“Competition is great; it pushes you to be your best. It’s not about beating the other guy, it’s about finding out what you’re made of when the pressure’s on.” - Kobe Bryant
Individuals make their positive changes within a collective environment.
Family, team, religion, community.
Accountability, support, and a reason why.
We are social animals
3: You’re not in it for the money.
If you’re coaching for a paycheck, you’ll be disappointed.
The reward isn’t in the salary.
It’s in the relationships.
It’s in watching kids grow and achieve more than they thought possible.
That’s why you coach.
Major cheat code for life: Finishing things. The world is full of half-written books, half-built businesses, and half-kept promises. You stand out by closing loops. By showing up. By doing what you said you’d do. Anyone can start, but few have the courage to finish.
Underrated life advice: Preparation always beats planning. Planning is based on the expectation of order. Preparation is based on the expectation of chaos. Plan for order and you'll be destroyed by chaos. Prepare for chaos and you'll thrive in any condition.
5 of these 6 teams improved their defensive rating in the playoffs.
Portland is the only one who didn’t and it’s because the Warriors swept and dominated them in the Conference Finals.
Their defense had improved significantly up to that point
83.3% of NBA conf finalists (2016-24) were top 15 in defensive rating (30/36 teams). Outliers:
CLE ’16-17: Def 21st, Off 4th
CLE ’17-18: Def 29th, Off 5th
POR ’18-19: Def 16th, Off 3rd
DEN ’19-20: Def 16th, Off 5th
ATL ’20-21: Def 18th, Off 7th
IND ’23-24: Def 24th, Off 2nd
83.3% of NBA conf finalists (2016-24) were top 15 in defensive rating (30/36 teams). Outliers:
CLE ’16-17: Def 21st, Off 4th
CLE ’17-18: Def 29th, Off 5th
POR ’18-19: Def 16th, Off 3rd
DEN ’19-20: Def 16th, Off 5th
ATL ’20-21: Def 18th, Off 7th
IND ’23-24: Def 24th, Off 2nd