---
title: "Playing Defensively Offensively: Positioned to Advance on Each Possession"
description: "For seasons when life has you on defense and you still want to advance."
author: "Rahim Rasul"
type: "Podcast episode"
series: "Halftime Talks"
episode: 173
published: "2019-03-19"
duration: "12 min"
theme: "Reps and effort"
tags: "basketball, defense, discipline, unglamorous work, margin of victory"
audio: "https://traffic.libsyn.com/secure/rahimrasul/HTT_PlayingDefensiveOffensively.mp3?dest-id=175061"
url: "https://iloveprocess.com/halftime/playing-defensively-offensively/"
site: "I Love Process"
---

# Playing Defensively Offensively: Positioned to Advance on Each Possession

_For seasons when life has you on defense and you still want to advance._

**The question:** How much of the unglamorous efforts and work are we willing to do?

Listen: https://traffic.libsyn.com/secure/rahimrasul/HTT_PlayingDefensiveOffensively.mp3?dest-id=175061

## Before you listen

Often we let our circumstances dictate how we respond to life. When things go well our mood reflects it, and the inverse holds too. Life works in cycles, like sports: we go on the offensive, then retreat on defense. What if we treated defense with the same tenacity as the offensive end of the floor?

I came of age in the early 90s loving hoops. Gary Payton, the Glove, could dictate the tempo of a whole game on defense, picking you up full court so you never got into your offense. The margin of victory comes from runs, and runs come from scoring on your end and stopping on the other. Putting the ball in the hole is something you practice your whole life. Neutralizing something great is a whole other skill.

Listen for the turn from the court to your life and business. You don't make SportsCenter with defense, yet the unglamorous work is where the margin comes from, and it positions you to advance on each possession.

## From the talk

> Even defense can be done offensively to dictate the tempo that when you do have the ball and when it's time to score, the game is in your hands.
>
> The offense is going to take what they can, but if you make less available, what do they have to choose from?
>
> Ultimately, all I'm talking about is taking something very unglamorous and putting it in the forefront.

## Sit with this

- How else will you gain a margin of victory?
- Are you gonna hope that they miss? Are you gonna do something about it?
- Are we willing to put in hard work when everybody else is resting?

## Transcript

Welcome everybody to another episode of Halftime Talks. My name is Rahim Rasul, and you're tuned in to the podcast. We recognize that in the middle of our game of life, whether you're up by 10 or down by 20, each of us, you and I, we all need halftime talks to uplift us, inspire us and challenge us to bring that level of performance you and I know it's gonna take to win the game Rock, rock game stuff. With my afro, I am the roughest, roughest, roughest. So here we go into this groove. Halftime talks. We begin in these subtle places known as appreciation. So without any further ado, get your mind right and your heart right.

Let's appreciate today. I want to appreciate my laboratory. We all have our laboratories be at the kitchen, our own personal room, our community, our space, our city, because guess what, we are running experiments. We are forming hypothesis which will mold the direction that we develop in. And I appreciate that laboratory, the feedback, the variables and how I conduct the experiment known as my life. It's amazing because so many people interact with it, so many people add to it, so many people allow me the capacity to really, truly see where I am within my own experiments. And I love I love my laboratory and all those that are involved in the making of me. That's my appreciation. You.

We're trying something new. We're cutting some of the fluff out in the beginning and getting right into the episode. And in today's episode, look at the title. We're talking about, playing defense, offensively. I'm a kid who came of age in the early 90s. Fell in love with hoops. Michael Jordan, Seattle, Supersonics. One of my favorite players was Sean Kemp and Gary Payton. Gary had a nickname. He was the glove. Gary could dictate the tempo of the whole game on a defensive side of the ball. So typically, historically, we look at the offensive players. We look at individuals like Michael Jordan, who brought the game to another level.

We look at the icons of the 80s. You had Larry Bird, you had Dr, J, you had Kareem, Abdul Jabbar. You had Magic Johnson. But somehow, somewhere in the 90s, there was a philosophy that was expressed.

It stated that defense wins championships. Now I'm not saying defense in this analogy, in terms of protection. I'm talking about everything, even defense can be done offensively to dictate the tempo that when you do have the ball and when it's time to score, the game is in your hands.

