--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The key is to maintain an evenness. Try…" description: "\"The key is to maintain an evenness. Try to play one possession at a time, regardless of what happened on the last possession\" — Brad Stevens" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1a0/brad-stevens-4524_basketball_the-key-is-to-maintain-an-evenness-try-t_2179093.png" --- # The key is to maintain an evenness. Try to play one… ![“The key is to maintain an evenness. Try to play one possession at a time, regardless of what happened on the last possession” quote by Brad Stevens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1a0/brad-stevens-4524_basketball_the-key-is-to-maintain-an-evenness-try-t_2179093.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1a0/brad-stevens-4524_basketball_the-key-is-to-maintain-an-evenness-try-t_2179093.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1a0/brad-stevens-4524_basketball_the-key-is-to-maintain-an-evenness-try-t_2179093.png) > “The key is to maintain an evenness. Try to play one possession at a time, regardless of what happened on the last possession” [Brad Stevens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brad-stevens/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Consistent focus on each moment, ignoring past outcomes, maintains performance balance. **In simple terms:** Stay present and treat each play equally. Key Takeaway Focus on the now, not the past. Themes focus performance mindset Mood determined calm Type motivational strategic When to use this quote - coaching sessions - game situations - practice drills - high‑pressure moments Key Concepts sports psychology flow state decision making Questions to Reflect On - How can you reset after a mistake? - What habits keep you present? A Different Perspective Ignoring past errors can repeat mistakes if not learned from. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Basketball](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/basketball/) [NBA](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/nba/) [Play](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/play/) [Possession](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/possession/) [Time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/time/) ## Related quotes > [If you play on possession, you don't have to defend, because there's only one ball](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/johan-cruijff/if-you-play-on-possession-you-don-t-have-to-defend-because-there-s/) [Johan Cruijff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/johan-cruijff/) > [I love this style: get the ball back quickly, then play possession with so many combinations. When you watch that, you get the feeling…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frenkie-de-jong/i-love-this-style-get-the-ball-back-quickly-then-play-possession-with/) [Frenkie de Jong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frenkie-de-jong/) > [With Jorginho it depends what type of football you want to play. If you want to play possession where you have the ball all…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gianfranco-zola/with-jorginho-it-depends-what-type-of-football-you-want-to-play-if/) [Gianfranco Zola](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gianfranco-zola/) > [“The greatest treasure in life is the possession of time. Tragically, though, it is that same time that is often least treasured or valued…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sunday-adelaja/the-greatest-treasure-in-life-is-the-possession-of-time-tragically/) [Sunday Adelaja](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sunday-adelaja/) > [“The greatest treasure in life is the possession of time.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sunday-adelaja/the-greatest-treasure-in-life-is-the-possession-of-time/) [Sunday Adelaja](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sunday-adelaja/) > [Who hears me, who understands me, becomes mine, a possession for all time.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-waldo-emerson/who-hears-me-who-understands-me-becomes-mine-a-possession-for-all-time/) [Ralph Waldo Emerson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-waldo-emerson/) > [“The life in our possession is our time”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sunday-adelaja/the-life-in-our-possession-is-our-time/) [Sunday Adelaja](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sunday-adelaja/) > [At my age, I realize that my most precious possession is time, and I've got too much unfinished work to do to spend even…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benny-carter/at-my-age-i-realize-that-my-most-precious-possession-is-time-and-i-ve/) [Benny Carter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benny-carter/) > [“When you have the power of time, you can take possession of your time, there is nothing you cannot become.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sunday-adelaja/when-you-have-the-power-of-time-you-can-take-possession-of-your-time/) [Sunday Adelaja](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sunday-adelaja/) > [The difference between a good defensive team and a bad defensive team is as little as three possessions](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brad-stevens/the-difference-between-a-good-defensive-team-and-a-bad-defensive-team/) [Brad Stevens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brad-stevens/) > [I think the NBA's amazing and I think our players are amazing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brad-stevens/i-think-the-nba-s-amazing-and-i-think-our-players-are-amazing/) [Brad Stevens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brad-stevens/) > [I think video games have been instrumental to me as an NBA player.