This past off-season, Joakim Noah read Sacred Hoops, Phil Jackson's inspiring book about Zen and basketball. Then he watched video of last season's game 7 of the NBA Finals between the Lakers and Celtics. Noah focused his attention on Ron Artest, a fellow native New York wild child.
"You have to look at his face in that game, his demeanor," said Noah. "There were a couple of times early on when he went to the basket and clearly got fouled and it wasn't called. He didn't even look at the ref. This is Ron Artest, and he didn't look at the ref. He was so caught up in the game and so focused on winning. I believe Phil Jackson took that man to the next level that night. And then after the game, Ron Artest became Ron Artest again."
For more on Noah, check out this fantastic piece by Lee Jenkins of Sports Illustrated.
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