What is a team? A team is a group of individuals with different skill sets and abilities (teammates) who work together to overcome disadvantages and to achieve a common and specific purpose, objective, or goal. In sports, two teams compete against each other with the express purpose, objective, or goal of “winning” the contest at hand.
And, what is teamwork? Teamwork is the act of teammates sacrificing individual goals and making themselves subordinate, as individuals, to the express purpose, objective or goal of the team. In sports, then, teamwork necessitates teammates working together as a team to win the contest at hand.
Basketball is a team game, not an individual sport, and the NBA is filled with unique and gifted athletes. Statistics are listed everywhere to show how small a percentage of basketball players actually make it to the NBA level in comparison to those athletes who aspire to do the same. Each player is distinctive in his own way, while at the same time having a common quality that bonds them with all basketball players. Or, to quote an often repeated phrase: “There is no I in team.”
Most NBA players could dominate a game on a particular night, given the right set of circumstances and granted the green light by the coach. However, history has consistently proven that no one player can win it all by himself. There is a need for a team to emerge and compete, an entity that has the capacity to supersede and overcome any super effort on the part of an individual because the individual is unable to sustain such a high level of performance indefinitely.
Right now, there is only ONE team in the NBA which models teamwork all of the time. You guessed right, it is the San Antonio Spurs. Why you say? Because they are the only franchise since the days of the Bill Russell Boston Celtics to demonstrate all of the following teamwork traits.
CHARACTER. Assemble a team with character, rather than having a group of characters trying to perform as a team.
CONSIDERATION. Players who celebrate the success of their teammates game after game after game.
SACRIFICE. Be willing to make the extra pass without thinking about it.
SUBORDINATION. Blend their skill set into the game plan and elevate their uniqueness only when necessary to win the contest at hand.
ACCOUNTABILITY. Challenge each other to remain accountable to pursuing the ultimate goal of winning championships.
TENACITY. Be unwavering in their approach, while having the capacity to execute in a variety of ways.
GRACIOUSNESS. Acknowledge greatness on the part of the opponents without making excuses for themselves.
CONVICTION. Maintain their identity over an extended period of time without trying or needing to become someone else.
CONFIDENCE. Make their own case without having to say anything with their mouths, but rather by continuing to be the San Antonio Spurs.
Yes, the Spurs are the team in the NBA. The teamwork starts with Coach Popovich, it radiates from the legend Tim Duncan, it exudes from the new star Kawhi Leonard, it infects all of the players (both veterans and rookies), and it permeates the group atmosphere to form the team known as the Spurs.
SAN ANTONIO, TX – JUNE 15: The San Antonio Spurs celebrate with the Larry O’Brien trophy after defeating the Miami Heat to win the 2014 NBA Finals at the AT&T Center on June 15, 2014 in San Antonio, Texas. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Chris Covatta/Getty Images)
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
DOUG PETTY, Ph. D., SPORTS PSYCHOLOGY ANALYST
Doug, call sign Dr. Psych, is a Pastor and Psychologist in St. Louis who provides a keen, provocative, and piercing insight into NBA basketball. Primary focus is the mental aspect of the game. MA degree from Washington University in St. Louis, Ph.D. in Christian Counselling.