Lebron James is the best player on the planet. What the casual fan doesn't realize is that for all of his physical abilities, basketball is just as much a mental sport. Shaquille O'Neal was the most dominating big man ever in the NBA. He is sixth all time scorer in the NBA with 28,596 points in his career. It's too bad he shot 52% from the free throw line throughout his career. He couldn't make free throws, and it was all mental. If he shot just 80 percent from the free throw line he would have moved to fourth all time scorer in the league behind Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Karl Malone and Michael Jordan. Free throws were a mental part of the game he couldn't overcome.
How many times have we seen fans yelling obscenities or making unflattering gestures at the visiting team? Fans are basically the 6th man of the home team, and they do a great job of getting into a player's head. The best players can tune out even the loudest fan, but for a player that is struggling it's easier said than done.
Flopping or acting like you were fouled is another mind game in basketball. The purpose of this act is to make the other player lose his cool or focus. Mo Williams of Portland Trailblazers even fabricated a feud with rookie player Troy Daniels of the Houston Rockets as a mind game tactic because Daniels was out-playing him. Kobe Bryant is the Black Mamba because when other players try to stop him or talk trash, he raises his level of play. It's a challenge, and he takes it personally. It's also a flaw because he stops playing a team game, and it turns into one on one...mano y mano. Reggie Miller would often have coaches criticize him in warmups, so when the game started he was pissed off and ready to play.
Lebron James and other star players do all kinds of things to improve their game. He shoots thousands of jump shots and spends hours in the weight room with trainers. You can have the will and determination to be the best, and your focus can be on winning a third championship. One thing that Lebron can't prepare for is Lance Stephenson blowing in his face! How do you defend a guy who is virtually unguardable, 6'8, 240 and a power forward with guard skills? What happens when your defender can't guard you...mind games!
How can you keep your cool when another player is trash talking to you? Stephenson must be prepared, because he awoke a beast. Right now all eyes will be on Lebron and how he responds. His trash talking will be after the next game and pointing to the score board. That's how you handle trash talkers and mind games. You win and advance to the Championship game.
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