Barrier might be illusion

0 Comments | USA TODAY, February, 2008 | by Chris Colston

It is known as "hitting the wall."

Rookies hear the phrase all the time. As high school players or collegians, they've played at most a 40-game schedule the previous season. The theory is that they're simply not prepared -- mentally or physically -- for the demands of the NBA's 82-game schedule, plus, if they're lucky, the playoffs.

"Going from 35 games in college to 100 NBA games is a big jump," says Denver Nuggets forward Carmelo Anthony, who played one year at Syracuse. "And when I first came in the league, that's all I heard about: People talking about 'hitting the wall.'"

"They talk about it so much," Toronto Raptors forward Chris Bosh says, "they kind of wreck your nerves. It becomes kind of a psychological thing."

Memphis Grizzlies...