best chance to improve chemistry

Approach /Avoidance goals:

*Approach Goals: things the team wants to see accomplished

*Avoidance Goals: things the team is hoping to avoid

*Focus on approach goals. Avoidance goals are too negative, makes teams play to not lose rather than to win

Even grown men need a kick in the rear

Good article this week from Sports Illustrated about the USC linebacking unit, including Ray Maualuga, who was drafted in the 2nd round by the Cincinnati Bengals on Saturday. According to this article, Maualuga has matured quite a bit since last season. Here is an excerpt:

"Rey's really matured," said Carroll at the time. "He's a grown man now."

Even grown men still need a swift kick in the rear every so often. Following USC's stunning 27--21 loss at Oregon State last September, in which Maualuga was "terrible," according to Carroll—Norton summoned the senior to his office.

"I felt he was underachieving," Norton recalls. "And he needed to know that. Just to challenge him a little, I asked him, 'Is it possible that you might be overrated?'"

Norton then issued a not-so-veiled threat, asking the proud senior how embarrassing it would be for one of the most feared players in the college game to be second string on his own team.

"Worst meeting of my life," recalls Maualuga.

It had the desired effect. "Rey just cranked it up to another level," says Carroll. "He practiced great, studied [the game] harder and better than ever. He finished on the rise." When the season ended, his teammates voted him the Trojans' most valuable player.

Putting in the Time

LeBron James made 3-pointers from every angle, drove into the lane for dunks and leaned into low post moves.

He was just getting warmed up -- 2 hours before tipoff -- and his regular routine provided another demonstration of greatness.

James had 36 points, 13 rebounds and eight assists to lead the Cleveland Cavaliers to a 99-78 victory over the Detroit Pistons on Sunday, sweeping the Eastern Conference first-round series.

The 24-year-old superstar said his work ethic has been "everything" in a breathtaking career that has surpassed unprecedented hype.

"You're only born with a certain amount of gifts," he said. "You have to take advantage of them, and put in the work. My work ethic has helped me be the player I am today."

Cavs coach Mike Brown said James is a "workaholic," and relayed an anecdote about his son being in awe of James lifting weights and going through individual drills during last offseason.

"I said, 'LeBron doesn't just show up at the game with a Superman outfit on,'" Brown recalled saying to his son.

Hunger to Win

Good article from ESPN the Magazine's Chris Broussard on how the greatest basketball players all have one thing in common; an insatiable desire to win. Thanks to Coach Spilker for sharing this article with me.

No words were spoken, but the volume was louder than a roar. Moments after scoring 45 points in last year's winner-take-all Game 7 Eastern Conference semifinal loss to the Celtics, LeBron James hustled off the court in a huff. Chin buried in his chest, he stormed into the locker room -- blowing by security guards, bumping past teammates -- never once taking his eyes off the floor.

He was ticked.

And that was a good thing.

If you want to know what drove the Cavaliers to their 66-16 record this season; if you want to understand why they protected their home court (39-2) like a SWAT unit, where they shellacked opponents by more than 15 points a game; if you want to understand why James suddenly looked like the NBA's most fearsome defender, well, your answers start with that angry walk through the bowels of the Garden last year.

How do I know? Because I've seen versions of that walk a few times since I started covering the NBA 20 years ago. And so I can tell you that for the first time on a basketball court, James was probably experiencing real pain. Hunger pain, you might call it, but it has nothing to do with food. It's the kind of ache that Michael Jordan felt after losing in the playoffs year after year to the Pistons, what Isiah endured when his Pistons kept falling to the Celtics, what Magic and Bird went through each time they lost to one another. Stomach-churning losses make ravenous competitors hungrier. It's why the postseason brings out the best in the best. "The playoffs are all about having hunger to the point where you're never satisfied," James explains.

Hunger is not an emotion, not quite a mentality and certainly not a skill. What it is, though, is as vital as anything drawn up on a whiteboard or honed in a gymnasium. Coaches come up with syrupy speeches and perform wild pregame stunts in an effort to generate it, and moderately talented players -- "energy guys" -- earn millions for providing a form of it. It's unquantifiable and only vaguely identifiable, and that allows every baller to think he's hungrier than the man he's facing up. Only some of them, of course, have a case. "It's that old cliché: 'Don't talk about it, be about it,'" says Hornets coach Byron Scott, who won three rings with the Lakers. "A lot of teams talk about how hungry they are, how dedicated they are. But until you go out and show it, it's just talk."

