Rockets Borrow Ubuntu, Beat Celtics With It

Yesterday, I wrote on the uncertain future facing the damaged but effective Rockets, and what they might learn from the 2007-08 Celtics. Then last night, Houston edged out Boston, who last season broke up the Rockets’ 22-game winning streak.
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↵Today, the Houston Chronicle has some wise words from none other than Ron Artest on the similarities between the two teams: ↵↵⇥“We sometimes forget that hard work is more important than talent. Last year, Boston had hard work and they had talent. That’s why they ran through everybody. I think we’re just as talented, but we have to work hard. Sometimes we think Yao is just going to bail us out all the time, or me or Tracy are going to bail us out. Sometimes Tracy thinks his talent is going to take him. He can just cruise his way. But we got to work hard. Tonight, we worked hard.” ↵↵At first glance, you might think this is the ultimate platitude: No matter how good individual players are, they have to discover chemistry and work together well. But, as is often the case when Artest spits some wisdom, the real point is unexpectedly subtle. It’s not a question of losing sight of that “talent”, but of synthesizing it with a one-for-all ethos that values individual sacrifice. Everyone’s the man—“they ran through everybody”—and yet no one is. Stars had to tone down their roles while remembering how to be stars. That’s what made the Celtics such a unique case, and why they’re probably the best model for any successful 2008-09 Rockets venture.↵