The Celtics, Aristotle, and What Little I Remember of Philosophy Class

[PhoSita]

I'm reading yet another recap of a Celtics game.  A game that the Celtics lost.  And one of the key themes of that recap is "The Celtics took a lot of bad shots," and "The Celtics just made a lot of bad decisions," and "When they started to get behind, they rushed and tried to make individual plays."


I had the profound wisdom when I was an undergraduate to choose to major in Philosophy (I also majored in English).  I can't say that I remember a lot of what I supposedly learned. 

One class I remember fondly is Aristotelian Ethics.  I remember it fondly, but I don't remember the content of the class super well.  I remember having to pay very close attention to how Aristotle carefully and meticulously structured every one of his arguments. 


An idea that has stuck in my mind, and that is probably not an entirely accurate reflection of Aristotle, is the notion that a person's character is comprised of the habits they form.  Habits are formed by doing the same thing, the same way, consistently over a period of time.  Initially we may choose to do something a certain way, and then eventually it becomes who we are.

Virtue is not the same thing as habit; virtue is a mean between two extremes.  Virtue is doing a thing the right way.  The only way to have virtue is to actively choose the appropriate mean.  It is not an automatic or instinctual thing.  You have to choose to do it, every time.  But being a virtuous person, having virtuous character, requires habituating oneself to making that choice.  Being in the habit of actively making the right choices makes it easier to make the right choice.  Especially when the situation you're in makes choosing the right thing difficult.


The Celtics should spend some time learning Aristotle.


We all agree the regular season is too long.  Nobody needs to see these teams play 82 regular season games.  It's a slog.  It's boring.  The real games, the ones that actually matter, are the ones that happen in the playoffs.

You know how you win playoff games?  By making good decisions.  By dealing well with adversity.  By knowing how to come out on top in a variety of difficult situations.  By trusting your teammates to make the right choice, so you don't have to always do it for them.

That's virtue. 

How do you develop virtue?  By choosing it.  By making a habit of being the kind of person who chooses to do the correct thing in a particular situation.  You need to practice it.  You can't just decide one day that you're going to be a good person.  If all you've done is be a lazy, inconsiderate, selfish person, you're not going to suddenly be adept at acting in the opposite manner.


These Celtics are not virtuous.


No, it's not the only reason they're losing this series right now.  That's not what I'm saying.  The Bucks are much bigger than them.  Taller.  Longer arms.  Higher releases on their jumpers.  The Bucks have a Freak leading the way who can force contact, and often finish through it, if he gets anywhere within 10 feet of the basket with the ball in his hands.


Still, you know what would help the Celtics to overcome a more talented opponent, particularly in a series where they do not have home court advantage?

Being the kind of team that has habituated themselves, from the top of the rotation to the bottom, to making the right kind of decision in a variety of situations, over the course of the whole season.


You know what I say about "flip the switch"?  Forget the freaking switch.  Play the right way, always.  Use the regular season to practice being a good team, and then be an even better team when the going gets tough against quality opponents in the post-season.

I don't want to hear anymore about switches.  Unless we're talking about a well reasoned and disciplined team defensive strategy.

[Somebody]

Excellent post. The RS really worried me for similar reasons, I believe that the RS is a stretch of games where players develop a team chemistry and make playing their team philosophy habits, instead of just games to slog through before flipping the switch.

[ozgod]

TP for that post. Basically, doing the right actions consistently makes them habitual, and good habits can become reflex - you don't have to think about doing them, they just come naturally. Unfortunately when people are very talented (whether it's in basketball or in their chosen profession or in life in general) they think they can make shortcuts.

[Celtics4ever]

I think down two to one, we could use some Nietzsche, as well.

"What does not kill me makes me stronger"  so play the hardest we can, be aggressive, attack, and go all out and let the chips fall where they may.

[PhoSita]

I think down two to one, we could use some Nietzsche, as well.

"What does not kill me makes me stronger"  so play the hardest we can, be aggressive, attack, and go all out and let the chips fall where they may.

This morning I'm feeling more like French style nihilism. 

[PhoSita]

TP for that post. Basically, doing the right actions consistently makes them habitual, and good habits can become reflex - you don't have to think about doing them, they just come naturally. Unfortunately when people are very talented (whether it's in basketball or in their chosen profession or in life in general) they think they can make shortcuts.

Good points. Maybe the worst thing to happen to this team was hearing all last summer and at the start of this season how talented they all are.

[footey]

Great post. TP.

[jpotter33]

"One swallow does not make a summer, neither does one fine day; similarly one day or brief time of happiness does not make a person entirely happy.” - Aristotle

TP. You're a little generous with the concept of "virtue" here ( ), but the underlying logic behind your argument is sound. (And it's certainly a logic that should be more prevalent today, especially in child-rearing and moral training, in general.)

I think you can take this analogy of Aristotelian ethics (at least its underlying logic) to the C's even further, specifically with regard to the C's offensive philosophy. If virtue is construed as the mean between the two extremes of excess and deficiency (vices), then the virtuous (i.e. correct) decision is one that is balanced in the middle between too much of that thing and not enough of that thing.

When we look at the C's offensive philosophy that is almost exclusively based on shooting long jumpshots, it is clear that this philosophy is unbalanced and biased toward the vice of excess (of jumpshooting), and a more balanced offensive attack is called for. It is then no coincidence why you see the teams with the most efficient offenses (GS, Mil, Hou, etc.) having more varied and balanced offensive attacks that don't rely so heavily on a high volume of jumpshots, whether that be through creating more opportunities at the rim or getting to the line more.