Chicago Bulls' Mindset Dictates Success

“If you work hard one day and you improve, and then you don’t work hard for three days, well guess what? You’re not going to be very consistent, The good teams establish how they’re going to go about their business. They do it day after day. That’s how you build your mental toughness, that’s how you build your conditioning, that’s how you build your discipline, and that’s how you win.

“You start off the season, and you have everybody saying they want to win a championship, but very few are willing to pay that price every single day. When you study championship teams, you see the drive that they have. I know what Michael [Jordan] did when he was here. I know his mentality. I know what [Kevin] Garnett did in Boston, I know what Larry Bird did in Boston, I know what Isiah [Thomas] did in Detroit, I know what Magic [Johnson] did with the Lakers, and you don’t sneak around. You’ve got to earn it.’’ 

 --Tom Thibodeau, Chicago Bulls head coach, discussing the team mindset entering the 2014-2015 NBA season.

The Chicago Bulls are one of the favorites to win the Eastern Conference of the NBA and contend for the Finals Championship this year.  To that end, the Bulls opened with season with a win over the New York Knicks, 104-80.

The Bulls spend the summer upgrading their team talent.  They signed Pau Gasol, giving him a contract for three years, worth $22 million. In his debut with the Bulls, Gasol scored 21 points and grabbed 11 rebounds. They drafted a collegiate star, Doug McDermott and brought in, Nikola Mirotic, arguably the best player in Europe. They have ex-MVP Derrick Rose, back from two years of injuries, at point guard.

Despite the talent upgrade, what may determine their standing this year is their success at developing the mental toughness that Coach Thibodeau is speaking of.  The desire to win must be followed by the will to put in the work and the daily preparation that is required to excel and succeed.   

All NBA teams and players want to win.  Who will put in the time and energy to make it happen?  

The season has begun.

Taken from Chicago Sun Times (October 29,2014).

The Kevin Garnett Mentality: Ready to Work (Video)

Do you have this passion, focus and energy?

Watch and learn.

Boston Celtics' Rajon Rondo Plays Brilliantly

"I know we're all in this together, but it's great when he takes over like that.  He's the smartest point guard I've ever been around. He's a brilliant player like that."

--Boston Celtics coach Doc Rivers, after Rajon Rondo, recorded 18 points, 17 rebounds (career high) and 20 assists in a come-from-behind overtime win over the New York Knicks on Sunday.

This was Rondo's fourth triple-double this season and the 17th of his career. According to the Elias Sports Bureau, the last player to record a triple-double with at least 17 in each category was Magic Johnson, who had 24 points, 17 assists and 17 rebounds on April 18, 1989. The last player to exceed Rondo's performance in each category was Wilt Chamberlain, who had 22 points, 25 rebounds and 21 assists on Feb. 2, 1968.

"That's the Rondo we like to see, playing with all that energy," teammate Paul Pierce said. "He got the guys the ball in open spots; he did everything for us tonight. He rebounded, he passed, he got the clutch rebound there in overtime and got the layup. That's the Rondo I like to see."

Pierce also had a great game, scoring 34 points, including a 3-point basket with 4.9 seconds left in regulation.

Excerpts from ESPN.com (March 4, 2012).

Danilo Gallinari of the New York Knicks Avoids Superstar Expectations and Just Wants to Win

“I know you expect a lot from me, and people expect a lot from me,” Gallinari said late Wednesday night, “but I’m not a superstar, I’m not an All-Star, I’m not LeBron, I’m not those great players. I’m an important player of the Knicks. And that’s what I’m trying to do, to help the team every time. Sometimes, can be these type of games, sometimes not. But as long as we win, it’s all good.”

--Danilo Gallinari, The NBA's New York Knicks' emerging star, discussing his emergence as a key player.

Gallinari just posted consecutive 20-point games for the first time this season — 21 in Denver and a season-high 27 in Sacramento — and was simply asked if he needed a performance like this for his confidence.  Danilo showed some flashes of brilliance last season including a 28-point performance, also against Denver and Carmelo Anthony.


This season, Gallinari also put up 24 points on 7-for-11 shooting from the floor (including 4-for-4 on 3s) against the Chicago Bulls on November 4.    


“He’s very secure in who he is and he’s very confident,” his coach, Mike D’Antoni said. “He can tell you one thing, but he may think another. But I think he knows he has a lot of work to do to get where those guys are. He’s not up there. I don’t think that says he can’t get there, he’s just not them yet."


D'Antoni once called Gallinari the best shooter he had ever seen.  But, Gallinari does not focus on stardom.  

“It’s not my goal,” he said. “You know me, so I never say that. It’s not in my mind. It’s not in my mind. My mind is to win with this franchise. I’ve been selected and picked by this franchise three years ago. I want to stay here. I want to win with this franchise. That’s all that is in my mind. I’ve been working with the coaches; the coaches know what I can do and I’m just trying to be the best player I can.”

What about you?  Is your mindset to be the star or to help your team be successful?  


Excerpts from the New York Times (November 16 & 19, 2010) and ESPN.com (November 5, 2010).


For more on mental conditioning, click on The Handbook of Peak Performance.  

Playing with Purpose and Vision: Stephon Marbury, New York Knicks guard

"I trained my mind, my body and my soul this summer....This year is for my father."

--Stephon Marbury, veteran New York Knicks guard, who after a traumatic year in which his father (following a heart attack while at Madison Square Garden), his aunt and his mentor died.

Marbury, 31, has one final year on his contract with the Knicks that will pay him $22 million. He and the Knicks have a new coach, Mike D'Antoni, who says, "He can be a very positive force on our team."

Excerpts from the New York Times, 10/1/2008.