Link All Access: Inside an NBA locker room By Sean Deveney - SportingNews Sean Deveney SportingNews.com Lorenzen Wright is angry. He grabs a black marker and approaches the dry-erase board in the Hawks' locker room at Philips Arena in Atlanta. "Guards," he says, drawing an "O" on the board, followed by an "X" with a squiggly arrow. "You've got to do a better job. Their guards are coming right down the (bleeping) lane, and you're leaving me to deal with them." Wright goes on. The rest of the Hawks are seated at their lockers, silent. "You have got to run the (bleep) down there and push him. Get in his (bleeping) way. Do something. The (bleeper) is not that (bleeping) good." Wright is emotional, though his voice remains steady. He's a veteran. He is nearing 750 NBA games played over 11 seasons. He knows when he is not getting the kind of help he needs from teammates. His choice of language is foul enough to make a hardened biker blush -- it's not the language fans or media are accustomed to hearing from Wright. But this isn't meant for any larger audience than Wright and his teammates. This is halftime in an NBA locker room. "We gotta (bleeping) play," Wright says. "I can't box my man out and go after the (bleeping) shot at the same time. I am trying to help. Help me." Wright is right. Throughout the second quarter of the Hawks' game against the Celtics -- a Martin Luther King Day meeting between struggling young teams -- Boston's guards sliced past Atlanta's perimeter defense. Wright was left to decide between challenging shots and sticking with his man. Four times in a 4-minute span in the second quarter, Wright watched Rajon Rondo or Gerald Green score at the rim. Twice, Al Jefferson -- Wright's man -- was alone for follow-up tip-ins because Wright was forced to help elsewhere. Those breakdowns have kept Atlanta from blowing out the Celtics, who are without star Paul Pierce and two other starters: Wally Szczerbiak and Delonte West. The Hawks built a 12-point lead, but the Celtics have cut it to 47-40. Wright's tongue-lashing is just the first part of a ritual that will take place 2,460 times this season in locker rooms around the NBA. Halftime is 15 minutes: short and intense. Once Wright is done talking, the players sit somber and silent -- during a game they're winning -- while coach Mike Woodson meets with his assistants in his office. After about five minutes, Woodson enters the room and asks, "Everybody in?" "Salim (Stoudamire) is on the toilet," says injured guard Tyronn Lue, dressed in a suit and stifling a smirk. "Diarrhea or something." Woodson knows he needs to use every opportunity to teach. These halftime minutes are especially useful. Players are rapt. Standing before his team at the dry-erase board -- Woodson missed Wright's earlier diatribe and quickly rubs out his squiggly arrow -- Woodson draws five X's. "Shelden," he says, speaking to rookie Shelden Williams, "this is for you." Woodson goes on to criticize Williams' execution of the Hawks' zone defense. Williams has been failing to fill the gap when the Hawks' guards get picked. Williams offers up a defense. "I did that the second time," he says, "and Allan Ray got on the baseline. I wound up picking up a foul." "We did it right one time," Woodson says, sternly. "Just do it right and it won't matter." The clock is ticking -- about 8 minutes left in halftime -- and the players will soon return to the court for warmups. There is more to be said. Woodson addresses Joe Johnson about the Celtics' full-court pressure. "Joe, they are doing a 2-2-1 press, and I am telling you, the wings are open. When they do that, middle men, don't leave your spots and the wings will be open. Follow me?" Johnson nods. Assistant coach Herb Brown speaks up. He didn't hear Wright, either. "Guys, Jefferson had four tip-ins," he says. "You have got to do more to help Lorenzen and the guys in the middle." Woodson has more. The Hawks, he says, had the Celtics in the penalty and should have taken better advantage by driving to the basket and drawing fouls. He tells second-year forward Marvin Williams to communicate better on defense. He raises his voice and says, "And for guys who can't dunk the ball, lay it in! It is still two points!" That is for Stoudamire. With 3 seconds left in the first quarter, he slammed the ball off the back of the rim. Williams says to Stoudamire, "That (bleep) was stupid, Salim." "I know," Stoudamire says. "I cocked it back too far." Woodson closes with this: "Guys, look, we have got to come out and pounce on this team. We had them down, and we let them back in. Do not give them even a chance this time." Of course, even the best halftime teaching sometimes goes unheeded. On the Celtics' first possession, the Hawks allow Jefferson his fifth tip-in. But for the rest of the third quarter, Hawks guards take Wright's advice and play more aggressively on Boston's perimeter players. The Celtics' guards take 12 third quarter shots, but only two are layups. Both are misses. But shutting down the lane has worked too well because Boston is hot from 3-point range and makes seven of 10 second half attempts. The Hawks lead by three with just under 4 minutes in the game. After a blocked shot, the Hawks have a 3-on-1 break and Woodson's halftime words come to mind: "Lay it in!" Instead, the Hawks try an alley-oop pass to Josh Smith, who misses a dunk attempt. Woodson shakes his head and appears to be grinding his teeth into dust. The Hawks win, 100-96, but anyone who saw Woodson during halftime knows the botched fast break is still heavy on his mind. "That was unnecessary," he says. "You do that when you are up 20, not when you are up three. That is a sign of young guys just playing basketball and not really knowing the nuts and bolts of the game." The play will provide another opportunity for Woodson to teach those nuts and bolts. And next time he says, "Lay it in!" at halftime, perhaps his players will listen. A very interesting read, it's so interesting to see/hear what really goes on in those locker rooms, not just what the cameras are allowed to show.
Nice read, I want to know what happens in the rockets locker room. I think Kobe is an a$$ in the locker room maybe saying something like this: "Pass me the ball, dont shoot"
