4. The Los Angeles Lakers can maintain confidence
Closely related to the concept of positive habits is the concept of positive energy, which comes from confidence.
It is pretty much impossible to accomplish anything in life if one doesn’t believe that they can accomplish it.
Furthermore, when one is an elite pro athlete, the confidence that one can accomplish something often becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy. The danger is that the opposite – not believing or not having confidence – can also become a self-fulfilling prophecy.
Everyone knows that when a team isn’t winning as much as it should be, it can breed a loss of confidence and bad vibes. Even worse, sometimes that lack of confidence or those bad vibes can lead to dissension and a divided locker room.
If the Lakers continue to pay attention to detail and value each game, they will figure out how to win games without Davis. Then once he returns, the team can catch fire over the last 4-6 weeks of the schedule, and by the time the playoffs start, they can feel pretty damn unstoppable.
That feeling, when combined with the right habits and work ethic, will be like a gnarly 500-foot monster for the rest of the NBA.