In the 1990s, Norman Black coached our Vintage team that won a championship in the PBA working-community tournament. He drilled us like he would his pro teams and shared lessons that we would carry to this day.
“Trust your teammates,” Black preached when we would not pass the ball on time or be frustrated with turnovers.
You’ve seen this trust in the great NBA teams. The Los Angeles Lakers of the Showtime era had it, as well as the Boston Celtics of the same time. Michael Jordan’s Chicago Bulls also had it but it was a trust that first emanated from their superstar who started believing that his teammates could do the job.
Today in the superstar-heavy NBA, the San Antonio Spurs are arguably the most evident manifestation of playing with trust. Now up 2-0 in the Western Conference finals against the young Oklahoma City Thunder, the seemingly timeless Spurs are using teamwork and creative passing to break down defenses and open up endless shot possibilities.
On Facebook, a Viral Hoops video on this well-choreographed offense circulated. Magic Johnson, the Showtime conductor of the Lakers, gushed over the Spurs’ precision and selflessness. Johnson said the Spurs reminded him of his own team that knew how to share the ball and make everyone on the team look good.
The desire to hit an open teammate is anchored on trust and not to build individual assist statistics. Most coaches preach the concept of the “extra pass” based on the possibility that a better shot exists in the flow of the offense. It is not usually manufactured on purpose from a set offensive patterns. The extra pass simply presents itself when the cuts and screens are right.
The Spurs create those extra pass possibilities by cutting endlessly and not simply freezing to watch Tim Duncan operate or Tony Parker dazzle anew with his deft ball handling. In a Sports Illustrated profile on Spurs coach Greg Popovich, basketball writer Jack McCallum interviewed Sacramento Kings assistant Jim Eyen. Eyen said the Spurs often start their offense with an entry pass to the middle, to Duncan.
At this stage of his career, Duncan may not have the same power as his younger post opponents. But receiving the pass at midpost or at the keyhole allows him more space and a better view of the flow of his teammates. Moreover, Parker’s dribble drives crack open defenses to create the pocket three attempts for Danny Green or Manu Ginobili.
On the break, the Spurs are impeccable because they know there is a trailer or man coming from either left or right flank or even the middle. It’s not unusual to see the Spurs attack with a three-on-two fastbreak and get help from a fourth man.
It’s easy to say that Popovich has the advantage of time and tenure but in the same McCallum article, Popovich explained how the Spurs get it done.
“Yes, we’re disciplined with what we do,” he said. “But that’s not enough. Relationships with people are what it’s all about. You have to make players realize you care about them. And they have to care about each other and be interested in each other. Then they start to feel a responsibility toward each other. Then they want to do it for each other.”
Trusting our teammates is a valuable sports and life lesson.