Reflecting on the losses of the Denver Nuggets and Cleveland Cavaliers in their respective Game 1's, I think terrain and climate matter in indoor sports, even in the NBA, where games and practices are held in nice, air-conditioned facilities.
To start, Denver shouldn't have even let the game come down to the final shot, rebound or however you want to see it. They had an early 13-point lead against LA, lost the lead, regained the lead and put it all on the line (literally) at the end.
What I want to ask is, why don't they train specifically for their Mile High terrain? I know they play a little faster than most teams, but if they don't take full advantage of their environment, then they get only marginal added value by making their home in the Rocky Mountains.
I haven't seen any news report saying that the Nuggets live and breathe the Rockies, but what I think they should be doing is working a hell of a lot more on conditioning (like running or trekking full-gear in the mountains) and implementing a full-court press. They would run the table in the NBA just on conditioning alone.
Obviously, it's too late to implement a training strategy this season, but with the talent in place, they could be looking at multiple championships, if they start the regimen in the off-season.
I don't want to hear about the age factor (Chauncey Billups, Kenyon Martin, Anthony Carter and Birdman are on the wrong side of 30) or unwillingness to bust their asses. If Randy Couture and Bernard Hopkins could be world champions in their respective combat sports in their 40's by dedicating themselves to building killer endurance, then men in their early 30's don't have any excuses.
If they need any advice from their peers, they can give Real Madrid striker Raul Gonzalez, who has rejuvenated his career in his 30's after a diet of ice baths and high-altitude sleep, a call.
Speaking of Spain, Pau Gasol and company need to head into the mountains, which their country essentially is. If there is any national basketball team on Earth blessed with such talent and geography to overwhelm opponents with a full-court press on roids, it's Spain. Team USA is a hard nut to crack, but if Bolivia can whoop Argentina 6-1 in a World Cup Qualifier, then Team Espana can certainly beat Team USA.
The Orlando Magic outworked the Cleveland Cavaliers in coming back from a 15-point halftime deficit and winning by one. Despite going seven games with the Boston Celtics, it was Orlando, and not Cleveland, that looked stronger down the stretch.
The fatigue was totally visible in LeBron James' body language after he hit a layup with 3:06 remaining and by the end of the game, the King was cramping, bleeding from his left knee - and had to be helped off the court. As Doug Collins said, the reason for the Cavs' physical shortcoming was likely due to their eight-day lull in between games.
But what has Orlando done anything to utilize their climate advantage other than walking to the luxury cars that they drive to practice. While warm weather football teams tend not to do so well in cold weather games and cold weather teams not so well in humid heat games, training to build crazy stamina in the sweltering heat of Florida. Playing in a style that would optimize this edge would make Orlando road warriors with some serious staying power in the cool, air-conditioned arenas of the NBA.
If taking into account terrain and climate while training works for those whose lives depend on it, then it's certainly good enough for an NBA team.
Original Story:
http://www.hotnonporn.com/2009/05/why...