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gordon-hayward/i-think-video-games-have-been-instrumental-to-me-as-an-nba-player/) [Gordon Hayward](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gordon-hayward/) > [My whole thing when I got in the NBA was I want to win a championship. The mindset hasn't changed.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bam-adebayo/my-whole-thing-when-i-got-in-the-nba-was-i-want-to-win-a-championship/) [Bam Adebayo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bam-adebayo/) > [I don't look at myself as a basketball coach. I look at myself as a leader who happens to coach basketball.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mike-krzyzewski/i-don-t-look-at-myself-as-a-basketball-coach-i-look-at-myself-as-a/) [Mike Krzyzewski](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mike-krzyzewski/) > [The NBA is my history.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/penny-hardaway/the-nba-is-my-history/) [Penny Hardaway](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/penny-hardaway/) ## More by Brad Stevens > [I don't focus well angry.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brad-stevens/i-don-t-focus-well-angry/) [Brad Stevens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brad-stevens/) > [When you've worked in the same place for 13 years, when things go well, you know how to keep it going well. When things…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brad-stevens/when-you-ve-worked-in-the-same-place-for-13-years-when-things-go-well/) [Brad Stevens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brad-stevens/) > [I like to be pretty streamlined, to maximize our time on the practice floor. I like to make sure I'm respectful of our players'…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brad-stevens/i-like-to-be-pretty-streamlined-to-maximize-our-time-on-the-practice/) [Brad Stevens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brad-stevens/) > [My care is that we play with great effort and togetherness. That is what we're looking for. That's what we want to be.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brad-stevens/my-care-is-that-we-play-with-great-effort-and-togetherness-that-is/) [Brad Stevens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brad-stevens/) > [Jaylen's a high achiever. You can be a high achiever in every which way. He's a guy that - we've talked about several times…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brad-stevens/jaylen-s-a-high-achiever-you-can-be-a-high-achiever-in-every-which/) [Brad Stevens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brad-stevens/) > [It's so much fun to dream in your driveway. I had an old wooden backboard in my driveway. That's where my friends and I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brad-stevens/it-s-so-much-fun-to-dream-in-your-driveway-i-had-an-old-wooden/) [Brad Stevens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brad-stevens/) > [Jaylen's greatest impact, as good as he is at basketball, won't be at basketball. I just think he's a special guy. He's a special…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brad-stevens/jaylen-s-greatest-impact-as-good-as-he-is-at-basketball-won-t-be-at/) [Brad Stevens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brad-stevens/) > [I think the NBA's amazing and I think our players are amazing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brad-stevens/i-think-the-nba-s-amazing-and-i-think-our-players-are-amazing/) [Brad Stevens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brad-stevens/) > [What makes Butler truly unique is the people that we have been so blessed to work with.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brad-stevens/what-makes-butler-truly-unique-is-the-people-that-we-have-been-so/) [Brad Stevens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brad-stevens/) > [At the end of the day, you do this job because you really like working with your team and like the chance to compete…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brad-stevens/at-the-end-of-the-day-you-do-this-job-because-you-really-like-working/) [Brad Stevens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brad-stevens/) > [My experience at DePauw was about as beneficial as any experience I've had.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brad-stevens/my-experience-at-depauw-was-about-as-beneficial-as-any-experience-i/) [Brad Stevens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brad-stevens/) > [One thing I'd like to do better personally is decompress. Obviously when things don't go your way, you'll be thinking of it all the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brad-stevens/one-thing-i-d-like-to-do-better-personally-is-decompress-obviously/) [Brad Stevens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brad-stevens/) > [If I was playing a game of Sorry or checkers with my nine-year-old, I hate losing. That's just my makeup and personality.