Back in the 1960s, professional athletes didn't have blogs...but they did have Sports Illustrated. Guys like Bill Russell, Tommy Heinsohn and Wilt Chamberlain (among others) wrote various first-person articles for SI describing (for instance) the psychology of the game, how to run Red Auerbach's seven plays and why it sucks to be The Villain. In October of 1965, Russell authored a piece called The Psych...And My Other Tricks. Russell refers to this as his "master's thesis on The Psychology of Basketball, or How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Spook the Opposition."

In the article, Russell details the various mindgames that he and the other Celtics used against their opponents. Running underneath a jump shooter (without touching him), pretending to be tired when you're not, acting like you're fresh when you're actually exhausted, asking a hotshot player why he's not getting more shots...things like that. He also talks about how playing angry and becoming overconfident can hurt your game. (Yes, I'm looking at you, Paul Pierce.)

At point, Russ says: "You say these are minor league tricks? Maybe. But you'd be surprised at how often they work." And it's true. I can't speak for professional players, obviously, but a lot of these schemes work in pickup ball. For instance, in addition to hoops I also run half-marathons. And I make sure the people I play with know this. It creates an image in their mind of a tireless opponent. I try to enhance this image by never, ever breathing heavily during a game...no matter how tired I am. I can't tell you how many times I've heard a defender tell me something like, "Man, you never get tired" or "There's no way I can keep up with you." And as soon as they say that, I know I've got 'em.

Similarly, I try to never react to negative plays. Many times when a guy is missing shots or getting them blocked, he starts showing signs of frustration, hanging his head, cussing, swiping a fist through the air. That always gives the defender a boost, and when the man I'm guarding starts acting out, that's when I turn up the pressure to make him crack or give up. Conversely, I try (although I'm not always successful) to never look down or rattled no matter how many shots I've missed, or how ugly a turnover I just committed, or how violently my shot just got blocked. Otherwise, you've given your defender an edge.

One other scheme -- and I try to avoid this one, personally -- is to fake an injury. For instance, how many times have you seen a guy limping around on defense only to blast off downcourt as soon as his team gets the ball back. This tactic dupes the man he's playing against to go easy on him on offense and then slack off a little on defense. It may only work for a couple possessions, but sometimes that's enough to decide a game.

Here are Bill Russell's four laws of the psychout, as presented in his article.

Russell 's First Law: You must make the other player do what you want him to do. How? You must start him thinking. If he is thinking instead of doing, he is yours. There is no time in basketball to think: "This has happened; this is what I must do next." In the amount of time it takes to think through that semicolon, it is already too late.

Russell 's Second Law: You got to have the killer instinct. If you do not have it, forget about basketball and go into social psychology or something. If you sometimes wonder if you've got it, you ain't got it. No pussycats, please. The killer instinct, by my definition, is the ability to spot—and exploit—a weakness in your opponent. There are psychological subrules in this category.

To wit: always try a rookie. If you score on him and he thinks that maybe you scored because you are Bill Russell the superstar, he is yours forever after and you can wear him like a bauble on a charm bracelet.

To wit, further: always try a veteran. In my first year in pro basketball I came up against veteran Johnny Kerr , now with Baltimore . I blocked so many shots on him that first night—perhaps you remember—that he was wild with rage. He was so fired up they had to take him out of the game. That is frustration. That is also psychology. (And I might point out that as soon as he calmed down enough that season Kerr deliberately changed his style of shooting when he played against Boston . That is a kind of reverse psychology.)

Russell 's Third Law: Be cute but not cuddly. I mean, you should be nice at all times, but there is a lot to be said for an elbow in the chops when all else fails. This is forceful psychology. Last resort stuff.

Russell 's Final Law: Remember that basketball is a game of habit. In getting good at it, we develop certain habits. Therefore, if you make a player deviate from his habits—by psyching him—you've got him

All right. You now have an honorary Master's Degree in The Psych. Go use it.

Labels: Bill Russell, pickup basketball, Sports Illustrated, sports psychology

So when I, Evil Ted, am not at Blockbuster scoping out creepy Steve Nash or slightly less creepy Dirk Nowitzki bobble head dolls, I haunt my local Target in search of NBA trinkets that amuse me. OK, I wasn't actually IN the store for that purpose, but on my way out I saw something that actually caused me to turn around and re-enter the place:


So let me get this straight: someone at TOPPS decided to put Bill Russell, the winningest player of all time, on the cover of their card package next to Greg Oden, who has never even played in one professional game?

My first thought was: perhaps the idea at TOPPS was to achieve some sort of historical symmetry - "Let's juxtapose the basketball player who has achieved EVERYTHING with the player who has achieved NOTHING." And I'm not exaggerating here: aside from managing to remain sedated for microfracture surgery on his right knee, Greg Oden has literally not done anything for the world of pro basketball - hasn't scored one point, not one rebound, not one assist, not one dribble.

My second thought was: maybe these trading card people have to work on their covers so far in advance (due to the production delays associated with migrant Chinese labor), that they didn't even know Oden would be a lame duck at the time they made these cards. Lo and behold, my hypothesis was proven valid by the baseball cards displayed one spot to the right:


Yup, that's lying, cheating, steroid-injecting Roger Clemens on the cover. I'm presuming the "Updates and Highlights" include a Grand Jury Indictment of some sort?

