At the start of the season, there are 16 teams in the top division looking behind them, making sure they avoid relegation. The fear starts in the boardroom, comes down to managers and through to players. The fans sense it.
We've got to make sure we have players that can break teams down because there's no space in behind; we need to problem-solve in a different way.
The 76ers currently play very good basketball, and we don't. However, we are still only one win behind them. If we continue to improve, we should be on the top of our division at the end of the regular season.
After taking temporary charge last season he took us from looking down at the fringes of another relegation scrap, to within a kick of getting into Europe.
The regular season games are much more intense. And also, I believe that in 16 games, some teams separate themselves. The good teams separate themselves from the not-so-good teams. The longer the season is, the bigger that separation will get.
I think that's the philosophy of all top teams - to educate young, top players and to give them the possibility to play.
We've got to do better at taking care of players and making sure the fans get the best of the players when they're showcasing their abilities.
I'm making strides to have dialogue with life. I'm walking down a garden path, something like that. And you're looking at the trees, and then you start to look at them through your inner eye.
All the managers in the world, it doesn't matter how good you are, if your players don't understand what you are looking for or what you want, it makes no sense.
You used to be able to identify Sox fans in Yankee Stadium. They sat, slump-shouldered, with the same panicked expectation nervous motorists have looking in the rearview mirror at the 16-wheeler behind them on Interstate 95 near New Haven.
Honestly, I just try to take care of my body as much as possible: eating, recovery, just making sure that I'm always on top of staying healthy and making sure my body is 100 percent throughout the season.
When the game is played by such a high percentage of black and ethnic minority players and we're looking at the percentage of managers and coaches, at the top level it is minimal.
Obviously, teams start wearing down. But that's kind of when you thrive, when the other team starts to get tired.
When you speak about teams who are experienced in the fight against relegation, the teams are used to handling this kind of situation. The teams who are not so experienced in this sort of thing have more difficulties to handle the pressure and the disappointments.
I'm fine with pressure. I went to Kentucky, dealt with it all season, playing in front of all the top teams and top crowds.
Man City are a top team, but there are a lot of top teams in this division because the Premier League is the best league in Europe.
Ultimately, we've got to make sure our players understand that the margin for error is very small against these top teams in the world, and we've been punished several times for that.