国产吃瓜黑料

GET MORE WITH OUTSIDE+

Enjoy 35% off GOES, your essential outdoor guide

UPGRADE TODAY

If you buy through our links, we may earn an affiliate commission. This supports our mission to get more people active and outside. Learn more

Some of the themes coming out of this year鈥檚 NBA playoffs are every bit as applicable off the hardwood as they are on it.
Some of the themes coming out of this year鈥檚 NBA playoffs are every bit as applicable off the hardwood as they are on it. (Photo: Billie Weiss/Getty)

What Can the NBA Playoffs Teach You About Performance?

Turns out, even if you don't play basketball, you can learn a lot from the sport and its athletes

Published: 
Some of the themes coming out of this year鈥檚 NBA playoffs are every bit as applicable off the hardwood as they are on it.
(Photo: Billie Weiss/Getty)

New perk: Easily find new routes and hidden gems, upcoming running events, and more near you. Your weekly Local Running Newsletter has everything you need to lace up! .

I know, I know. I鈥檓 a columnist at聽国产吃瓜黑料, and here I am, writing about a sport that is played exclusively in indoor domes.聽In the midst of spring no less. But I鈥檝e got to admit, the NBA playoffs are pretty damn fun. You have arguably the best all-around athletes in the world going as hard as they can every night. And you also have聽a storyline so dramatic it might as well be the next Marvel movie: the super-human all-star carrying his downcast city (maybe downcast team, too?) on his shoulders; the young and scrappy underdogs with the mastermind coach whose powers are so invisible he looks like he could be the guy in the cubicle next door; the confident squad whose just-throw-the-ball-near-the-basket approach聽is as equally stunning as it is聽reckless; and the best team on the planet that鈥檚 been the best team on the planet and lost before. So, yeah, I鈥檝e been watching a bit of basketball lately.

But, for the most part, I've been able to justify my binge watching. Some of the themes coming out of this year鈥檚 NBA playoffs are every bit as applicable off the hardwood as they are on it. They are tried and true performance principles. So, what can you, 国产吃瓜黑料 reader, learn from the NBA playoffs? Turns out, a lot.

When Shit Hits the Fan, Adapt

The Boston Celtics have advanced to the Eastern Conference finals without their two best players,聽Kyrie Irving and Gordon Hayward. No one gave them a chance. But instead of freaking out or despairing, they鈥檝e accepted their reality and are making the most of it.聽

鈥淭hrough the regular season, there were so many changes with our group鈥 different injuries, a lot of things like that.聽Once we were able to settle down and find what fits this group, that鈥檚 when we were able to play better offensively,鈥澛犅燙eltics forward, Al Horford. 鈥淎nd then you鈥檝e just got to give credit to coach, because he ends up making adjustments鈥 giving us options to go out there and execute.鈥

The ability to adapt is integral to performance in both team and individual sports. The Celtics鈥櫬爄njuries are really no different than the weather changing during a big climb or puncturing a tire in the midst of a triathlon. When unforeseen events occur,聽research shows it鈥檚 better to assess them as challenges rather than threats, which promotes problem-solving rather than anxiety. Or in more philosophical terms: Focus on what you can control, and don鈥檛 waste energy on the things you can鈥檛.

Have Confidence鈥擝ut Backed聽by聽Evidence

The Houston Rockets may have finished the regular season with the best record in the Western Conference, but just about everyone expects the Warriors to beat them. Everyone except聽for the Rockets, that is. 鈥淲e all have the confidence in one another,鈥澛 Rockets聽guard Chris Paul. 鈥淓very night we say it, but it鈥檚 really the truth.鈥

After the Rockets beat the Warriors in the regular season, their center, Clint Capela, : 鈥淲e are better than them.鈥澛

Meanwhile, the Rockets鈥櫬爐op player, James Harden, recently聽 ESPN: 鈥淭his is the year. For sure.鈥澛

It would be one thing if these guys were saying stuff like this out of the blue, but they鈥檝e got the game to back it up. The Rockets won more games than the Warriors in the regular season. Whether that translates to a playoff series victory, we鈥檒l have to wait and see. What is certain, however, is that playing to win with confidence, or what sports psychologists call a performance-approach mindset,聽 to a showing that exceeds expectations鈥攕o long as that confidence is rooted in evidence.聽

Experience Is聽Everything

When the Cleveland Cavaliers had their backs up against the wall in their first round matchup against聽the Indiana Pacers, LeBron James was asked why the team started who they did, despite the fact that聽some of the guys on the bench had objectively better stats. 鈥淲e started the game with a unit that we knew what we could get out of each other,鈥 he, speaking of the roster that had played together in three聽NBA finals. 鈥淲e鈥檝e played in big games before. So that鈥檚 a comfort to start the game.鈥澛

Experience is聽important, especially in clutch situations. James and the Cavs remind me a of a聽conversation I had with world-record-holding free-diver William Trubridge. 鈥淭he most important thing [before big dives] is to stay relaxed,鈥 Trubridge told me. 鈥淓xperience is key here. The more you are in [a certain] scenario, the more comfortable you become.鈥

You can be a champion of training (in this case, the NBA regular season) but when it鈥檚 competition time (the聽playoffs) experience is everything.

Have Fun! It Makes You More Resilient

The Golden State Warriors may be the defending world-champions of聽basketball. But they are also world-champions at聽having fun. The team is known both for their three point shooting and聽their聽laid-back demeanor.聽This remains true even after three long seasons that ended in Championship appearances. 鈥淚t鈥檚 still there,鈥 Golden State General Manager Bob Myers聽 the New York Times, referring to the Warriors鈥 joyful nature. 鈥淲e鈥檙e still us, don鈥檛 worry.鈥

The team鈥檚 coach, Steve Kerr, holds joy as one of his fundamental core values. 鈥淭he joy of coming to practice every day is important for our guys to remember,鈥 he聽.

One of the team鈥檚 many stars, Draymond Green, understands that being a part of this team is special and, like his coach, he strives to experience joy. 鈥淚 think a lot of times in life we forget to live in the moment, especially in our day and age [with]聽social media,鈥 he聽. 鈥淵ou forget to enjoy the moment.鈥

Experiencing moments of joy isn鈥檛 just sweet when you鈥檙e in them, but it also gives you strength聽down the road,聽according to Adam Grant, author of Option B: Facing Adversity, Building Resilience, and Finding Strength. When things aren鈥檛 going well, you can fall back on happy memories to gain the resilience you need in order to move forward, he says.

Not to mention, research shows that one of the best things you can do when you鈥檙e in a jam is to smile. In聽 published in the journal Psychological Science, which I wrote about two years ago, researchers found that even in unpleasant situations, smiling lowers physiological markers of stress and increases positive feelings.聽

Brad Stulberg () writes 国产吃瓜黑料鈥檚 Do It Better column and is the author of the book .

Lead Photo: Billie Weiss/Getty

Popular on 国产吃瓜黑料 Online