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Hope never replaces work. On the 1969 World Champion Baltimore Orioles, Mark Belanger hit a robust .283. For his 18 year career, he hit .228. Outliers help fuel championships.
Teams often follow progressions.
- Beat bad teams at home.
- Beat bad teams on the road.
- Beat good teams at home.
- Beat good teams on the road.
Common sense informs that results parallel improvement in talent, competitiveness, and toughness.
Among the top ten NBA teams, nine have winning records on the road.
No NBA team in the bottom ten has a road winning percentage above .360.
According to Brave search AI, only six teams have winning records against teams with over .500 records
One of the best NBA teams in my lifetime was the 1986 Celtics with Bird, McHale, Parish, Dennis Johnson, Ainge, and Bill Walton. The 1985–86 Boston Celtics, who won the NBA championship, had the following home and road splits during the regular season:
Including the playoffs, the Celtics went 50–1 at home, losing only once in the NBA Finals to the Houston Rockets.
For the 2024–25 NBA season, the Oklahoma City Thunder had the following home and road splits during the regular season:
Including the playoffs, OKC was 44-8 at home.
What’s the message? If our vision is competing for championships, then we need the talent and ‘competitive character’ to win against good teams. “Anywhere, anytime.”
Lagniappe. Championship attitude is a big ask.
High school basketball is about more than Xs and Os.
It’s about responsibility:
– Picking up your teammate after a bad play.
– Taking criticism with humility.
– Closing out every possession like your season depends on it.— Steve Collins (@TeachHoopsBBall) February 11, 2026
Lagniappe 2. “Control what you can control” is a cornerstone of Stoicism.
Controllables vs. Uncontrollables
~ Great reminder from @AllistairMcCaw pic.twitter.com/5RWutbX3co
— Jamy Bechler (@CoachBechler) February 9, 2026