Now, some examples of hunger are textbook: Mine are Willis Reed limping onto the court in the 1970 Finals. Dominique and Bird dueling it out in Game 7 in 1988. MJ's 38-point performance while battling defenders and the flu in the 1997 Finals. Derek Fisher sinking a clutch three in 2007, an hour after flying 2,000 miles from his daughter's eye-cancer surgery.

LeBron's hunger has infected his teammates. Not that they can't have a good time.

Where will it come from this year? Who's going to commit to playing D for all 48? Who's going to fight through screens or risk lumps and lacerations lunging into the stands after the rock? We offer some guesses elsewhere in this story. But know this: It's not about physical effort only. That's the easy part. The hard part is using discipline and maturity to apply your brain as much as your body. Take it from a reporter who's spent a lot of days with players during series: There are guys who scour scouting reports and those who skim them -- and the difference is clear come tip-off. When I look at a player and try to guess how he'll impact a series, I begin by asking how dialed-in he is, on off-days and on-nights. Does he watch film in free time, seeking every edge possible, or just in coach- mandated sessions? Does winning mean enough to him that he'll sacrifice touches, feeding the hot hand even if it's not his? These are the kinds of questions coaches and captains ask all season as they scan the practice court and locker room. If they don't like the answers they see, it's their obligation to ratchet up the hunger quotient.

Exhibit A: Early December in Boston, when Kevin Garnett nearly brought Glen Davis to tears. KG felt the Celtics' subs were squandering a 25-point lead against the Blazers. So during a timeout, he got in Davis' grill and let him have it. The C's won, and kept right on winning for eight games.

Exhibit B: Kobe's bizarre "trade me" rants, delivered in July 2007 following back-to-back first-round exits. Kobe told me later the episode motivated teammates and created a "win now" sense of urgency upstairs. See, front office execs can show their hunger as well. Lakers GM Mitch Kupchak responded to his star's cravings by adding a necessary post threat in Pau Gasol.

Exhibit C: Denver trading for Chauncey Billups, which wasn't just a way to get rid of AI. Nuggets personnel boss Mark Warkentien knew Billups had plenty of practice whetting the appetites of his old Pistons teammates, who once fluctuated famously between famished and full. Billups' priority in Denver has been to coax the Nuggets, longtime opening-round fodder, to at least the second round for the first time in 15 years. "I'm not good at playing it off or playing with people who don't have the same passion or desire that I have," Billups says.

Some guys, I have come to believe, are just wired with a particular and insatiable desire. "CP3 and me are similar in our desire to win," Utah's Deron Williams says of New Orleans' Chris Paul. "We both hate to lose in whatever we do." Sounds like a cliché, but it's not. It's hard to describe what it's like to be in the presence of some of the most competitive people in the world, but you can actually feel their heart when you are. I was on the set of last season's NBA preview photo shoot for The Magazine when Ray Allen and Paul Pierce were locked in a game of table tennis that was anything but two guys killing time. Allen's eyes trained on the ball; beads of sweat formed on Pierce's brow. Watching them, I got the feeling that if they were half as intense during the season as they were on that late September evening they'd be champs -- and nine months later they were.

Winning does little to sate hunger for such guys. Michael Jordan still wants a seventh ring. The three titles Kobe won with Shaq might as well be ancient history now. He won't retire happy until he gets ice for his pinky without help from the big man. "I'm always starving," Kobe says. "I'm going to scrape the plate, whether it's now or five years ago." Tim Duncan owns four rings with the Spurs, but that's not enough. "You don't want to see somebody else holding the trophy because you know what it feels like. It makes you want it that much more."

So does actually believing that your team can win, as opposed to just hoping or wanting. The handful of teams with a real reason to think the Larry O'Brien Trophy could be theirs grow hungrier with each step toward that goal. Which brings us back to our cover subject. LeBron says he's hungrier than ever this season, and you believe him, if only because the Cavaliers are on the short list of favorites to win it all for the first time in his career. "It reminds me of the days when I was back in high school," he says. "Every time we went out on the court we knew we were going to win. So, yeah, this is the hungriest I've been. I see the potential in our team."

