The Best and Worst Chemistry Teams in Sports
In case you didn't notice, team chemistry is one of the most critical elements to successful teams, with the players, coaches and front offices who display it the best, typically, the ones who go deep into the postseason.
Unfortunately, the flip side to a tight-knit group is one that is a bit more dysfunctional, unable to keep continuity and regularly changing direction with executives, coaches and players.
Which teams are the best and worst when it comes to team chemistry? I took a crack at breaking them down, so see if your team makes the cut.
Best: Cleveland Cavaliers
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While, on the surface, the Cleveland Cavaliers are still having problems incorporating three-time All-Star Kevin Love into their system, the results on the floor aren't being exposed like they were at the beginning of the year.
With the best record in the NBA since January 15th when they were 20-20—going 28-7 in that time frame—the Cavs have proved that a LeBron James-led team will always have what it takes to compete for an NBA title.
Sure, the picture that James posted on his Instagram a couple weeks ago might have excluded Love and caused questions among fans and media, but it also included four guys who were brought in midseason via trade, proving this team really is clicking on all cylinders right now.
Worst: New York Yankees
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The New York Yankees might have shown some unity by filming their rendition of The Sandlot in a scene last week to get fans amped up for the upcoming season, but that was about the extent of their chemistry thus far.
That's because there are still a few underlying questions that remain to be answered.
The first surrounds a guy named Alex Rodriguez and how the team will not only use him day-today, but also how he responds to a decreased role after a season-long suspension in 2014.
The second is all about leadership, as this is the first time in 20 years that the Yanks won't have Derek Jeter captaining them and providing a stable force who knows what it takes to be a true Yankee.
Time will tell what happens with the Bronx Bombers, but right now, fans of the pinstripes should be a bit worried about another missed postseason—even though the team has the second-highest payroll in the big leagues.
Best: Ohio State Buckeyes Football
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Nothing brings a team together more than adversity—and that's exactly what the Ohio State Buckeyes football team experienced during their 2014 season.
With Heisman Trophy candidate quarterback Braxton Miller going down with an injury a couple weeks before the season opener, questions surrounded who would lead the Bucks all year long.
Enter redshirt freshman J.T. Barrett, who guided the team to an 11-1 record entering its rivalry game against the Michigan Wolverines, putting up Heisman-like numbers himself.
When Barrett got hurt against Michigan, third-stringer Cardale Jones was forced into action, where he won the Big Ten championship with a 59-0 thrashing of the Wisconsin Badgers, then beat Alabama and Oregon in Ohio State's College Football Playoff games to earn the national title.
With plenty of players coming back in 2015, it's no wonder the team is talking about it being repeat or bust—even if it does have to decide on which of the three signal-callers will lead it all year.
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Worst: Minnesota Vikings
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Whether it's struggling to find a reliable starting quarterback or continuing to ponder the future of future Hall of Fame running back Adrian Peterson—who they have been going back and forth with—the Minnesota Vikings have shown they're one of the most dysfunctional teams in all of sports.
Sure, the Vikes have a few playoff appearances in the past 15 years and even played in an NFC Championship Game while Brett Favre guided their offense in 2010;. But they have more arrests, 48, than any other team in the league in that same time frame.
A new stadium is on the horizon and Minny fans are some of the most passionate in the NFL, but that doesn't mean that the front office or players will suddenly build the chemistry necessary to compete for a Super Bowl.
Best: Golden State Warriors and Atlanta Hawks
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You get two for the price of one with this pick, because the Golden State Warrior and Atlanta Hawks have shown chemistry that is unmatched by any other team in the NBA this season.
Owning the two best records in the league, the Warriors and Hawks seemed to be on a crash course to meet in the NBA Finals for much of the season, boasting superb team ball and a balance that other squads have trouble keeping up with.
Golden State might be led by the Splash Brothers—Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson—but it has capable role guys like David Lee, Andrew Bogut and Draymond Green, providing toughness so the sharpshooters can make it rain.
As for Atlanta, it is built in the same mold as the San Antonio Spurs, with head coach Mike Budenholzer a former understudy of Gregg Popovich, using the same methods he learned under Pop to get the Hawks to where they are today.
With four All-Stars this season, the Hawks are balanced and lethal from all positions, while the Dubs continue to roll along with a team that is built for the playoffs—so hold onto your hats as they march through the postseason to see if they do square off in the Finals, after all.
Worst: Sacramento Kings
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When it comes to actually building a contending roster, the Sacramento Kings and their front office must have been sleeping through that class during Ownership 101, because they haven't been capable of doing it in a long time.
