I just finished reading Idan Ravin's The Hoops Whisperer for the second time. For those unfamiliar, Ravin went from an overworked and unsatisfied lawyer to training many of the world's best basketball players. It's a story of dream chasing and carving your own path, one that deeply resonates with me. 

As I read it, I thought about the connection between players and those that work with them: trainers, managers, coaches, even parents. When you speak to these different groups in isolation, all have the right intentions. Yet, they rarely see to eye. 

The Boston Celtics won the NBA championship last night, with a 106-88 victory over the Dallas Mavericks. The title, the franchise's 18th, was its first since 2008 and cements the Celtics as the winningest franchise in NBA history (the Lakers and Celtics had previously been tied with 17 championships apiece). And while the team's playoff run was fairly smooth, the Celtics faced their fare share of scrutiny. 
When a team wins a championship, everything magically makes sense. An inexperienced head coach is all of a sudden a genius. Two superstars who supposedly couldn't co-exist now seem poised to chase several championships together. Big man, Kristaps Porzingis, went from stat chaser on other teams to a missing piece in Boston. Today, we explore how it happened and the incredible importance of timing in the NBA. 

Gregg Popovich, often hailed as one of the greatest coaches in NBA history, is known to most as "Coach Pop". Known for his tactical genius, unwavering leadership, and commitment to excellence, Popovich's ability to relate to players has set him apart. Today, we dive into the life, career, and legacy of the man behind the San Antonio Spurs' dynasty.

Sure Valentine's Day is around the corner so maybe I'm feeling sentimental. 

Or, I just read too many blogs where the focus is on everything other than the relationship between player and coach. 

Today, I want to explain why coaching anybody, in anything, need not start with fundamentals or x's and o's but with a good ole fashioned heart to heart. 

There was a great slate of college basketball games on last night: Duke/Michigan State, Marquette/Illinois, and Kentucky/Kansas were just a few I got eyes on. For those that didn't, Duke, Marquette, and Kansas emerged as victors. And while all three teams were impressive, it was interesting to see what these teams are just three games into the season. 

Let's take a look at the key takeaways, starting with Duke. 

Teams from the youth level all the way to the professional ranks are reading books together. Business teams are reading books together. Church groups: reading together. 

While I love to read alone, there's a certain energy that comes with a book discussion. You and I may read the same chapter and have completely different thoughts or reactions. 

Reading in itself produces ideas, but just imagine the magnitude of ideas that come from a product group book discussion. 

Today, I'm going to recommend several books to read as a team. I'm going to steer clear of sport-specific books so that this list is applicable to a wider audience. 

How many of you have been to a youth game where the most talented player on the floor/field struts around like he/she is the greatest thing since sliced bread? 

What about when that player gets benched and hangs their head, pouts, and makes it visibly obvious that they're upset? 

Today, I'm going to explain why your body language is so incredibly important to not only yourself, but to your team's ultimate success.

Several months ago, I wrote an article that outlined some of the best sports speeches that I had ever heard. The article was multi-purpose: I wanted to get people fired up but also hoped that players, parents, and coaches alike could learn from each one. 

In the months since, I've gotten a lot of requests for speech texts, as in "that speech was great, but do you have a copy of it that I can print out?" 

I just finished Zen and the Art of Coaching Basketball: Memoir of a Namibian Odyssey by Ben Guest. Guest makes his first trip to Namibia shortly after college as part of the Peace Corps. After a couple stops in Mississippi as a teacher and coach, he returns to Namibia to teach at a private, international high school. Despite the school not offering sports, Guest goes to watch the public school championships and is offered a job to coach a boy's high school team. 

Here are my key takeaways from the book.                                  

It was a busy weekend of basketball. On Friday, Iowa shocked undefeated South Carolina to advance to the women's national championship game. On Saturday, San Diego State's Lamont Butler hit a buzzer-beater to help the Aztecs advance to tonight's men's national championship game. On Sunday, LSU beat Iowa to win the women's national championship.
With all of the wins, unfortunately, several things played side show to a fantastic weekend of basketball. We all know what they are. Rather than belabor what happened, I want to focus on what we should be taking away from all of this.