Tex Winter and the Zen Paradox

Mr. Winter, meet the readers. Both of them.

I caught this little nugget this morning from a J.A. Adande article:

"You are only a success at the moment that you do a successful act."

The quote is attributed to Tex Winter, the legendary Triangle offense architect. Did Phil Jackson get his Zen leanings from Winter, Winter from Jackson, or some blend of the in-between? Interesting question and I'm sure the answer is out there in some Jacksonian piece of media, but I digress.

The quote is infinitely fascinating for a number of reasons. The fact that Jackson and Winter have injected this Zen-lite, ethereal philosophy into the largely reactive minds of professional basketball players for nearly two decades is astounding. If you want to be a cynic, I'll point you to this picture. As they say, the proof is in the pudding. How much of that pudding comes from philosophical lectures? Probably not a lot. My real fascination with this quote is two-fold.

First, in sports, performances are scrutinized, conceptualized, and deified more quickly, deftly (sometimes), and sardonically than any other professional vehicle. Trends, stats, and scouting reports are distributed and formulated based on hours of study and labor. The adjectives good, great, and transcendent are routinely bestowed on individuals based not on the single success as Winter references here, but repeated successes. It's how a player's value is gauged, money is made, and victories are attained. In the ego-centric culture of the NBA, Winter and Jackson have persistently fed this way of thought to athletes.

Secondly, the paradox. Being a success in limited action and in the context of Winter's quote seemingly negates the notion of long term success, and accordingly greatness. Skill is illusory, success exists only in glimpses, and for that reason trends should not be paid attention and statistics are rendered meaningless. Damn the torpedoes! Josh Smith, hoist another ill-advised outside jumper! Chris Todd, throw another deep ball into triple coverage! Bobby Cox, put Greg Norton in once more to prove his worth in the late innings! Hyperbole, the preceding few sentences. I understand the context of the quote. You are nowhere but where you are on every play and can only exceed expectations insofar as that moment allows. A career of transcendence is a myth, transcend hundreds of moments, and then you'll grasp greatness. As a motivational tactic, I can how Winter's quote succeeds. As a philosophy though, it's just mind numbing.

Now that I've devolved far enough, I'll come to the point. For all the Zen touting Phil Jackson has done over the years, it has little to do with his success. Ten championships--SEE! SUCCESS IS THE SUM OF EXPERIENCES!!--have come largely due to two factors. Stellar basketball acumen and superior talent. True, Jackson played a part in equipping Jordan, Shaq, and Kobe, but surely that had more to do with court time than motivational quips. The moniker of 'Zen Master' is the most annoying nickname in the history of sports. That is all.