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 In basketball, it’s not how you start; it’s how you finish. Just ask Jamal Crawford and Allen Iverson.
By Bob Rathbun
Since Dr. James Naismith hung the first peach basket, basketball players have always strived for “starter” status. As a starter, there has always been something magical about your talents and skills. The “Starting Five” has always had a nice ring to it. But the facts tell a different story. Coaches say it’s the five players who finish the game who are most important. And no team, no matter how dominant, can sustain winning without an adequate bench.
Let look at how two players have handled coming off the bench so far this season. One shows how to do it, while the other shows what not to do.
This off-season, the Atlanta Hawks acquired Jamal Crawford, a talented guard who has been a starter much of his 10-year NBA career. He has never been to the playoffs. In fact, he has never even been on a team that has won more than 33 games in a season.
The Hawks told Crawford he would be a bench player this season, already having point guard Mike Bibby and two-guard Joe Johnson in the starting line up. Understanding the decision, Crawford went to work fitting in with his new team.
Early in the season, Crawford used his tremendous talent to help the Hawks win a road game in Portland. Early in the game, the Hawks trailed by 12 when Crawford was inserted. He proceeded to score 15 points in the second quarter to cut the Hawks deficit to one by halftime. Along with Johnson, he helped the Hawks to win 97-91. Crawford finished with a team-high 27 points and seven assists.
But it was his post-game quotes that got my attention. “I think it gives us good balance,” Crawford said. “We have a really, really strong starting five and we have a really good bench, so we try to balance both and make the best of it.”
Team player. Winning is all that matters. Forget the stats.
That’s how you do it. So how do you not do it? We turn to Allen Iverson.
Iverson, signed as a free agent by Memphis in the off-season and missed most of training camp with an injured hamstring. When he entered his first game in early November at Sacramento, he came off the bench.
When the game ended in overtime, he was on the bench.
Iverson’s post game comments were much different than Crawford’s. He said his hamstring wasn’t the problem. His problem was playing time, and blamed head coach Lionel Hollins.
“Go look at my resume and that will show you that I’m not a sixth man,” Iverson said. “I don’t think it has anything to do with me being selfish. It’s just who I am. I don’t want to change what gave me all the success that I’ve had since I’ve been in this league.”
So, which approach do you think will lead to team success? I’ll take Jamal Crawford’s. Remember, you have the ability to choose your attitude. You can be a champion or a cancer. It’s up to you to decide.
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