Having the best record in the league will do that.

It's been almost a year since LeBron took that surly walk after the Cavaliers swallowed a very bitter pill. This spring, King James & Co. expect nothing less than a four-series meal. And they're saving room for dessert.

Rondo fast becoming Celts' leader

Jackie MacMullan has an excellent piece on Celtics point guard Rajon Rondo. As I wrote about earlier this week, Celtics coach Doc Rivers 'gave Rondo the keys' to the team during the Game 2 118-115 victory over the Bulls. Rondo has had it tough since he teamed up with the Big 3 (Garnett, Allen, Pierce) due to the fact that since each player wants the ball, only one of them gets it:

Sometimes during the regular season when Allen gestured for the ball, Rondo stared right through one of the best pure shooters in the game to feed Pierce on the opposite wing because he knew he needed to keep the Truth involved. When Garnett established position in the post and signaled he was open, his arms flailing for emphasis, Rondo blithely glided past him, exploiting the seam in the defense the double-team on KG created.

Those decisions did not make him popular, but they made him respected.

"He earned our trust," Pierce confirmed. "When you think about it, [his job] is probably a little intimidating. I can't imagine being a second- or third-year player and trying to divvy up the ball between three All-Stars."

Rondo had always been confident, but has maturation process has taken time. His body language was a huge problem:

Two seasons ago, before the banners and the plaudits and applause, when Rondo was in charge of a team that won just 24 games, he'd throw a no-look bullet and when it was dropped out of bounds he'd roll his eyes in exasperation. If he set up a shooter for the open jumper and it clanged off the rim, the shooter was subjected to the Rondo stare, a look steeped in disdain and aggravation.

Rivers hauled his supposed floor leader into his office and asked him, "Do you know your teammates hate playing with you?"

Rondo displayed no emotion, but his coach's comments left him struggling to breathe.

"The point guard has to be the guy that brings energy to the team," Rivers chided him. "You can't be the guy that sucks it away. Your moodiness is affecting us. Change it."

Rondo retreated to his apartment to process Rivers' rebuke.

"It was a reality check," Rondo admitted. "I wasn't positive. If I threw a pass they didn't catch, instead of saying, 'Let's get the next one,' I'd make a face. It wasn't what I said. It was more my body language."

This was not a new refrain. When Rondo signed with Kentucky, coach Tubby Smith salivated over the potential of a "world class athlete" who he believed could clear 7 feet in the high jump or challenge the collegiate record in the 100 meters.

Smith's preseason drills included sprinting a series of 200-yard dashes. Rondo developed a habit of running at half speed, then casually turning it up a notch at the finish line.

"His teammates were working so hard, and at the last minute he's blowing past them," Tubby said. "They knew he was better. But when he wouldn't show it every time ..."

The kid wouldn't subscribe to Smith's walk-it-up style of play, so he often highjacked the tempo of the game, pushing his own basketball agenda. He set a school record for steals, but had no perimeter game and no patience for the mistakes of his peers. He was inconsistent; brilliant one day, barely engaged the next, alternately delighting and enraging his teammates.

"If you want them to respect you, you have to make them better," Smith said.

"But coach," Rondo complained, "they keep dropping the ball."

"Rajon," Smith answered, "then figure out a pass they can catch."

Rondo's indifference left Smith commiserating with his assistants late into the night. "We'd ask ourselves, 'How can we get Rajon to go beyond?'" he said.

Soon Ainge and Rivers were posing the same question. It all came too easily for Rondo, and it wasn't until the arrival of the Big Three that he met his athletic match. KG, Pierce and Allen demonstrated the one trait he lacked -- consistency. He dutifully (and silently) monitored their habits. He noticed each of them came to the arena at the same time every game day. Allen had a litany of specific rituals to prepare himself, including a pregame shower.

