So much for forecasts.
Six games into the best-of-seven series, to say “it’s all knotted up at three games apiece” is to minimize the intensity and to diminish the closeness of the series. In six games, they’ve played seven OT quarters! If the series were any closer, they’d have to be playing clones of one another.
If you missed game six last night, then you missed what will go down as one of the epic battles in all of NBA playoff history. More than that, you missed life lessons. Here’s just a few last night taught me.
You Make Your Own “Luck”
While the Chicago Cubs flounder into year 101 without a championship banner, and while they bemoan the “Billy Goat Curse” and the “Curse of the Black Cat,” the Chicago Bulls seem to manufacture their own luck. Back several decades ago the Bulls “lucked out” when some shooting guard from North Carolina dropped to third in the NBA draft. “Lucky” for the Bulls, Michael Jordan turned out to be “okay.”
And last year, when the odds were astronomically stacked against them, “luckily” the draft lottery gave the Bulls the “gift” of the first selection. They “lucked out” when they selected a point guard from Memphis. “Lucky” for the Bulls, Derrick Rose turned out to be “okay.”
When life deals you a bad hand, and it will, play with the hand life deals you. It’s all you have anyway. Bemoaning “bad luck” is for losers.
There’s Always More in the Tank Than What You Think
For the entire season, sportswriters worried that rookie Derrick Rose was playing far too many minutes. They predicted his legs would falloff by mid-season. Well, he played an un-heard-of 59:26 last night. Some 59 minutes into the game, those legs launched his body high into the air to block Rajon Rondo’s potential game-winner.
Rose reminds you of Jordan. Year-after-year, game-after-game, Jordan played “far too many minutes.” Yet, there was always something left in the tank at the end each game and the end of each season.
That’s not to say either player ever “left anything in reserve.” That’s the paradox. Both expend every ounce of energy imaginable, and then expend even more!
When life beats you down, and it will, remember, there’s always more in the tank than what you think. Wobbly legs spurred on by a winner’s guts can leap tall buildings in a single bound.
Turn Setbacks into Comebacks
At the end of game five, Bulls’ reserve center, Brad Miller, ended up with stitches inside his mouth after a hard (some say flagrant) foul by Rondo. Staggering to the foul line, Miller missed both shots and ended the Bulls’ chances of winning that seemingly pivotal game.
Isn’t life ironic. Who comes off the bench to scorch the Celts for 23 points and 10 rebounds but Miller! Who swishes five consecutive free-throws but Miller!
He could have bemoaned his previous failure. He could have allowed his blown shot at stardom to psych him out for the next game, or . . . forever. Instead, he turned his setback into the biggest comeback of his lengthy career.
When life knocks you down, and it will, remember, turn setbacks into comebacks. Through resilience, determine to be the “comeback kid.”
Play with Pain
The only player on the court who logged more minutes than Rose was the Bulls’ John Salmons, he of the severe groin strain. So, did he hobble around ineffectively? His 35-point performance shouts, “No!”
When life scars you, and it will, play with pain. It’s surprising how true the old cliché really is, “No pain, no gain.”
Take Big Risks
Bulls’ General Manager, John Paxson, saw the Bulls’ season, and likely his own career as GM, fading fast before his bleary eyes. Rumor has it, quitting or being fired were both on the table.
As Paxson had done throughout his career, he took a shot at crunch time. The aforementioned Salmons and Miller were two trades Paxson made, “giving away” young, popular Bulls’ players for “no-name old guys.”
When life has you on the ropes, and it will, pull the trigger. Take a risk. Go for it. What do you have to lose?
Believe in the Gifts You’ve Been Blessed With
Throughout much of his first two seasons, Bulls’ center Joakim Noah seemed on the verge of being a colossal flop. Blessed with a guard’s quickness and a center’s size, he came out of college a two-time national champ.
Either because of lazy habits, lack of confidence, or both, his career teetered early. Then, toward the end of the season, during the Bulls’ run toward the playoffs, the proverbial light turned on. You could see in his play a growing belief in his abilities.
You certainly saw it last night. The lighting speed to the basket, the thunderous jackhammer dunk, and the ensuing perfect free-throw combined to demonstrate the aforementioned talent all in a few-second span. The chest-bumping response showed the return of his aforementioned loss of confidence.
When life causes you to doubt yourself, and it will, believe in the gifts you’ve been blessed with. Use them to the fullest.
The Road Goes Ever Onward
The list could go on and on. But I believe you get the point. Sports are more than just a game. They do, indeed, teach life lessons.
Tune in Saturday for game seven of the Bulls/Celtics series. No telling what you may learn. . . .
