Sometimes You Have to Know When to Step Aside

When Help From Teammates Arrives, Give Them the Stage

During the final game of the NBA Western Conference semi-finals this past weekend between the Dallas Mavericks and the Lost, oops, Los Angeles Lakers, something very cool happened.   Dallas’ star forward Dirk Nowitski provided support help for his teammates instead of taking the lead role.  With his team struggling in the first half, Mav’s coach Rick Carlisle went to his bench for help.  He got it, too.  The reserves overran the Lakers to a 63-29 halftime advantage. 

You don’t have to hit Coach Carlisle over the head with a Laker Girl for him to know that his bench players were hot and his starters were not.  So, in the second half as the re-inserted starters began to let the lead slip away, Coach Carlisle took out most of his starters, except for Nowitski, and pushed his second team back on the floor.  Off they went again on another incredible run as the Mavs swept the inept Lakers, four games to none, to move on to the conference finals.

So, what was so extraordinary about Nowitski?  He was smart enough not to mess with the rhythm of the team by attempting to nudge his way into the forefront.  Think Kobe would have done that?  How about LeBron?  Probably not.  Dirk is smarter than those guys because he was after one thing and one thing only, the win.  He could have cared less if he got his.  The team reaching the next step of the playoffs was his entire purpose for being on that floor and he was willing to do his part that day to see it happen.  

It just happened to be that on that particular day, Nowitski’s place was as a support mechanism to other lesser known players whose hands were pistol hot when shooting and exceptional on rebounds and steals.  Here was a star whose personal record of having scored more than 20 points in 11 straight playoff games was about to end and it meant absolutely nothing to him.  One of the top ten players in the NBA stood aside because it was the right thing to do for the team.    

Most high school prospects are the stars of their teams.  They are the ones the other players and their coaches look to when the time calls for them to rise above the pressure and fray to lead the team to another hard fought win.  But, what if other players are already in the groove and taking on that role?  What if putting yourself in between them and a possible win might break that all-important rhythm? 

Mature athletes, that is, unselfish athletes, can sense what’s happening within his or her team and they have the courage to step back and enjoy the show, and the win.  Are you that kind of athlete?  Do you have it within you to allow others to take the lead or the glory?  If not, look harder at yourself.  Sometimes allowing the spotlight to shine on others is more important to the team than making sure it’s on you all the time.  And, when you reach that point, you know that your priorities are in proper alignment. 

NSR on-the-ground scouts want to find and enroll high school prospects whose perspective of the game is not clouded by ego.  We are in constant search of those student-athletes whose purpose is team driven, not personally focused.  If you are what we are looking for, we should scout you in person.  Click here and an NSR scout will contact you.