The point guard's own pregame routine now includes five showers a day: when he wakes up, after shootaround, after his nap, after he completes his pregame warm-up at the Garden and after the actual game. Before Garnett went down, Rondo also began joining KG on the bench in the pregame huddle, waiting until Rivers declared "Let's go!" before standing up. It was something Garnett had done since he arrived in Boston.

"Then one day I look over and there's Rondo," said Allen. "We laugh about it, but you know what? He's learning, watching all the time. Some guys try to get through this league by the seat of their pants.

"But he's become much more aware of what his team needs," observed Lakers point guard Derek Fisher. "He's learned that sometimes passing up an open shot is the best thing he can do.

"That's what separated him from other guys this season. He's fine with 8 points and 10 assists or 18 points and 10 assists. That's maturity."

Billups runs Nuggets to 2-0 lead over Hornets

Big win for Denver last night as they once again controlled the Hornets from the opening tip for a 108-93 victory. I wrote earlier in the week on the importance of Nuggets point guard Chauncey Billups. Here are some post game comments:

Denver coach George Karl:

"He's very skilled. But he plays the game without skills a lot. He plays the game with a brain, and a teamness, a point guard leadership. Then he figures out when to put the skills in the game.

Hornets forward David West:

"We have to make life more difficult for him, make him play under a little more duress," West said. "He does too good a job of getting his team into what needs to be run. He won't allow them to take bad shots. He's controlling that team over there. He doesn't allow them to get out of sorts. He doesn't allow them to get out of control. He has them in control from start to finish.

"He can dominate the game. He is pretty tough to deal with."

Says Billups:

"I've always kind of been a safe player. I don't take that many chances if I don't have to," Billups said. "I try to make the right play. I don't always make the right play but I try to. I try to think the game out, but I'm in a nice little groove right now and guys have been playing great around me.

Playing with instincts

Celtics guard Rajon Rondo played a fantastic game last night getting a triple-double in the Celtics 118-115 victory. Coach Doc Rivers had some interesting postgame comments about Rondo thinking too much before the game.

The way Rivers explained it, Rondo was in his ear before the game asking question after question about every conceivable facet of the game, so many questions -- "they were all great questions" -- that Rivers stopped himself in his tracks and summoned Rondo back after answering the last one, believing he had just done his point guard a disservice.

Wait a minute, Rivers said to himself, I'm complicating things here when I needn't be.

Yes, Rondo's questions were all appropriate ones coming from a dedicated student of the game (Rivers listed some examples: "What can I do defensively? Offensively? Am I dribbling too much? Am I not getting the ball to Paul [Pierce]? Are we not posting enough?"), but there comes a point when the brain is doing too much work and the body not enough, and Rivers wanted to make sure Rondo's yin and yang were in balance.

"He was asking all these questions about what he needed to do, and I told him a bunch of stuff. And then when he left, I got to thinking: 'That's too many questions,'" Rivers recounted.

"And so when I walked back in the locker room I said to him, 'Look, you have the keys to the team, just go out and play. And stop asking me questions,' and I thought the first seven minutes of that ballgame were the best seven minutes I had ever seen him play."

Mr. Blue Collar

Since the Denver Nuggets accquired Chauncey Billups in an early season trade from Detroit, the Nuggets have transformed from a team that was a bubble team for the playoffs to a #2 seed in the Western Conference. This is attributed to the leadership and playoff experience that Billups has brought to the team. The Denver Post had a great article on his importance to the team:

"Blue-collar — I think it's a compliment," said the point guard, a 32-year-old Denver native. "There's really no razzle or glitz and glamour about my game. My game is not athletic. It's a skill game, methodical. I try to outthink my opponents.

"I'm not saying I'm a nonathlete, but most nights I'm going to play against guys who are faster than me. But I'm not going to play against a lot of guys who are stronger than I am. And I'm going to beat you with my knowledge of the game. That's probably where the blue-collar thing comes into play."

Says head coach George Karl:

"So much of playoff basketball is valuing every possession," Nuggets coach George Karl said, "valuing intensity and energy on every possession and being mentally strong and tough on every possession. And I think I just defined Chauncey."

