The Essence of Brotherhood
Rockets at Spurs, 7:30 PM, FSNHOU
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Jason Friedman
Rockets.com Staff Writer
San Antonio - “Until one has indeed become the brother of all, there will be no brotherhood.”
- Fyodor Dostoevsky
It’s highly doubtful Dostoevsky had basketball on the brain while penning this line for his epic novel, “The Brothers Karamazov,” so hopefully the Russian literary giant will forgive me as I proceed to apply his prose to the literal giants who make their living on the hardcourt. Quite frankly, after ten straight days on the road with the Rockets, I find myself relating absolutely everything back to basketball anyway, so at least my esteemed comrade can take solace in the fact he’s not the only one to fall victim to the current state of my hoops-obsessed mind.
But back to the concept of brotherhood: It’s an ideal which is no stranger to the basketball community these days; Adidas has even made it central to the theme of its current marketing campaign. As I interpret it, brotherhood stands for loyalty, accountability and teamwork; for standing in lockstep with your fellow foot-soldiers while working together toward a common goal. It’s not quantifiable – though who knows what numbers Daryl Morey and Co. are cooking up in this regard – but you certainly know when it’s there. The world champion Celtics were the embodiment of this ideal a year ago, even using the African Bantu term “ubuntu” in team huddles to emphasize their commitment to collective success.
But as with most things in life, brotherhood is something much easier described than achieved. Selfishness and individual agendas are difficult beasts to tame; especially in the uber-competitive, ego-driven business of professional basketball which is why the road to championships past is littered with the carcasses of teams undone by the potential pitfalls Dostoevsky thus describes with his typical clarity and intensity:
“Mankind has been broken up into self-contained individuals, each of whom retreats into his lair… isolating himself from people and people from him… He has become accustomed to relying only on himself; he has split off from the whole and become an isolated unit; he has trained his soul not to rely on human help, not to believe in men and mankind, and only to worry that the wealth and privileges he has accumulated may get lost. Everywhere men today are turning scornfully away from the truth that the security of the individual cannot be achieved by his isolated efforts but only by mankind as a whole.”
So wither the Rockets in this regard? I found myself contemplating that question while witnessing their third quarter skirmish against the Suns Wednesday night. Suddenly, the emotions of the evening boiled over, the crowd around them was whipped into a frenzy and the Rockets were forced to respond. They did not go overboard, mind you, but neither did they back down. This team which, in the past, has been erroneously characterized as “soft,” came to the defense of one another and stood together as one.
I’m wary of overstating the importance of a singular event, but the seeds of brotherhood are often sewn during moments such as these. Yao Ming himself admitted as much after the game, saying “That really can help us because we [stood] together face-to-face against Phoenix as a team.”
Further reflecting upon the last ten days, I now begin to recall plenty of other examples of this team’s still-developing off-court chemistry. There is Joey Dorsey jokingly telling Yao he’s going to teach Houston’s All-Star center kung fu so he can better avoid falling to the floor in future fracases. There’s Tracy McGrady commandeering the intercom on the team flight so he can wish Ron Artest happy birthday, and subsequently making the aforementioned Dorsey serenade Ron for all to hear – twice. And then there’s Brent Barry and Shane Battier studiously teaming up to tackle a crossword puzzle on the bus back to the hotel after practice.
I relay these things not to imply the Rockets are the only team in the NBA who share such moments, but merely to illustrate this team's place on the path toward brotherhood. And though they will undoubtedly face increasingly difficult tests – as all brothers do - of their camaraderie in the days and months to come, there is comfort to be found in knowing that they're on the right track.
Dostoevsky, I think, would be proud.
Ariel Tredway
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