duncan228
02-13-2009, 12:08 PM
Veteran Leadership Critical (http://www.nba.com/spurs/timeout/20secondto.html)
by Bill Schoening
When you look around the NBA there are a number of teams with lots of talented young players. These teams, because of their athletic ability and youthful enthusiasm, are capable of knocking off any team in the league on a given night. Consistency, however, is usually elusive with young teams, and that is especially true when the club has to go on the road.
Around the NBA, the Spurs garner respect because of their consistency. No matter how many preseason prognosticators suggest that time has finally passed the Spurs by, here they are again, leading the Southwest Division, and battling for one of the top seeds in the Western conference. The success the Spurs have enjoyed during the annual rodeo road trip is a shining example of the importance of veteran leadership.
Spurs guard Manu Ginobili says, "We've been here before. We know what to expect. We've been together for so long now. The experience is really helpful."
Whether it's going through a game day shootaround at a hotel gym, or playing in front of a national TV audience and a hostile crowd in Boston, the professionalism and veteran leadership shine through, and that's a primary reason the Spurs have won nearly 75% of their games over the past seven seasons during the rodeo road trip.
by Bill Schoening
When you look around the NBA there are a number of teams with lots of talented young players. These teams, because of their athletic ability and youthful enthusiasm, are capable of knocking off any team in the league on a given night. Consistency, however, is usually elusive with young teams, and that is especially true when the club has to go on the road.
Around the NBA, the Spurs garner respect because of their consistency. No matter how many preseason prognosticators suggest that time has finally passed the Spurs by, here they are again, leading the Southwest Division, and battling for one of the top seeds in the Western conference. The success the Spurs have enjoyed during the annual rodeo road trip is a shining example of the importance of veteran leadership.
Spurs guard Manu Ginobili says, "We've been here before. We know what to expect. We've been together for so long now. The experience is really helpful."
Whether it's going through a game day shootaround at a hotel gym, or playing in front of a national TV audience and a hostile crowd in Boston, the professionalism and veteran leadership shine through, and that's a primary reason the Spurs have won nearly 75% of their games over the past seven seasons during the rodeo road trip.