i believe a team's collective mental toughness is a must in any playoff series. so i think this deserves its own thread. i want to say lack of mental toughness of key players and as a team collectively is the fundamental reason why we lost 2 games out 3 in a very embarrassing fashion. there were times in the games dwight looked like 'am i the only one who is still trying' and that tells me we have a big problem. mental toughness means a lot of things. passion, intensity, determination, composure, discipline, relentlessness,,, all these elements have to be in place. and it's not just getting mad and trying to light up a fire. it has to be all these things. think about the spurs. as a fan of the sport i am also a big fan of the san antonio team. they went down this year in the 1st round and they're the defending champions. yet i dont feel too bad about them losing to the clips. not much to complain (well, other than 2 important calls or non-calls in the final seconds of game 7). to me they have the right level and mix of all the elements of mental toughness as a team. e.g., duncan may look always calm, but he's an ultimate competitor. there's no other way to explain how he did what he did at the age of 39. same can be said about manu as well. i also believe, that, for individual players, mental toughness is something you either have or you dont. it's not something you can obtain from practice (unlike ft skill) or playoff experience. and that's why i am not sure this rockets team can go any further than they have with its current makeup. i really wish i am wrong on this one. only time will tell. to me, the greatest players throughout the history of the nba all have one thing in common: they all possess both great physical talent/skills and great mental toughness. think jordon, hakeem, shaq, moses malone,,, lots of examples. and, many very very talented players went down achieving little because they didnt have the right combination of both. e.g., chris webber in my mind is the most talented 4 ever, but he and his kings team achieved far less than duncan and the spurs. mcgrady is as talented as kobe and... similarly, all the great nba championship teams have one thing in common: the right combination of talent and mental toughness. go down the championship list of all the years and see for yourself.
I actually thought that Patrick Beverly, Josh Smith and Corey Brewer gave them some mental toughness. Patrick Beverly's play has been atrocious this year, but at least he gave them a little bit of that edge. Corey Brewer has been great for the team, and his personality is infectious and helps the team chemistry, but it is not the killer instinct type of mental toughness. I really thought that Josh Smith was the missing piece that the team needed but his play in the last game made you scratch your head. When Josh Smith is not mentally checked into the game, it has a much bigger effect on the team. I think the biggest factor effecting this team is the increased pressure on Harden. The guys on the team playing the point and small forward have been shooting horribly, especially Trevor Ariza. Trevor's shooting percentage has been exceptionally poor, and if you exclude the 1 or 2 games where he shot a decent clip in Dallas, his shooting percentage is absolutely atrocious. This makes is easier for other teams to double James Harden because it makes it easier for other teams to sag off of Trevor and who-ever is playing the point (Pablo Prigioni or Jason Terry). There have been times when I look at James Harden's face, and you can see the frustration. This was reflected with the two quick fouls he gave in the last game.
Former Rockets players with mental toughness, Moses Malone Mario Elie Vernon Maxwell Bob Sura Ron Artest
Thomas Hamilton did not have the it factor. Was he even a role player for the Rockets? Charles Oakley was a beast when he played for New York, not so much for the Rockets. Charles had the "It" factor, but not when he was the Rockets? How many games did he even play for us? Brent Price had the "it" factor, but not in the same league as mentioned in the group of guys above.
"Mental toughness" just sounds like some bullcrap term. If you have a system and the system is being exploited because of match ups then is your problem mental toughness? These guys play on the biggest stage in basketball. Literally hundreds of thousands of people watch them every time they play. They have been professionals for years. Their jitters should be gone. Mental toughness isn't going to make you less tired. If you have been ran into the ground and your legs are weak abd breathing heavy there's no amount of "mental toughness" that just gives you the ability to something you physically can't. It all comes down to just executing, making smart decisions, and having communication amongst each other. If things start getting broken down then reset the ball instead of making something out of nothing. If the other team is on a run, turnovers stacking up, and they're getting hyped then call a time out. Let them calm down and then go back to what is working
you would be 100% right... only when you're playing the video/computer games of bball. only having the physical/technical side of the ballgame will NOT work. it may work for a game or 2, but not in a long run. guess that's where you and i differ.
Obviously you think Mental Toughness is about playing time! Thomas Hamilton had the nickname. 2 sandwiches. That's just tough to deal with. Oakley played 7 games. For a beast like him , that's just tough to get benched. Brent Price avg better stats in a Rockets uniform than all of those I mentioned above.
really? why is that? i feel what i said in this thread is not only true to bball, but also to baseball, football, soccer or any other pro sports as well.
what about patrick b? another player in my mind is actually prigs. but both him and terry are too old and physically-limited now to have a large impact. same can be said about this year's ginobili.
If it mental toughness could you win basketball games then the Spurs would win every year. These guys have been playing for years with NBA Finals experiences and regular season mileage. It all comes down to making your shots, you either make them or you lose.
Professional basketball is 50% physical and 50% mental. That is why the Chris Paul is the best point guard in basketball and its because he can control the game with his playmaking ability. He is able to manipulate the field by playing into people's tendencies. Mental toughness is a thing of fairy tales and Stan Lee. Being smart about what you're doing is completely different. Mental toughness isn't going to suddenly make balls go in but taking smart shots and making decisions that puts you and your teammates in the best position to score will.
I have been following the Rockets since the 80's and started following them closely starting in the 92 season. I honestly couldn't remember Thomas Hamilton so I had to look him up. Thomas Hamilton was fat and for all practical purposes, didn't contribute much to the team the year he played for the Rockets. In fact, he played only two season's in the NBA, and out of those two seasons, he didn't even play the entire season. The Rockets only signed him for part of the year because Hakeem was injured. The Rockets released him a few months later. Thomas Hamilton didn't even have the mental toughness to stay in shape. As far as Charles Oakley, he was a tough as they come. But you have to be able to contribute and make an impact on the team. Unfortunately, father time caught up to him and was not able to make an impact on the team. Brent Price was a part of the rotation of the mid 90's rockets teams. He really did not have much of an impact on the teams he played for. In his best season, he averaged 7 points per game in 20 minutes. That was a team that had Hakeem, Barkley, Michael Dickerson and Cuttino Mobley. In all honesty, Jeremy Lin was a better player than Brent Price. Don't get me started. I hope you are not confusing Brent Price with Jon Barry who was an important part of the 2004/2005 team. By the way, none of the guys you mentioned come anywhere close to the guys I mentioned below except for Charles Oakley and Charles was a non-factor when he was part of the Rockets team. Moses Malone Mario Elie Vernon Maxwell Bob Sura Ron Artest
Look at the way a champion like Lebron/Kobe/MJ acts/acted (in way he feels/reacts to something bad/he feels pain) and look at Harden during a blowout... Harden needs this killer instinct on the nightly and not just when it FEELS right. He shows it most of the time, but when he doesn't... it's clearly evident. It starts with you. LEAD them. Call your team out. Get on their a**...
