NBA Play Offs

chilliwilli · #1 05-20-2009, 07:02 AM

Quicksilver touched on a very important point that many so-called enthusiasts fail to recognize. It annoys me when people mention that a pro athlete is "cocky" without even really knowing the player or have never even played that particular sport. Having personally played basketball up to collegiate-level...all the camps, training and practice...there's a factor that's incredibly necessary for each individual player that will affect the team, ultimately. That factor is mental toughness...this comes off to many as "cockiness". Call it what you wish...but mental toughness is taught starting in the peewee leagues. You hear coaches like Doc Rivers mentioning the importance of mental toughness in the post-season. Every pro-arena athlete must have this component in his/her arsenal.

Most people only see the physical game before them...but there's a mental aspect to the game as well. If only the players were wired, perhaps it would be more obvious. This cockiness...i.e. mental toughness is what Melo and Denver exhibited in game 1 but Kobe maintained while some team8's froze. It's the most necessary tool a teams star and the entire team must possess especially when playing in an opponents home-court. If the team does not exhibit this mental toughness, their star must...in basketball, often times, if a star player maintains mental toughness and catches fire, some team-mates awake from their slumber and follow lead.

It just annoys me when people mention that players are cocky...well maybe some don't know how to turn off the mental toughness off-court but they're doing exactly as they were trained. Imagine coming into the pro-circuit straight out of high school...all the anxiety that you may experience disappears the moment you exhibit mental toughness and your opponents will take note. Some of you who don't even play the sport won't have a clue what i'm talking about....

Let me also add that i'm neutral as i no longer follow teams...free agency killed that for me when i was a teenager. I now follow individual players and root for them anytime they make good, smart plays on the court. Their lives off-court is none of my damn business.

chilliwilli · #2 05-20-2009, 07:17 AM

By the way...i often moonlight as a technical director for on/off broadway shows in NYC...(the fella that controls the boards). Dr. J himself comes to see several shows i've worked on as he's an avid follower of theater...that and he's "friends" with some of the gals in the productions. Long story long...i've had several b-ball conversations with him and he's acknowledged that he believes the best basketball player currently in the world is Kobe. He made a very valid point, not to compare him with Jordan but something to take note of. He mentioned that there were several players that were able to effectively defend Jordan in his prime...players like Joe Dumars, Mitch Ritchmond, Clyde Drexler ...however, there isn't a single player, currently, that can effectively guard Kobe. And if there is, in a particular game or series, Kobe seems to make adjustments to control the matchup with an assassin-like mentality.

This was from the Dr. himself...and i couldn't argue as it's a valid point. Several other past players have reverberated the same, that Kobe is currently the best player in the world, including one of my all time favorite Tar Heel point guards, Kenny Smith, who played alongside Jordan.

Jerry West feels otherwise but he raises some good points as Lebron may edge Kobe in distributing the ball within offensive and scoring execution (assists). If Miami Heat were in the post-season, i assume D. Wade would be in similar debates.

There are great points in this thread but, StartX5, i believe most of your points are base-less and fueled by a dis-like of Kobe. If you feel otherwise, you need to expound on your statements. I suggest you join a neighborhood YMCA basketball league or tournament for just one season...then circle back with your thoughts...I guarantee there will be a different perspective.