The Team-Oriented Approach

I think the one thing that has consistently amazed me about the Vipers this season is the team-oriented approach. Remember when the NBA was about individuals. Perhaps it still is. From Michael Jordan to LeBron James. I'm not necessarily saying the players are selfish, but if you asked me who I was a fan of when I was little, my first answer would have been Michael Jordan, not the Chicago Bulls (or my hometown New York Knicks, for that matter).

How do teams build up games against the Cavs? LeBron's coming to town! The Lakers? Kobe's coming to town!

That's why it's so refreshing to see what the Vipers are doing.

From day one you knew this was going to be a team-oriented squad. They share the load and it's never any one player who gives the Vipers a win. Maybe one player scores more point or has a triple-double or something, but at the end of the day, everyone comes together to win.

Think about the starting lineup the Vipers rolled out in a sweep of Iowa in early January. Will Conroy-Garrett Temple-Antonio Anderson-Mike Harris-Joey Dorsey. Who's the superstar in that lineup? All of them? Who's the one guy you're focused on? All of them?

Think about the starting lineup the Vipers used this weekend. Conroy-Jermaine Taylor-Anderson-Harris-Julian Sensley. Same questions.

It's not like last year's Albuquerque Thunderbirds, you know, the Will Conroy experience starring Will Conroy? He's not the only attraction, he's a supporting star, like everyone on this team.

It would have been been easy for Coach Finch to decide Mike Harris is the guy and everything should run through him. Harris could easily be averaging 40 points per night, and probably would be on a different team. But I'm not so sure that would help him and I'm quite sure that wouldn't help the team.

By getting everyone involved, you don't allow teams to double-team the go-to guy, especially since everyone can be a go-to guy.

Antonio Anderson in late December against Austin, Craig Winder in early March at Bakersfield... Mike Harris at all times... Good luck with that.

That makes everyone more ready and able to score... and it makes everyone happier too.

What Coach Finch understands is that it's about the sum of the parts, not the individual parts.

Perhaps that's why Matt Moore writes the Vipers may be having the best NBA D-League season ever.

--

Are you as sick as I am about hearing the announcers of every college game this weekend remind us to fill out the Census? Or the constant stream of ads? Shoot, when I got the Census in the mail, I filled it out and mailed it in. They're lying in the ads, it doesn't take 10 minutes... It takes two. I mean, seriously, it shouldn't be that big of a deal for everyone to fill it out and send it back. If anyone reading this blog hasn't done so already, just fill out the Census and drop it in a mailbox so we can stop getting over the head with it. PLEASE.

The way I see it is, you don't have to be reminded to pay your taxes, do you? Well, rather than complaining about how much the Federal Government is taking from you and worrying about how to get it back every April 15, here's the easiest way to get it back... make sure that money is spent on projects in your community. Think about it.

And it's not like you have to deal with someone knocking on your door like Christopher Walken did...