Mirrors are great because when you look into them you can’t see anything but the truth. You can close your eyes an pretend not to see, but once you get back to reality, the trust will show in every mirror.

Almost every level of basketball has reached its season midpoint, which means that right now there are a number of players and coaches who are probably staying away from the mirror. We are going through a tough stretch with our team here in Boston. But what I like about what I see and hear is, for example, Paul Pierce saying, “Doc has given us the answers, but we can’t pass the test.” Or Kevin Garnett, “I need to improve; I need to play better.” Or Doc himself saying to the team,”All of us need to get better — even us coaches.”

What resonates in each of these statements is personal accountability. Each player has looked in the mirror and has been honest with himself. This is what the best do. They look at themselves first to see what they can do better. They don’t place blame on others.

This is a great time of year to look in the mirror — whether it’s a player going through a tough person stretch or a coach whose team is losing. Tthe mirror will focus you on the evaluation you should make first — yourself.