Last year,

One of my favorite players, another defensive player, had an interview. His name is Avery Bradley, and if you've had a chance to see this individual play. It's a thing of beauty on the defensive side of the ball. And he started describing the way that he approached defense. And it's it was beautiful. It was something that I hadn't considered. And then recently, I heard how Gary Payton approached defense. He says, I'm gonna pick you up 96 feet and pick you up full court. Gonna make it hard for you to get in your offense. I'm gonna stab and lurch at the ball so you can't even get into your offense.

You are going to be playing offense defensively. So that you will be so worried about my attack that you cannot influence your will on the offensive side of the ball. And if you look at these guys, they change the tempo, they disrupt the patterns they get in the passing lane. They. They clamp things down, even in the era now where defense is an afterthought. You had somebody like Gary Payton, who will probably be the first and the last to win Defensive Player of the Year as a point guard. Let me slow down and explain a little bit more what I mean by playing defense. Offensively, the margin of victory is a result of runs, and runs are the result of scoring on your end and stopping on the other end, because if you're scoring at the same pace, you're at a standstill, but understanding how to set traps, how to build schemes on both sides of the ball, how to dictate pace, because ultimately, the offense is going to take what they can, but if you make less available, what do they have to choose from?

Obviously, skill can take over, but how much effort is given on the defensive side of the ball. I remember, it's probably in 10th grade. It was 11th grade. It was early 90s, and Isaiah rider was playing for the Minnesota Timberwolves against Patrick Ewing and the New York Knicks. One of the greatest plays I've ever seen in my life. It's never really been talked about. Patrick Ewing is going down court wide open, clear lane, and Isaiah Ryder is positioning himself for the block, and Hugh runs Patrick Ewing pulls that ball behind his back in a typical Patrick Ewing ass dunk, this hammer of a dunk, and somehow Isaiah Ryder meets him between the ball and the rim and blocks.

This dunk defense is glamorous, but understanding how to disrupt patterns, how to alter shots, how to gain advantages, what creates a margin of victory, we need to make the offense submit to our roles. We play the game at our pace on both sides of the ball. Talent is one thing, but can they be ready for the discomfort that you're gonna bring in some love to thrive in discomfort. Are you one of those when the rules go out, when you start playing a little bit more physical because you're invested in that margin of victory, and the sooner that you can make the other team submit the more time you have to rest.

And we've all been in that position before, where our will and our spirit is broken, and we we resolve ourselves to approach the game with with a more clear perspective next time we hit the field somehow. GP, Avery Bradley, they're known as the defensive specialist. They don't just guard the best player, they just shut down the other team. They command the pace. And there's something magically that happens. You saw it on the Boston Celtics with the big three. Kevin Garnett came there and changed the culture, understanding that we have to be able to win on both sides of the ball, like put it in putting it in the hole is something you practice your whole life, but understanding the patterns of how to neutralize something great is a whole nother skill level.

Joshua waskin, the author of The Art of Learning, a world class chess champion, he talked about how he was able to influence his competitors to assist, to set up his desired move, like he would be able to find the pockets in the thing. And it became this mesmerism, this capacity to influence. Ultimately, all I'm talking about is taking something very unglamorous and putting it in the forefront. How else will you gain a margin of victory? Are you gonna hope that they miss are you gonna do something about it? Tis the game. This applies to your life. This applies to your business. How much of the unglamorous efforts and work are we willing to do?

Are we willing to disrupt Are we willing to put in hard work when everybody else is resting, the more that we release the resistance, the more margin and buffer we have before us. Some glamorous I get it. You don't make SportsCenter with defense. I get it. But ultimately, what we're all looking for, that ship, that championship, that moment on the top of the mountain, where it makes all this effort worth it, I understand that it is a journey, but sometimes those moments where we can relish the achievement feels great too.

Play defense offensively, stack the cards in your favor, and ultimately, Defense wins championships. This is another episode of Halftime Talks. My name is Rahim Russell. Thank you for listening to another episode. You know we're here when we're here, and make sure you get it to subscribe. Rate a review, leave us a review. Let us know what you think. Share with a friend. The more who know, the more we're able to grow until next time.

Peace you