What is the Difference Between the Champion and the Runner-Up?

What is the Difference Between the Champion and the Runner-Up?

 

2018 NBA Playoffs, Boston Celtics vs. Cleveland Cavaliers

Jayson Tatum comes off the screen on the left wing and squares up. He’s open. He shoots. Nothing but net.  And what does he do? He turns toward the sideline and flexes his muscles (he doesn’t have much there) toward the crowd like he just made the shot that won a championship. Meanwhile, the Cavaliers have inbounded the basketball and are racing toward the other end. Now behind the play, Tatum tries to catch up but it’s too late. His pause for self-glory caused a five-on-four situation and Cleveland easily found the open man. Score Cavaliers.

 

1973 NCAA Playoffs, UCLA vs Memphis State

Tommy Curtis brings the ball up the floor and UCLA sets up. The ball goes to Greg Lee at the top of the key. He looks for Bill Walton but Larry Kenon is fronting. With a quick whirl, Walton spins toward the basket, leaving Kenon in his tracks. Lee’s lob is already on the way and is almost at the rim. Walton leaps high to grab it with both hands and lays it gently into the basket. Immediately, Walton points at Lee to acknowledge his contribution to the play and sprints back toward the other end of the court, all the while looking over his shoulder in case Memphis State attempts a long pass. They wouldn’t dare, not against the quickest and most-alert big man in basketball history.

 

There is an age-long question in basketball. “What is the difference between the champion and the runner up?” If we knew the answer, people could make a lot of money in Vegas during Final Four weekend, couldn’t they? Novices will mention peripheral factors such as talent, size, quickness, and speed. Those with deeper knowledge will bring up which team has the better guards, rebounding edge, points per game average, and points per possession. Although influences like these can help, in regards to predicting a winner, history had shown, they are not reliable. So what was the difference between UCLA and the other teams we beat in those championship games? What is the difference between number one and number two?

 

According to John Wooden, there is no single difference. It’s a bunch of little things that add up to something so big and significant, it can determine the winner. That was certainly true for John Wooden’s UCLA teams and one of those “little things” was for players to stay focused on what was happening on the floor. In any basketball game, for both teams, there are numerous “opportunities” which come and go like a flash. If one is not alert, one will miss that opportunity. The team that is trained to stay tuned to the game will take advantage of more opportunities than the team that has players acting like Jayson Tatum. And in the NCAA championship game where the two teams are fairly equal in talent, the team that capitalizes on opportunities will score more points.

 

Let me take you in a time machine to Pauley Pavilion when Coach was conducting a practice. The sounds you are hearing come from only three sources: Coach Wooden shouting instructions, The incessant sound of screeching squeaking sneakers, and Players communicating. One of the forms of communicating is mentioned above, where Walton points at Lee to thank him for the pass. From 2:29 to 4:59, you never hear a player give himself credit for anything. You never see him pound his chest, point to the name on his shirt, or do a fist pump. But you so hear, “Nice pass, I got help, switch, I’m at the high post, get my man, great cut, and what a play!” You never see any UCLA player with his mind on anything other than the job at hand.

 

There are many “little things” that, combined, help make a team great. Staying focused is one of them. A few others are: Putting your socks on correctly, drying your shoes between practices, keeping your shirt tucked in during practice, pulling your socks up, and being on time. But those are just a few.