The BIGGEST little things

Ah the little things and the joy they bring. India Arie sang about them and last night the Atlanta Hawks benefited from them. If you’re not a basketball fan you may not know exactly what a blockout is or why it’s so important but this I can assure you, it is necessary. Josh Smith and his teammates make for one of the NBA’s most high flying acts. They’re the athletic team you don’t want to play as the season comes to a close. They all bounce, except for Mike Bibby. But last night, with the score tied and seconds on the clock Joe Johnson takes a shot from the left baseline side of the hoop to win the game and misses it. Dwight Howard of the Orlando Magic comes over to help on the shot but when the shot misses and takes a high and opposite bounce, my man Josh Smith flies in with the left hand and smashes. That’s game…Hawks.

My college coach always told us that professional players often forgot to do the little things necessary to secure a victory. He said that they take plays off and that NBA coaches harp on the same details that he would bore into our skulls at practice. I was foolish as a youth thinking that the pros have millions of reasons to play the game perfectly and with efficiency. But the older I get the more I believe my college coach. Heightened skill and acumen doesn’t make you more diligent anymore than increased salary graces you with better manners. Dwight Howard made a basketball mistake by leaving poor Rashard Lewis to block out not one but two Hawks. And though we never say one man can’t lose a game that’s code for the press conference. If you skip a detail that you’ve practiced a million times because you zoned out, were apathetic or felt like taking your chances then your sense of competitiveness needs refining. Better focus on the little if you want the big.