"I think it's very easy to evaluate that Chauncey's mental nature is to win," Karl said. "It's not to have a great game, it's not to have a triple-double — his whole nature is that he starts the game (thinking): 'How are we going to win?' "

Here is what his teammates think of him:

Kenyon Martin

"My position, they can't double the post because he has a terrific 3-point shot. He's a great player. He looks for me. I tell him, just give me the ball a little earlier, because he'll take two defenders and I'm behind him and makes me (open) on the pick-and-roll. I'm the kind of player who anticipates the play, so I'm ready early. It's all about communication."

Nene

"He's a natural floor leader. He commands a level of respect, being a champion and a Finals MVP. He brings a lot of knowledge to the game and experience. I feed off his intensity, will to win, poise and shot selection."

Dahntay Jones

"He's just patient out there. And with him, I don't have to go out there and try to score 30 to 40 points for us to win the basketball game. That's something I've learned this season."

Carmelo Anthony

"He's capable of hitting big shots — hence his name Mr. Big Shot — so guards don't sink off of him because they respect him. So it opens up the floor."

Chris Andersen

"Chauncey has been great — he makes everybody better because he knows where to pass it and when to pass it."

Linas Kleiza

"When I'm out there, he's looking for me on different plays, and me and him talk a lot on defense. We'll talk about who we want to guard, and he'll be like, 'It doesn't matter,' because both of us are pretty good defenders and we always take the challenge."

Anthony Carter

"He's just teaching me so much, even sitting with him on the bench, just certain aspects, playing the point guard position. On the court, he's the best player I've ever played with."

J.R. Smith

"I don't think there's any question that point guards help coaches, because you communicate through your point guard most of the time. Chauncey has been trained and brought up in the same fundamental desires that I have been brought up in. Make the game simple, play hard, play together, defense first."

The Rock for the Jazz

Utah Jazz point guard Deron Williams is one of the most feared guards in the NBA for his ability to create not only for himself but for his teammates as well. This article from the Desert News gives alot of great insight into the Jazz leader. Here are some excerpts from the article:

Says coach Jerry Sloan:

"Every team that plays in the championship usually has a guy that can beat you 1-on-1," he said.

"We've got a guy," added Sloan, whose Jazz are still looking for their first title in franchise history, "that's pretty close to being that way most of the time, and I think he'll get better and better as time goes on."

Teammate Ronnie Brewer:

"Just knowing guys spots, getting guys shots, getting me involved, getting C.J. (Miles) involved, getting Booz, Paul (Millsap), A.K.," he said. "I mean, he's doing a phenomenal jump of doing that.

"There's been times when he can score 30, 40 points and get 10 assists — but he distributes the ball well," he added. "Second in the league (behind only New Orleans' Chris Paul) in assists. So, I think that's the biggest improvement for him. He's getting everybody involved, and becoming more of a leader."

"As a player, you're gonna develop over years. You expect that out of him, because he's such a great talent," Brewer said. "But I think he's running this squad like he's supposed to."

Sloan doesn't want Williams to be a one-dimensional, do-it-alone type.

"Point guards don't always have to take the big shot," he said when asked recently if Williams was the Jazz's obvious go-to guy in late-game scenarios. "They pass it to the guy that's open."

"When (NBA all-time assists leader) John Stockton was here for 19 years, the idea was to run our offense, get the ball to somebody who's open. If it's not there, you take the shot.

"That's what execution's about — not just trying to break one individual down all the time," he added. "I thought that's what always gave us a chance to win a lot of games."

Williams readily concurs.

"We're a much better team," he said, echoing what he's suggested several times this season, "when we're helping each other out, playing defense, sharing the basketball."

"He hasn't said anything about a shot I've taken the whole year," Williams said of Sloan, "so, yeah, I've got a green light, I guess. You can say that.

"But he knows I don't like taking bad shots. I get mad at myself when I take bad shots," he added. "I think I have a good feel for the game, and situations that are going on in the game, and how to try to get everybody involved, and balance that with scoring as well."

Matt Cassel on Leadership

“You have to show first by going out there and demonstrating that in workouts and in your day-to-day activity and show everybody by example rather than what you say,” Cassel said. “As you earn their respect out there on the field through example and what you do, you’re able to … use your voice a little bit more and have a lot to say when it comes to telling people what to do.”

