This does not address defense at all, much less roster balance, injuries, matchups, athleticism, chemistry, poise, etc. Meaningless via over simplification.
Mental toughness is such an over used term. The Rockets are not a soft team, there just a dumb team that doesn't execute well. Some people might call that a lack of mental toughness, but I don't. I call it a lack of coaching and lack of leadership by your best players.
Most of the guys people point to as being "mentally tough" were questioned before they won titles. For star players: Winning=mentally tough losing=mentally weak
Tell that to anyone who fights on an amateur or professional level or who has competed at a high level in a sport. Pushing hard even when you're losing, when you're getting your head beaten in, when your body is being twisted like a pretzel and your pain centers are lighting up like a Christmas tree is all mental. Bringing out your best performances when the pressure is at the highest, when you're under the greatest scrutiny, and when you have the most to lose is all mental. I've seen guys who fold up like a lawn chair as soon as things get tough. I've seen guys who are so competitive that they'd rather get beaten to a pulp than quit. I've seen guys who we call "gym tough guys". They're great in the gym and beat everyone inside out. As soon as there's something real on the line, the lights are on and an audience is watching they get their shorts beaten off them like rookies. Competitive sports are very much about the mental game and being tough. Some guys just play hard every minute they're on the floor, win or lose. Diving on the floor, banging for rebounds, fighting for position, running hard back in transition, and never giving up on a play. That's all part of the mental game. Some of it is personality, some of it can be developed and fostered by good coaching and locker room/team leadership. It doesn't change the fact that it's real and integral to competitive sports.
Just because he isn't obnoxious and dramatic doesn't mean he isn't focused. When he is doing something personally historic he is going to show a lot of hype (putting up 50 points or hitting 9 of 9 from 3) Just because he isn't pouting or throwing gatorade doesn't mean the dude isn't highly upset about losing or having a bad game. The guy is a professional and he honestly acts the part. Quit hating on the guy because he doesn't want to look like an ass on T.V. On top of that the guy is already pretty laid back in real life setting. It isn't about his attitude...its just his personality.
Fighting and "pushing through" getting your face pounded in is more about adrenaline than about the aberration of "mental toughness". I think someone put it well earlier. They said (in the eyes of all these fans) When someone is winning they automatically have mental toughness. If they lose then they don't have mental toughness because they aren't "clutch" or didn't take over in the final minutes despite every odd being against them.
I'm not hating. I promise you. When's he's rolling he starts twirling the fist... Am I not right? He has this in him, but he needs to show it game-in and game-out... Did I not say that? Or are you quick to find reasons to start some pro-harden argument when it's not what I was going for.....
Let me rephrase this... to win a CHAMPIONSHIP... you must bring it night-in and night-out. There we go. No off games.
This is also a tough thing to analyze.. it's a combination of many things. But if you want to know "Basketball 101"...if you don't make shots and take plays off.... you will lose. It's not hard lol If the Rockets are to win this series... it starts with Harden/Howard wanting it more. Point blank. End of story.
i said mental toughness is a must. i never said or thought it will guarantee wins. to deny that it exists and matters is another story, tho.
You are right in that the Rockets are not well coached, lack leadership, and make dumb plays. And while the Rockets are not a soft team, but they are not "Mentally Tough" either. For any team to win a championship, lots of things have to come together. Having talent is one of them. Being healthy is another. At the end of the day, when you two teams that face off against each other in the playoffs, mental toughness is what separates the winners and losers. Just ask Michael Jordan and the Bulls when they lost to the Celtics in the late 80s and Pistons in the early 90's. For that matter, ask the Pistons why they lost to the Celtics in the late 80s. Mental toughness is what got the aging San Antonio Spurs past the much more talented Miami Heat last year. If you look at only the rosters of the two teams, there is no way you can say the San Antonio team was the better team. There were intangibles that made a difference, including coaching, basketball IQ, team chemistry, and mental toughness. It is mental toughness that allows a team to withstand and keep on going after the opposing team goes on a run and fight back. If they Rockets were mentally tough, the last game would not have been a blow out. There is no way to say we would have won that game, but it should not have been a blowout. In the last game Rockets game against the Clippers, the Rockets had no energy after the Clippers went on their run. That is where mental toughness comes in. Another area where mental toughness comes in when players have to make shots when they are under pressure. How many times have we heard the term "cold blooded." It is the ability to remain calm, cool and perform under pressure. We have the term "cold blooded" because there are guys that can perform under pressure, and those that break under pressure. That seems to be the case with Terrence Jones and Trever Ariza. Although, with as many playoff games Trever has played, I would not have expected Trever's game to have withered. Go ahead and ask Mario (kiss of death) Ellie, Sam Cassel and Vernon Maxwell if mental toughness is important? Here is a second question for you. Why did Bill Russell win so many NBA Championships against Wilt Chamberlain. This was before I started watching NBA games since it was before my time, but I remember watching an interview of Bill Russell where he said he would get into the mind Wilt Chamberlain and take him mentally out of the game.
San Antonio was Better than Miami last year if you watched that series, Idk about all this mental toughness stuff but it was basically Lebron vs the Spurs. I mean as soon as Lebron went out with cramps they Blew the Heat out
if these players have any at all we will show up and just do anything and everything to win today. I am a little doubtful
i dug out my own thread just prove this point one more time: you have to have both the physical/technical and the mental side of the ballgame to win. we beat the mavs mainly because our talent level and athleticism were superior to theirs. we lost to the clips mainly because we're so soft when we didnt have the superiority on the physical/technical side of the ball no more, and we mentally checked out of the game when the going got tough. a good team. ain't a championship contender. that's it. whether or not you can live with it is purely an individual choice.
The biggest problem is that the team doesn't trust one another. That's why everyone plays selfishly. Looking at how selfless the Clippers play was just amazing. They really trust one another. We've seen this a couple of times over the years on this team, but not enough. This is why some of the players seem to "lack mental toughness." It's not that they don't have it. It's that they feel no loyalty to one another or the team.