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brad-stevens/if-i-was-playing-a-game-of-sorry-or-checkers-with-my-nine-year-old-i/) [Brad Stevens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brad-stevens/) > [One of my greatest regrets in coaching is the Butler Final Four runs, because if I would have been a seasoned coach, I think…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brad-stevens/one-of-my-greatest-regrets-in-coaching-is-the-butler-final-four-runs/) [Brad Stevens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brad-stevens/) > [I could probably go through our losses in a lot more detail than our wins, all through my career. But you have to be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brad-stevens/i-could-probably-go-through-our-losses-in-a-lot-more-detail-than-our/) [Brad Stevens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brad-stevens/) [Explore all 108 Brad Stevens quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brad-stevens/) ## More Basketball quotes > [We love playing together and we love adversity. You know, back-to-back, the two best teams in the East.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-nash/we-love-playing-together-and-we-love-adversity-you-know-back-to-back/) [Steve Nash](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-nash/) > [I don't look at myself as a basketball coach. I look at myself as a leader who happens to coach basketball.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mike-krzyzewski/i-don-t-look-at-myself-as-a-basketball-coach-i-look-at-myself-as-a/) [Mike Krzyzewski](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mike-krzyzewski/) > [There is no doubt in my mind and I know in my time, there will be a Canadian basketball player playing for Toronto Raptors, 100%](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/masai-ujiri/there-is-no-doubt-in-my-mind-and-i-know-in-my-time-there-will-be-a/) [Masai Ujiri](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/masai-ujiri/) > [I learned so much from Sue about the Xs and Os of the game of basketball.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pat-summitt/i-learned-so-much-from-sue-about-the-xs-and-os-of-the-game-of/) [Pat Summitt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pat-summitt/) > [ I failed, I think, seven \[or\] eight times before I finally got my first \[championship\]. It was just, you know, just about me growing… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shaquille-o-neal/i-failed-i-think-seven-or-eight-times-before-i-finally-got-my-first/) [Shaquille O'Neal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shaquille-o-neal/) > [It's not how big you are, it's how big you play](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-wooden/it-s-not-how-big-you-are-it-s-how-big-you-play/) [John Wooden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-wooden/) > [Basketball isn't just a sport to me ; it's my ecstasy !](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jamira-robinson/basketball-isn-t-just-a-sport-to-me-it-s-my-ecstasy/) [Jamira Robinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jamira-robinson/) > [It's similar to basketball: when you go to different gyms and win or lose, you learn something new. So when kids get out of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andre-iguodala/it-s-similar-to-basketball-when-you-go-to-different-gyms-and-win-or/) [Andre Iguodala](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andre-iguodala/) > [If a Coach is determined to stay in the coaching profession, he will develop from year to year. This much is true, no coach…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adolph-rupp/if-a-coach-is-determined-to-stay-in-the-coaching-profession-he-will/) [Adolph Rupp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adolph-rupp/) > [And I want to do it the right way, like everybody else, not just a famous figurehead that gets a job because he is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shaquille-o-neal/and-i-want-to-do-it-the-right-way-like-everybody-else-not-just-a/) [Shaquille O'Neal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shaquille-o-neal/) > [Well, you can certainly teach free-throwing. And you can teach the boys to pass at angles and run in curves. - University of Kansas…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/darryl-dawkins/well-you-can-certainly-teach-free-throwing-and-you-can-teach-the-boys/) [Darryl Dawkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/darryl-dawkins/) > [Practice to beat the best.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dick-bennett/practice-to-beat-the-best/) [Dick Bennett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dick-bennett/) > [I'm a competitive person. I love the game of basketball. I'm a gym rat.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-pierce/i-m-a-competitive-person-i-love-the-game-of-basketball-i-m-a-gym-rat/) [Paul Pierce](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-pierce/) > [I am both humbled and honored to receive the Honda Sports Award for women's basketball.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brittney-griner/i-am-both-humbled-and-honored-to-receive-the-honda-sports-award-for/) [Brittney Griner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brittney-griner/) > [What I've talked about the entire series and throughout this playoffs is about intensity and effort, desire and will of our players.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-laimbeer/what-i-ve-talked-about-the-entire-series-and-throughout-this-playoffs/) [Bill Laimbeer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-laimbeer/) [Browse all 5,387 Basketball quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/basketball/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "The key is to maintain an evenness. 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