Conventional wisdom in the NBA holds that while winning a single championship is a tough battle, winning a second or third one is exponentially harder. As a kid, hearing players and coaches talk about this always left me puzzled. Wouldn’t one’s experiences in the crucible of the playoffs make a repeat performance easier, not harder? As an older and more cynical blogger, I’ve come to realize the truth: it isn’t really the basketball that gets harder, it is managing the people. Humans are the weakest links in any field, be it corporate or athletic, and one can never anticipate just how the links will break when exposed to the acidic nature of success.
The Disease of More