Looking at the roster, they have individuals who have shown promise—most notably center DeMarcus Cousins—but they have zero trust in one another and, because of that, continue to struggle in the win-loss department.
Even the hiring of an esteemed head coach like George Karl a few months ago wasn't as celebrated as it should have been—and it's all because of the dysfunction the Kings continue to struggle with.
Best: Michigan State Spartans Men's Basketball
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Although we have seen some tremendous things during March Madness over the past few years, the run that the Michigan State Spartans men's hoops team has been on this year is one of the best.
A No. 7 seed in this year's NCAA tournament, Sparty has shown what it takes to be a team, overcoming adversity from earlier this year to reach the Final Four for the seventh time in head coach Tom Izzo's illustrious career, which might just be the most unlikely in all his years in East Lansing.
Lacking the talent that Izzo's teams have had in the past, this squad might have more heart than any of those squads, coming together when it matters the most and giving themselves a shot at a national title.
Worst: Dallas Mavericks
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The Dallas Mavericks are still a good team, but they aren't the championship contender that they might have been prior to trading for former All-Star point guard Rajon Rondo.
While still early on in the season, the Mavs were at 19-8 before acquiring the mercurial Rondo, going just 22-16 in games the guard has played in since and falling back in the Western Conference standings instead of progressing upward.
Rondo might not be the entire factor for the dip, but it's clear that there are questions surrounding how he fits in with his head coach and other players on Dallas' roster—specifically Monta Ellis—even if Ellis denies that his new teammate isn't the reason.
Best: Seattle Seahawks
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With back-to-back Super Bowl appearances—with one win—the Seattle Seahawks are the current class of the entire league, showing that a job really can be fun and not just all work.
Following the leadership of their energetic head coach Pete Carroll, the Hawks have built a dominant defense in the past three seasons and have molded quarterback Russell Wilson into one of the best in the NFL—even if he does things a little unorthodox.
Seattle has proved that it's not how the job gets done, but that it does get done, relying on one another to compete and contribute in order to reach their goals—which they often do because of the chemistry and trust that they have.
Worst: Edmonton Oilers
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Just as I mentioned the NBA's Sacramento Kings earlier, the Edmonton Oilers have proved that they have the same problems in building any sort of team chemistry in the NHL, struggling to find roles for young talents.
Going back to 2009, the Oilers owned and selected the No. 1 overall pick in the NHL draft three times in a row—2010-'12—picked third, seventh and 10th, yet still haven't found the magic recipe to get these kids to play together.
With zero stability on the bench thanks to six head coaches in the past nine seasons, Edmonton is the laughing stock of the league, finding itself toward the bottom of the standings once again as another lost season is about to end.
Best: New England Patriots
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Seeing the reigning Super Bowl champion New England Patriots so high on this list should be no surprise.
After all, this is a team that has made the playoffs in 12 of the past 15 NFL seasons, which includes six trips to the Super Bowl and four wins in those games.
While the aforementioned Seattle Seahawks might be the trendy team that feeds off of the "us against the world" mentality, the Pats continue to run their franchise close to the vest, following the lead of both head coach Bill Belichick and quarterback Tom Brady, who choose their words carefully and are all business all the time.
They might not give great soundbites, but the Pats are confident in their approach, constantly inserting new players into their system and seeing the same success they always have.
Worst: New York Knicks
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As a Cleveland Cavs fan—who personally endured a record 26-game losing streak a few years ago—I have nothing but empathy for what New York Knicks supporters are going through this season.
After a 1-0 start to the season and optimism thanks to the hiring of Phil Jackson to run things in the front office, Knicks fans thought they have a real chance at at least making the playoffs in a putrid Eastern Conference.
Well, those thoughts were squabbled pretty quickly.
A stretch of four wins in 39 contests followed that opening-night victory, with things continuing to spiral out of control and the dysfunction reaching an all-time high in the Big Apple.
With star forward Carmelo Anthony on the shelf for the rest of the year, the Knicks have rotated D-League-level players in and out of the lineup, giving first-year head coach Derek Fisher zero chance at building success as this dreadful year concludes in the next couple weeks.
Best: San Antonio Spurs
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The gold standard when it comes to team chemistry, no one does it quite like the San Antonio Spurs do it.
With the same core for over a decade—Tim Duncan, Tony Parker and Manu Ginobili—head coach Gregg Popovich continues to show that his Spurs are the team to beat once the second season begins.
Hell, even when they don't finish with one of the Western Conference's top seeds—as they aren't slated to this season—opponents are still concerned with matching up with them because of their success and overall teamwork over the past 18 years.
This isn't the Spurs' first rodeo—and, because of that, no one wants to be the team wrangled to matchup with them in the playoffs.
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