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| Dang...Gina |
I love God, the House of God (CHURCH), and the things of God.
I love my wife Gina (Pictured to the right) (If you don't know now you know).
And......I love Sports
I pretty much love all sports. I enjoy watching them, arguing about them, playing them, and watching them some more.
I'm talking about football, hockey, golf, soccer, track and field, rugby, and
of course basketball. (Baseball is not a sport in my book. And neither is Nascar)
This is a great time in the sporting year because we just finished March Madness and the Masters, and now we are approaching the NFL Draft and the US Open...
...AND....We're smack dab in the middle of the NBA PLAYOFFS.
Here are 5 things that the this year's NBA Playoffs have taught me about life, leadership, and church culture:
1. A #1 Seed Means NOTHING if you're team isn't playing together.
The Indiana Pacers were arguably the best team all year. Not the best talent but the best team. They played selflessly for each other, acknowledging each other's strengths and weaknesses and earned the top seed in the Eastern Conference.
They barely squeaked by the #8 seed ATL Hawks and are playing the worst basketball out of the remaining teams in the playoffs.
How do you go from the best team to the worst team?
They failed to realize that if you want to experience something you've never felt before you will need to do things you've never done before.
You don't reach the next level by accident. What got you to one level will not propel you to the next level.
And...they are not playing together as a team.
I don't care what you're ranked if the team isn't playing together then your season is about to be OVER.
2. Everything Rises and Falls with LEADERSHIP
ESPN reported just hours ago that Mark Jackson, the coach of the GS Warriors was fired. Mark Jackson from all accounts was a great coach, an even greater man, and there is no way he should have been fired.
http://espn.go.com/nba/playoffs/2014/story/_/id/10892128/mark-jackson-coach-golden-state-warriors
He changed the Warriors culture to actually WINNING basketball games.
Should he have gotten fired? No, absolutely not.
Am I surprised? No, absolutely not.
When a team loses everyone wants to place the blame somewhere. And whether it is fair or not that blame usually falls on the coach.
EVERYTHING rises and falls on LEADERSHIP.
(I love Mark Jackson and he will be getting job offers probably starting today)
3. Get Your Stars the Ball
I was in agony as I watched the OKC Thunder play the LA Clippers last night. I'm a huge fan of Kevin Durant. He's a strong Christian and one of the most prolific scorers in league history. (Named MVP today). There were times when the Thunder went possession after possession after possession without getting KD the ball. Didn't make any sense...
If people on your team have the right heart then its perfectly okay to let them shine!
Don't be an insecure leader that is afraid of others outshining you. When the stars play their part the team almost always wins. When the team wins it makes the leader look good too.
Stop hogging the rock.
Get your stars the ball!
4. What You Do in the Dark Will Come to Light
The Donald Sterling fiasco teaches us that private matters are not so private. What he said was so terrible that I'm not going to spend time repeating it. It was bad. He should be ashamed.
The principle that the whole situation teaches me is that your gift will not take you where your character cannot keep you.
In leadership character is key. I pray that I'm the same on and off the stage, that I walk what I talk, that I practice what I preach.
I've learned that private prayer produces public power. Private power produces public pride....and we all know that pride comes before a fall.
5. Oftentimes You Gotta Go to a Game 7
In the first round 5 out of 8 series went to a game seven.
The first round of the NBA Playoffs set the record for:
- Most games in the 1st round
- Most games decided by 5 pts or less
- Most games decided by 3 pts or less
Leadership, Life, Church culture is a GRIND....
It is a game of inches oftentimes coming down to the buzzer.
I've learned that so many times the winner is decided simply by who wants it more...
There are going to be times when you want to quit, stop, give in, let up....DON'T!
We need you to lead, preach, pray, give, serve with all you got, even if you have to go to some game 7's.
The reward for continuing feels much better than the remorse of deciding to let up.
Game 7's will come. Fight til the end, then fight some more!
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