In the aftermath of Game 1 of the NBA Finals, I started thinking about the end of the game and a moment that may have sealed the fate of the Fighting LeBrons in Cavs-Warriors Part 4.
It also was another reminder of a characteristic that becomes more and more elusive in sports and in society in general ... attention to detail.
The scenario was this: tie game, 4.7 seconds left in regulation, Cavs at the free throw line for the second of two free throws. They missed that free throw, but JR Smith grabbed the rebound in the lane with a little five-footer to sink that would have stolen Game 1, home court for the series and all the momentum.
One little problem: Smith didn’t know what the score was.
He collected the rebound, but instead of putting the ball in the basket and himself into the position of NBA Finals hero, he darted out to the sideline with a hard dribble and then took a right turn out toward midcourt. All the while, the clock is ticking down to zero, and LeBron James is ready to lose his mind.
Instead of a point-blank chance to win the game, overtime was required, and the Golden State Warriors won by 10.
We all begged for an answer to the question “How on Earth does a guy making that much money, playing for a team good enough to make it to the NBA Finals, not know what the score was?”
What we got was an answer that we didn’t believe.
Smith told the media after the game that he didn’t think he could get off a shot with the long arms of Kevin Durant standing between him and the basket. But the video doesn’t lie, and it shows that Smith never even looked at the basket because he was too eager to dribble out the clock and win the game.
It was a plan that was destined to work, except for the score being tied.
Oh, and before you paint Smith with the villain’s horns, the four other players on the court and their coach (all who also get paid a lot of money) could have called a timeout when they realized what was happening.
They didn’t.
This is not a millennial conversation. This is about the general lack of attention to detail that we see in people of all ages, positions of power and demographics. People not seeing the forest because of the trees.
It’s not about decision-making either. Nope, it’s something bigger than that. It’s lack of focus and preparation.
You see it sometimes at the big league ball park when a guy forgets how many outs there are or what the count is.
A weekend of football doesn’t go by that you don’t see players on the trailing teams fight for extra yardage rather than get out of bounds to stop the clock.
When those things happen, we are reminded that these games are played by humans, and that fact means mistakes will happen. As a matter of fact, mistakes are what separate real games from video games.
But it’s a lack of preparation that opens the door for those mistakes.
When you are Smith in that scenario, you have to be saying to yourself “if I get this offensive rebound I can take it back up strong and score or be fouled, or look for LeBron, or call timeout.” He obviously didn’t do that.
It shows up in other walks of life, too.
The explosion of social media has given people undue license to just let whatever is in your mind come flying out into the open with little or no forethought or consideration of the repercussions.
Lack of personal preparation can undermine the best game plan by the best coach. Worst of all, lack of preparation is almost indefensible. A “brain spasm” can come out of nowhere with such speed and force that no one could see it coming, prevent it, or overcome it.
The team that is best prepared often (but not always) wins.
