How David beats Golliath

[bottlecap]

http://www.newyorker.com/reporting/2009/05...currentPage=all

 

The article says that the favorite automatically wins 71.5% of the time. If the underdog changes his strategy to something unconventional, they increase their own chance of winning to 63.6. When underdogs choose not to play by Goliath?s rules, they win, ?even when everything we think we know about power says they shouldn?t.?

 

Attitude plays a big part in an underdog's win. Basically effort has to replace ability. All effort, all the time. One strategy basketball underdogs commonly use is the full court press. If you're a Sabre, you're going to be an underdog; you'll never be a golliath. The team should be filling their roster with players who are willing to replace skill with effort, not the opposite. And if they're not willing, they should be sent packing for players who are willing to work harder and have more ambition.

[Stoner]

http://www.newyorker.com/reporting/2009/05...currentPage=all

 

The article says that the favorite automatically wins 71.5% of the time. If the underdog changes his strategy to something unconventional, they increase their own chance of winning to 63.6. When underdogs choose not to play by Goliath's rules, they win, "even when everything we think we know about power says they shouldn't."

 

Attitude plays a big part in an underdog's win. Basically effort and attitude has to replace skill. The underdog has to try harder than everyone else. One strategy basketball underdogs commonly use is the full court press. All effort, all the time. If you're a Sabre, you're going to be an underdog; you'll never be a golliath. The team should be filling their roster with players who are willing to replace skill with effort, not the opposite. And if they're not willing, they should be sent packing for players who are willing to work harder and have more ambition.

 

Yet it seems like the Sabres were Goliath for awhile after the lockout. Sure enough, the league and the other teams were not about to continue to play Goliath's game. Whether it was relaxed enforcement of the rules (not entirely buying that theory) or adjustments that other coaches and GMs made, the Sabres are now looking up the bean stalk again. The inability to adjust and succeed in a changing league is a huge strike on Lindy. Not to mix metaphors, but he looks like a dinosaur.

[Spudz]

Yet it seems like the Sabres were Goliath for awhile after the lockout. Sure enough, the league and the other teams were not about to continue to play Goliath's game. Whether it was relaxed enforcement of the rules (not entirely buying that theory) or adjustments that other coaches and GMs made, the Sabres are now looking up the bean stalk again. The inability to adjust and succeed in a changing league is a huge strike on Lindy. Not to mix metaphors, but he looks like a dinosaur.

 

This is a very interesting article, and it can be noted not only in sports but in history with wars as well. I was watching a show last weekend about ancient battles and seems everytime they went unconventional with a solid plan they ended up winning.

 

As for the sabres I think they came out of the lockout as David not Goliath. Unconventional and no-one knew how to handle it. Once David applies the same tricks over and over without evolving goliath will learn his lession and make his own adjustments. The problem is the sabres never tried to be goliath. They were content being David when they should have strived to be goliath and evolve the team. The sabres lacked at learning how teams could stop their undersized speedy forwards, and just kept chuggin away.

 

Unconventional is only unconventional if it hasn't been studied yet. 2 years gave teams plenty of time to learn what the sabres were doing.