Individual Players' Poor Choices Costing Teams Chances to Win

Photo Credit: Lynne Sladky/AP Photo

Everyone knows who egotistical athletes can be at times. We have all acted that way at one point or another. What is unfortunate is when you allow these attitudes to turn into actions that affect other people. That is what three NBA players who are often in the spotlight have done. I already blogged about Metta World Peace elbowing James Harden. His seven-game suspension was a weaksauce move by the league. The Lakers still won Game 1, but the lack of depth and cohesiveness in the playoffs, could come back to bite them in the playoffs.

Sunday, the Boston Celtics were frustrated by how they played and some of the officiating in the game, which was understandable on both accounts. However, Rajon Rondo let the frustration get the better of him. After a loose ball foul call on Brandon Bass, Rondo yelled at the official, which earned him his second technical of the game, and proceeded to chest bump the official. This left the NBA with no choice. I am sure that the league didn't want to suspend Rondo for a instance like this, but they didn't have a choice. The rules are very clear about player contact with the officials. Today, Rondo was suspended for Game 2. This leaves the Celtics, who are already down one game to none in the series, without one of their best players and substantially less guard depth. This puts his team in a real predicament.

Tonight, the Miami Heat beat the New York Knicks to take a 2-0 series lead. The Knicks were obviously disappointed, but one star player acted rashly as a result. Amare Stoudemire punched the glass around a fire extinguisher following the loss. He suffered lacerations on his left hand, which required stitches. Stoudemire is almost certainly out for Game 3, basically a must-win for the Knicks, and possibly out for the whole series. The Knicks clearly need him to have a chance in this series. Poor choices have consequences. It is unfortunate, but they most certainly do. When an athlete puts his or her personal ego first, it hurts the team and its chemistry badly. What I would suggest to athletes is that they need to work on thinking being for they act. The choices they make affect lots of people.