Kenny Smith: Humble Superstars Elevate 2015-16 Warriors and 1993-94 Rockets
As the Golden State Warriors go for their 16th straight win Tuesday versus the Los Angeles Lakers, a victory that would break the NBA record for most wins to start a season, many fans will ask: How and why does a team remain so focused?
I was blessed to be on the 1993-94 championship Houston Rockets team that shares the 15-0 record with the 1948-49 Washington Capitols and now with the 2015-16 Golden State Warriors.
The mindset of a record-breaking team is easy to understand when you have the clues.
The first clue: The Warriors have a selfless superstar leader. We had Hakeem Olajuwon. They have Stephen Curry.
This superstar player gets the most attention on the team from adoring fans and will have the most commercial endorsements. He also has the biggest voice in the media. But he may not have the biggest voice in the locker room.
But your superstar has to be the kind of person who recognizes the talents in his own teammates. The superstar player’s vocabulary can never include "my team" or "my guys" if he's going to have the mindset of a champion record-breaker.
Which is why "my" doesn't work. If he alienates himself by using the phrase "my," that creates what I call a "subgel"—a subconscious jealousy between teammates.
Eighty-two games plus the playoffs is a long time to live together. The star player must remember all his teammates' sacrifices and endure the same training they do. The star must pay attention to words; it's just as easy to say "our team" and "our guys."
How can you say "we" are a team when "you" take all the shots?
Curry doesn't just have the green light to shoot—he's on the freeway. But by saying "our team," it allows the best player (Curry) to be a role player, just like the other players. His role is to simply take more shots and score more points. Saying “our team” avoids devaluing the role of an assist man, a rebounder, a defender or even a practice player. The superstar understands "our team" needs everyone to contribute.
Ego in the NBA is the toughest thing to manage, and it starts with how the superstar manages his own ego. He has to consistently offer examples of how he can't flourish without them—that their value and commitment is essential to his performance.
Why does that matter?
On the night the Warriors improved to 12-0 in a game against the Toronto Raptors, I saw the team LOVE and RESPECT Curry as much as each other. Those words are key: LOVE and RESPECT.
I'm not talking about just affinity or even great chemistry. You need both affinity and chemistry to be a champion, but keep in mind you can have both and still not be a champion.
In that game, which the Warriors won 115-110, I saw the LOVE and RESPECT from Leandro Barbosa. The Warriors were trailing but mounting a great comeback run. Curry knocked down his third consecutive shot. The camera panned to the Warriors bench, and you could see Barbosa jumping off the bench and dancing along the baseline—full-on dancing.
When Curry plays well, that means Barbosa doesn't get on the floor. His very existence depends on Curry needing a break. No NBA player wants to sit on the bench, and no NBA player dislikes the shine of impacting a game.
So to cheer is normal, but what I saw was noteworthy. Barbosa was celebrating the guy limiting his own personal goals and ability to perform. That has to be, unequivocally, LOVE and RESPECT.
Hakeem showed love and respect when he invited his teammates to hold the MVP trophy because he said it's a team sport and he felt uncomfortable accepting the award by himself.
Lastly, it's a must to have different personalities owning their space. For the Warriors, each guy owns a space:
- Draymond Green: Emotional leader
- Harrison Barnes: Up-and-comer
- Andrew Bogut: Veteran voice
- Klay Thompson: Silent assassin
- Shaun Livingston: Cool as the fan
- Andre Iguodala: Self-sacrificer
All of those players can feel and see their value allowing them to keep the mindset of a champion while on the court and in the locker room. Never be a space invader! Allowing personal space allows team unity, which allows records to be broken. Now watch history be made Tuesday night.
Kenny Smith is a 10-year NBA veteran and an analyst for Turner Sports' Inside the NBA. Smith averaged 11.6 points per game during the 1993-94 season when the Houston Rockets started the campaign with an NBA-record-tying 15 straight wins.
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