-Matt Cassel

QB, Kansas City Chiefs

Maintaining an Edge

"There are three things that can derail a really good, experienced team. The first is getting soft and losing your edge. [Florida basketball coach] Billy Donovan talked about it all the time with his teams, how they never lost their edge and were always hungry. Discipline is the second thing that can hurt you. If we have discipline issues and guys aren't here, that can really hurt you. The third thing is injuries. If we can eliminate those things, we'll be pretty good."

-Urban Meyer

Opportunity starts in practice

It is the ONE opportunity that matters. You can't be concerned about other guys getting more opportunities or more chances to make a play. At some point the opportunity will be yours. When you have the chance to make a play, to make a difference, at that moment that is all that matters. Everyday, I practice with that opportunity in mind.

-Antwaan Randle El

Redskins WR

Forward Thinking

Florida coach Billy Donovan is big on bringing in other players and coaches to talk to his team. A couple of years ago Bill Belicheck met with the team shortly before the SEC tournament. Florida was #1 in the country and Donovan wanted to make sure the team did not get full of themselves.

Belicheck showed them a video of the Breeders' Cup (which is a horse race) and paused the tape halfway through the race with the outcome still up in the air. He asked the team "Who will win? The horse with the most experienced jockey? The horse who has won the most money? The horse with the best odds prior to the race?" The team was puzzled, "No, it's the horse that runs the best race from here on out. You can't focus on prior accomplishments/failures, you must only foucs on the present and doing your best the next play."

From the Navy SEAL's Creed

Great story over the weekend on how three Navy SEAL's were able to save a hostage who was attack by pirates off the coast of Somalia. The rigourous training for the SEAL's is really as impressive as it gets. Here is part of the Navy SEAL's creed:

"My loyalty to country and team is beyond reproach. I humbly serve as a guardian to my fellow Americans, always ready to defend those who are unable to defend themselves. I do not advertise the nature of my work, nor seek recognition for my actions. I voluntarily accept the inherent hazards of my profession, placing the welfare and security of others before my own. I serve with honor on and off the battlefield. The ability to control my emotions and my actions, regardless of circumstance, sets me apart from other men. ... In the absence of orders I will take charge, lead my teammates and accomplish the mission. ... I will never quit. I persevere and thrive on adversity. My nation expects me to be physically harder and mentally stronger than my enemies. If knocked down, I will get back up, every time. I will draw on every remaining ounce of strength to protect my teammates and to accomplish our mission. I am never out of the fight."

A system built on trust

Was reading an article on the 1993 National Champs North Carolina and found this to be interesting about how Dean Smith built a foundation of trust into his team:

The coach can deny it all he wants, but there are certainly many constituent systems to whatever it is North Carolina does. There is an honor system: If you're dragging, you flash a clenched fist, the "tired signal," and the coach will take you out. But because you have credited the team with your honesty, the team rewards you, letting you return to the game whenever you're ready; Smith merely tells you whom to replace.

There's a buddy system, too. Each Tar Heel is paired with another. When Williams gives the tired signal, Rödl usually enters the lineup. When Reese flashes the sign, Sullivan fills in. When Montross wants out, Salvadori is sprinting to the scorer's table.

There is also an electrical system of sorts—or there had been. Since the three-pointer was introduced in 1986, good shooters had a green light to shoot threes, those with a less deft touch had a yellow light (they could shoot only under certain circumstances) and a few lived on Deano's own Bourbon Street, in his red-light district. " 'Red light, green light' was making me more hesitant," says Reese, who was one of several Tar Heels who went to Smith during the off-season and prevailed upon him to scrap the rule. "This year there is no light, and the team is more comfortable with its shots. Coach Smith knows that a team of juniors and seniors isn't going to try anything wild."

Going hard all the time

Big Ten defensive player of the year Travis Walton of Michigan State had the assignment of guarding North Carolina's Wayne Ellington. Walton had no answer for Ellington in UNC's victory. Here is what Walton said about the Carolina guard:

"He's a great player," Walton said. "He comes off screens hard. He gave you different looks. He stayed low to the ground. He's long. He exploded. He's got one speed, and it's going hard all the time -- even if he's missing shots. I watched film of him, and I was kind of surprised when he wasn't playing as well, he was still going hard, elevating on his jump shot. When he was in his hot streak, it's tough to guard a player like that. Today was his night."

