{"id":20918,"date":"2000-08-23T00:00:00","date_gmt":"2000-08-23T00:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.christianitytoday.com\/pastors\/2000\/08\/23\/nba-coach-of-year\/"},"modified":"2000-08-23T00:00:00","modified_gmt":"2000-08-23T00:00:00","slug":"nba-coach-of-year","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.christianitytoday.com\/pastors\/content\/nba-coach-of-year\/","title":{"rendered":"NBA Coach of the Year"},"content":{"rendered":"

“T<\/strong>he National Basketball Association (NBA) named its 1999 Coach\n\t\t\tof the Year a few months ago. The honor did not go to the coach\n\t\t\twho had won the most games. It didn’t go to the coach with the\n\t\t\tbest players or the biggest payroll. It didn’t even go to the\n\t\t\tcoach of the team with the most-improved record.<\/p>

Amazingly, the coach selected is in his rookie year. He coached\n\t\t\this team to only a .500 record. They didn’t make the playoffs. In\n\t\t\tfact, the winning coach’s team lost more games this year than\n\t\t\tlast year.<\/p>

But the Red Auerbach Trophy was given to Doc Rivers, coach of the\n\t\t\tOrlando Magic, because under his leadership the team played so\n\t\t\tfar above its expectations and ability.<\/p>

Before Rivers came, Orlando’s management decided to rebuild: Four\n\t\t\tof the five starters were traded or let go. The front office\n\t\t\tfrankly told fans this would be a rebuilding year, which in\n\t\t\tsports language means, “Expect to lose a lot.”<\/p>

Rivers’s four starters weren’t even drafted out of college, but\n\t\t\the worked with the players he had. All 12 players played\n\t\t\tsignificant minutes each game, contrary to the star-player sets\n\t\t\tmost NBA teams use. The Orlando Magic relied on defense, teamwork\n\t\t\tand hustle. They played for pride and their teammates. When\n\t\t\tRivers was presented the Coach of the Year Award, many of his\n\t\t\tplayers came to the press conference. Rivers said there, “I had\n\t\t\tfelt from day one that we had better players than what everyone\n\t\t\tthought we did. And I think by the end of the season, that proved\n\t\t\tto be true.”<\/p>

Rivers brought at least three things to his organization.<\/p>

1. High expectations. Before preseason practices started, Rivers\n\t\t\tsent every player a Federal Express package that had one message:\n\t\t\t“Are you committed?” A few days later, a second package arrived\n\t\t\twith this proclamation: “We are going to be the best defensive\n\t\t\tteam in the NBA.” The pastors and leaders I know who are great\n\t\t\tset high expectations regardless of what the organization or\n\t\t\tchurch thought about itself. They convinced the organization it\n\t\t\tcould succeed.<\/p>

2. Designing a game the players could run. Rivers didn’t have\n\t\t\tany go-to scorers, so he designed the team’s game around things\n\t\t\the could control. He made his players play untiring defense,\n\t\t\tsomething many teams are lax about, and made them hustle after\n\t\t\tevery loose ball. A Magic player separated his shoulder in\n\t\t\tpractice, trying to save a ball from a backcourt violation. Great\n\t\t\tleaders consider things under their control and within their\n\t\t\tpeople’s skills. They help the organization do small things with\n\t\t\thustle and desire.<\/p>

3. He made them play as a team. Name any player on the Orlando\n\t\t\tstarting five. I don’t think you can. Rivers constantly mixed\n\t\t\tthings up, forcing players to know each of their teammates’\n\t\t\tskills and specialties. Great leaders instill a sense of team.<\/p>

I know many pastors and Christian leaders whose churches appear\n\t\t\tto have a .500 record. But they have maximized what they have to\n\t\t\twork with. That makes them truly Leaders of the Year.<\/p>

—Dave Travis facilitates the Church Champions Network within\n\t\t\tLeadership Network (www.ChurchChamp.org<\/a>). To reply to Dave, write\n\t\t\tNewsletter@LeadershipJournal.net<\/a>.<\/p>

Sign up for the Church Leader’s Newsletter<\/a> and receive a new article plus useful information in your inbox every week!<\/p>

Copyright © 2000 by the author or Christianity Today\/Leadership<\/em> Journal.Click here<\/a> for reprint information on Leadership<\/em> Journal.<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

“The National Basketball Association (NBA) named its 1999 Coach of the Year a few months ago. The honor did not go to the coach who had won the most games. It didn’t go to the coach with the best players or the biggest payroll. It didn’t even go to the coach of the team with Read more…<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":30,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"tax_ctp_authors":[1283],"tax_ctp_books":[],"tax_ctp_categories":[154],"tax_ctp_field_guide_subcategory":[],"tax_ctp_field_guides":[],"tax_ctp_format":[131],"tax_ctp_multimedia":[],"tax_ctp_point_editor":[],"tax_publications":[156],"tax_ctp_tags":[3613,3918,4354,5127,5213],"tax_ctp_topics":[],"class_list":["post-20918","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","tax_ctp_authors-dave-travis","tax_publications-leadership-journal","tax_ctp_tags-church-leadership","tax_ctp_tags-expectation","tax_ctp_tags-leadership-styles","tax_ctp_tags-teamwork","tax_ctp_tags-unity"],"acf":{"scripture_references":null},"yoast_head":"\nNBA Coach of the Year - CT 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