Next up for TOPPS: Your 2008-2009 Michael Vick NFL Trading Cards.

Labels: Bill Russell, Cards, Clemens, Greg Oden, Topps

Well, the great Basketbawful is indisposed, so it is up to me, Evil Ted, to give you a morsel of basketball thought today.

I got a chance to check out my Celtics this weekend against the Bulls. I wanted to get a sense of what is making Kevin Garnett such an overwhelming positive presence for the Celtics. Is it his size? His intensity? His desire? His maturity and sincerity that commands automatic respect? Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes.

But there's more...

Now he's wearing Celtic green. It’s as if he can feel the spirit of Russell and Bird in those 16 banners, wafting through the rafters of the building they still call the "Garden."

Is there any other explanation? I mean, yes, Pierce and Allen are talented, but without Garnett, this is not a good Celtics team; this is the same 24-58 team plus a former All-Star in Ray Allen. Watching Garnett work the floor against the Bulls, I was reminded of the way Bill Russell puppeteered games later in his career. Russell – no longer the dominant physical presence – would direct and oversee all facets of the game, both offensively and defensively. He was a big man who set himself up at the top of the key with his back to the basket and essentially played point guard, distributing the ball exactly where it needed to go for his cutting teammates. Garnett is performing similar game-direction, but he IS still the dominant physical presence, so when a perfect, brick wall pick needs to be made he makes it, when a teammate’s drive to the basket goes wrong, he is immediately above the rim to slam it home, when an easy basket is lacking, he is there to fire a turnaround jumper as ridiculously accurate as the Jabbar sky hook and as undefendable as the Karate Kid crane kick (later, sadly, shown to be defendable in “Karate Kid II”). In the Bulls game alone KG popped three immaculate and critical jumpers over a leaping, fully-extended Ben Wallace. Each shot was no small feat, but he made each look effortless.


The Big Three...in One.

Speaking of last year’s 24-58 record, the Celtics are on pace to match, if not better, the Bulls 72-10 record (ok, so are the Spurs - it's early in the season yet). But it begs the question: is KG on his way to bettering Bird on the list of greatest all-time Celtics? One of the first "notable" highlights about Bird is that he was responsible for what was then the greatest single season turnaround in NBA history (from 20 to 61 wins). Last year's Celtics won 24 games. This year, is it not very possible they could win...70? (I'm knocking on wood, thereby negating any stat curse)

That would be a 46-game turnaround. Now, KG has some championships to win yet, but Bird won his three with perennial all-stars Kevin McHale and Robert Parish flanking him. If KG can win even a single NBA championship with this particular team, it would be Bird-comparison worthy - and this comes from a man with a Larry Bird shrine in his basement. Beyond the record itself, the Celts are not just winning games; they are annihilating opponents in surgical and embarrassing fashion, much like their New England area football counterparts.

Despite the early Celtics success, there are still questions:

Question #1: Is this a legitimate Big Three? No. Not even close. This is a Big One and Two Halves, which in a league of watered down mediocre talent, has proven dominating.

Question #2: Does this group have staying power, or is this a Miami Heat-style one-hit-wonder? The Miami Heat’s success relied on a heavy, aging Shaq past his prime to dominate the post. KG is young enough, and physically at the top of his game. He is the piece – far more than Allen or Pierce – that must last, and he will. Further, there is enough new youth in players like Davis and Rondo to give Garnett his needed role players. There is a legitimate chance for the Celtics to maintain “team to beat” status for multiple seasons. Four years? Nope. Three tops.

I asked my dad what he thought of the Garnett signing before the season started, and he not only answered my question, he coined a new term. “If Ainge pulls off a championship, it would be Auerbachian.” Amen, dad. Yes it would be a trade about as amazing as one made by the late, great Red.

It pays to be a competant GM, but if that isn't in the cards, it pays more to be buddies with Kevin McHale. It pays even more to be sexually harassed by Isaiah Thomas - but I digress.

A great number of factors are all coming together for the Celtics at the right time, but make no mistake, Garnett and Garnett alone makes it all happen. Why are young players fully accepting their “role player” status? Garnett. Why is Danny Ainge suddenly potentially “Auerbachian”? Garnett. Why is Doc Rivers suddenly not a completely incompetant coach? Garnett. Why are Paul Pierce and Ray Allen suddenly (and undeservedly) being referred to as 2/3rds of the "Big Three"? Garnett. Hell, even when Garnett is on the bench, you can sense him there, presiding over all that transpires like the Eye of Sauron. Did this happen in Minnesota? No. Is there anything but the aura of Celtic Green to explain it? Not really. Garnett has always been this smart, this good, this motivated. The only difference is he's now surrounded by a ring of singing, dancing leprechauns.

Garnett, unlike so many of today's players, deserves his success. He has integrity and class, and even if he can’t (and never will) compete with Bill Russell in championship prowess, he can most certainly compete on the respect-o-meter. Yes, Garnett has a lot more winning to do before he can be mentioned in the same breath as Russell, or even Bird, but he has the character and talent to be as great as his promise, and perhaps to one day be selling us a new long-distance provider… And if KG brings the Green a championship, I'll gladly switch.

Labels: Bill Russell, Keven Garnett, Larry Bird