Loss of Ginobili all about attitude

The Spurs must accept the loss of star guard Manu Ginobili for the remainder of the season, including the playoffs, as a challenge that must be taken on, Spurs coach Gregg Popovich said Tuesday morning.

As devastated as the Spurs were to learn that Ginobili will not play again this season after renewed discomfort in his right ankle was diagnosed Monday as a stress fracture of the right distal fibula, Popovich is counting on his players' collective character to do what it takes to win games without one of their most important teammates.

“It's about attitude,” Popovich said. “We can do the best possible job we can of believing in each other and put out the effort that's required to win basketball games, or we can feel sorry for ourselves and say, ‘Gosh, without Manu it's going to be really difficult to reach our goals.'”

Popovich expects determination to overcome adversity and to outweigh self pity.

“That's not how the team is built, character-wise, I don't think, so we look at it as a challenge and take it on.”

NCAA Tournament - One Shining Moment 2009 HQ

Tiger Woods on Working to Get Better

The Masters starts on Thursday with Tiger Woods going for another Green Jacket. Here is a little on his mindset of getting better everyday.

Playing with Heart

"You can have all the talent in the world, but what's really going to put you over the hump is heart," Wildcats forward Dwayne Anderson said. "All the Villanova players play with heart. Of course, talent can get you wins, but heart and defending can get you championships."

-Dwayne Anderson

With great teams and players, everything is a competition

Article from cnnsi.com

DETROIT - The hill stretches "about a quarter-mile," according to North Carolina forward Ed Davis, and it snakes through the bowels of Ford Field from the court to the locker rooms. Merely walking up the grade strains the calves and the stamina of those who haven't just played a basketball game. So why was everyone in Carolina blue - coaches included - sprinting up the thing after Saturday's 83-69 national semifinal win against Villanova.

Because it was a race. Actually, it was a rematch.

Not satisfied with walloping nearly every opponent this season, the Tar Heels are so hypercompetitive that that even the act of leaving the court has morphed into a game almost as important as the one they've just finished playing. The long, sloping tunnel at Ford Field only adds more spice to the track meet.

After Carolina thumped its national title game opponent, Michigan State, here on Dec. 3, coach Roy Williams ripped through the handshake line and tore off the court. "Coach Williams won - but he cheated," assistant Joe Halladay said. "He got out because he shook hands first." Head start or no, the fact that the 58-year-old Williams dusted his late teen and 20-something charges is pretty impressive.

So, after the Tar Heels dispatched Villanova on Saturday and Williams promised another charge up the hill during an interview with CBS, Carolina players took their marks. Guard Bobby Frasor was the rabbit, but he could sense the herd behind him. "I was leading everybody, then I saw them sprinting from behind me," Frasor said. "That put me into a different gear. I got back here first. I was out of breath, though."

That Frasor won Saturday shouldn't come as a surprise. He also led the Tar Heels in offensive rebounds with five in 19 minutes. On a night when Carolina's big men struggled with boxing out and with foul trouble, the 6-foot-3 Frasor stepped in and filled a need because, just like on the hill, he refused to be beaten.

That may be the critical difference between the 2009 Tar Heels and the ones who fell behind by 28 in the first half of a national semfinal loss against Kansas last year. To borrow a line from USC football coach Pete Carroll, they always compete. Naturally, they aren't always at the top of their games, but if everyone is competitive enough to turn the trip back to the locker room into the Boston Marathon, it's a safe bet someone will step forward to gut out an offensive rebound or poke away an entry pass.

Description of Villanova Basketball

Villanova senior forward Shane Clark was asked recently to describe his thoughts on what 'Villanova Basketball' is:

"Just doing al the little things, making tough plays. Diving on the floor, getting the rebound. Doing whatever it takes."

It is always great when the players and coaches are on the same page in terms of what they expect out of each other. Coach Wright, who is a Villanova alumnist, has a no-nonsense style when it comes to giving a maximum effort as stated in the Philadelphia Daily News:

They know what makes Wright the angriest: showboating, moping, missing a defensive assignment, not giving 100 percent.

