You might be thinking that this must be a trick question since the answer seems so obvious. But it isn’t. It’s really a question. Think. What’s better. A gorgeous, nasty, ankle breaking crossover? Or a 2 point scored bucket. The answer is simple. The only way the cross is equal to the 2 points is if the crossover directly leads to 2 points. If it doesn’t, then the bucket is more valuable. So then why doesn’t it seem like it nowadays…

I was conducting practice recently and there were some older players around watching before their practice started. One of the guards crossed up his defender so bad that the defender fell down (he actually stepped on his foot to facilitate the fall, but that’s another topic). Before this kid even went up to shoot the layup that he achieved by performing the cross, the whole place went nuts. And I mean NUTS, BONKERS, BANANAS, CRAZY! The older kids stormed the court. The other players in the scrimmage stopped playing and started running around screaming. Everyone was yelling, dancing, just losing it (excpet the kid on the floor of course). There’s only one problem…

He missed the shot.

That’s right. If the game counted, all it woulda been was a missed layup. Except nobody seemed to notice (except me). And if they did, they clearly didn’t care. All that mattered was the nasty cross. The two points were irrelevant. I shook my head, stopped the fight that just about happened (imagine you’re 14 and the whole gym is laughing at you… if you DIDN’T start a fight, I would wonder what’s wrong) and explained to everyone that he missed the layup.

Still didn’t matter.

I see it all the time. It’s such a highlight driven sport now that too many people are concerned about how they look instead of the end result. You’ve seen it as well. A defensive player blocks a shot, but the offensive player immediately gets the rebound and puts it back in before the defensive player is through celebrating. Huh? How about the guy that crosses over his man out top, then immediately makes a bad pass and a turnover. Who cares?? What does it matter when it doesn’t have a positive outcome for your team? It shouldn’t. But it does. Why?

Because everyone wants to be on Sportscenter’s top 10, everyone wants to be a you tube sensation. You know, get noticed and famous for one spectacular play, not for your steady overall game. Let’s look at a few comparisons…

Everyone knows how spectacular Vince Carter could be. Half man/half amazing. Pretty sweet nickname. Fun to watch. Everyone also knows that Shane Battier is the exact opposite. Not much hops, not as skilled. Ask coaches who they would take and the majority of them would say Battier. Why? Hmm, an ego driven, disappearing in playoff time highlight machine or a team first, charge taking, hard nosed, clutch shot making player?

Think about guys like Amare, or JR Smith. Lots of highlight reel stuff, and great to watch. But wouldn’t you take Tim Duncan over them in a heartbeat? He’s only one of the greatest power forwards of all time. But he’s boring to watch, if you’re only looking for highlights. If you’re looking for wins….

So what do you want? Well it depends what matters. Do you think the coaches that are coaching you now (or looking to coach you in the future) care about the crossover you just did? Or do you think they care about the end result. We both know the answer to that. Master the fundamentals. Understand how to play the game. Leave the highlights to the guys in layup lines.

bt