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Motivation

Last night, the streets of Indianapolis were quiet, essentially vacant when you consider what they were like after Saturday night’s Final Four games. Butler’s Cinderella run fell 3 points short from being the perfect story. Regardless of the loss in the finals, I can’t look at Butler’s season as anything but successful. You almost couldn’t ask for a closer game. Only the scoreboard can separate the difference between these two teams; one shot, one pair of Free Throws, one turnover early in the game, one made or missed put-back, one call by the officials. Coach Brad Stevens has a great future ahead of him. And congratulations to the Duke team and Coach Mike Krzyzewski! What a fun team to watch all season long. When I consider Duke’s team, the word balance comes to my mind. Which is stronger: their defense or their offense? Everyone on their team rebounds on both ends of the floor. Their offense has a nice mix of dribble penetration, passing, post play, and screens. You can’t concentrate on stopping just one aspect of their offense or stopping one particular player. Coach Mike Krzyzewski continues to build his legacy as a legend in this game. But these are not the things I want to draw your attention to. I want you to forget the rest of the tournament and only consider the last three games – the Final Four and the Final.

Players are smarter than coaches on a moment-by-moment basis. That ought to get your attention! Here’s what I mean:
  • Players should know when they’re being over-played without the ball and can go back-door.
  • Players should know when their defender is out of position and can be beaten by forgetting “the play” and ripping the ball to the goal.
  • Players should see slight openings in the defense that a coach on the sidelines can’t and take advantage of them.
I could go on with this list (just like any coach could). So, when I say smarter, I mean more informed from the standpoint of the immediate read of the defense.

The Pareto Principle (also known as the 80-20 Rule) is the law of the vital few, which states that for many events, 80% of the effects come from 20% of the causes. Pareto noticed that 20% of the pea pods in his garden produced 80% of his peas. Other examples:
  • In business, it’s been noted that 80% of sales come from 20% of clients.
  • Most people wear 20% of their clothes (their favored clothes) 80% of the time.
  • We spend 80% of our time with 20% of our acquaintances.
I’m ready to add another 80-20 to the list: 80% of your offensive actions will come from 20% of the Read & React layers. Why point this out?

Fleas are capable of jumping extremely high. In fact, the average flea can jump between 8–10 inches high, which is just about 100 times its height. That’s like a 5-foot-tall person jumping from the ground to the top of the Washington Monument. Yikes. Fleas can be trained, however. If you were to place a group of fleas in a jar with the lid off, their superior jumping ability would easily allow them to escape from the confines of the jar. Now, close the lid and walk away for three days.