"If there's a loose ball and you're in that area and you're not diving on it, that would make him the maddest," Dante Cunningham said.

"He feels a responsibility to everybody that came before us and before him to lead this great tradition in the right direction," Scottie Reynolds said, "and the only way he feels he can do that and take full responsibility of that is us playing hard and playing together, playing smart and playing with pride. . . . If he sees that you're not doing that, then he has to make some changes."

A missed shot doesn't discourage a great shooter

Great game in Boston last night as the Celtics held off the Charlotte Bobcats 111-109 in double overtime. Ray Allen hit a couple of big shots for the Celtics; one to send the game into double overtime and another with 2.1 seconds left to win the game for Boston. It's not as though it was an easy night for Allen, who was struggling during the 3rd and 4th quarters with his shot.

Says Paul Pierce:

“That’s Ray,” Pierce said. “He’s a future Hall of Famer, and great players seem to find a way. When Ray misses a shot, it doesn’t discourage him. His confidence is through the roof regardless of if he’s missed two, three, four hundred shots in a row. He always feels like the next one’s going to go in.”

Here is what Allen said about his shooting in the 3rd and 4th quarters:

“For a second, everything was flat,” Allen said. “I just needed to back away from it and get my legs back under me. I just clean-slated it. Eddie (House) was like, ‘I don’t normally say nothing to you, but your shot . . . everything is flat.’ It was all in my legs, and I knew it once the ball left my fingertips. It’s a funky thing for me. If my shots are flat, it’s all in my legs.”

As Allen worked things out in his mind, House, the hero in the previous game, offered more encouragement.

“It just takes one,” House said. “And I told Ray. I told him. I said, ‘Don’t worry, man. You’re going to knock it down when we really need it.’ And he did exactly that. You know, shooters aren’t afraid to take the next shot. Even after he shot an airball, he came back and hit the shot. That’s just a Hall of Fame player right there.”

Taking Pride in your Work Ethic

Thanks to Coach Musselman for emailing me this yesterday:

SANTA CLARA – Around 49ers headquarters, Mike Singletary is known as "coach." But perhaps "sergeant" is a more appropriate title this offseason.

Players received a quick introduction to what life would be like under the Singletary regime when they stepped outside on the first day of minicamp and were put through a circuit of drills that rivaled a Parris Island, S.C., boot camp.

At one point Saturday, a group was shuffling over bags and between cones while assistant coaches barked at the players to run faster. At the sound of a whistle, the same group moved to another drill that had the players lifting heavy bags in a grueling relay race.

"I didn't know how heavy that bag was going to be," linebacker Patrick Willis said. "I almost fell over."

And though that was tough, perhaps the worst is yet to come. Looming on the north side of the practice field is a grass hill that was augmented with 2,500 tons of dirt. The result is a 15-foot-high climb with inclines of 30 degrees on one side and 40 degrees on the other.

Singletary's name for the new edifice: Pain.

"There's something about the hill," Singletary said, noting Jerry Rice and other great NFL players have trained on hills. "It's beautiful to look at but what it's going to do for our guys is it's going to bring about something that you can't really get in the weight room. Something that you really can't get on the track. It builds something that's kind of a mystery."

Everything that Singletary has implemented this offseason screams the same message: No one will work harder than the 49ers in 2009.

"We're one of two teams in the league, I think, that are having a minicamp in March," said linebacker Takeo Spikes. "And I guarantee you … they're not doing what we're doing out here. People can say it's malicious. People can say it's the 'Junction Boys.' But at the end of the day, it's all about mind-set."

Spikes said the routine reminded him of what life was like when he played at Auburn: Up every day at 4:30 a.m. to run football drills and then off to classes.

"If you didn't see a guy, you knew he caught a Greyhound bus home early that morning," Spikes said. "That's how hard it was."

So far, none of the 49ers is hopping on a bus.

In fact, Singletary said he was impressed how the players reacted when the circuit drills were sprung on them Friday afternoon. At one point, Singletary said he was prepared to end the session early.

"I think Vernon (Davis) was the first one that said, 'No, we are going to finish this.' And everyone else chimed in," Singletary said. "I think it says a lot about our team and it says a lot about our guys. I'm just really excited about it."