Heart of a Champion

Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up. Galatians 6:9


I came to love the game of basketball late in life. That is if you consider 45 years of age such a thing. My husband and I had just moved our family to San Antonio, and we were living in a tiny apartment while our home was being built. Because the apartment was the size of a postage stamp, I could either watch the game with him in the family room/dining room, or go to bed. Usually I chose to go to bed. Once when I couldn't sleep, I watched the end of a game. The Spurs lost, but they behaved like champions.

In the post-game interviews, when asked why they lost the game, the players did not blame the referees--- although according to my husband they would have been justified in doing so. They did not blame their teammates. They focused on themselves and admitted they didn't play their best, and the other team deserved to win. I fell in love with the Spurs right then and there. Despite a bitter game, they took responsibility for their failure. Though certainly troubled by the loss, they were not in fact defeated by it. The next game they dusted off their sneakers, picked themselves up and left their failure where it belonged, in the past. They stayed in the moment, played the game and they won. At least that series.

Since then, I have watched the Spurs play hundreds of games. I have watched them play so extraordinarily well that I had to replay an awesome shot on the DVR over and over again. I have sprung to my feet and stood inches away from the TV, as if standing three inches from the screen could enable me to mentally will a free throw into the net instead of out of it. I have also known the anguish of watching them play horribly. I have sat on the couch with my eyes shut tight, unable to watch a turnover or three point miss. Through it all, watching close up or listening with my hands over my eyes, at the end of the game, I will still love the Spurs. Win or lose they behave like champions.

This year, when the Spurs played game five against the Memphis Grizzlies in the semi-finals. With less than half a minute to go, Manu Ginobili and Gary Neal threw up miracle shots that swished through the net and tied the game forcing overtime. The Spurs outscored the Grizzlies in overtime and won the game.

When Manu and Neal were interviewed after the game, they did not take all the glory and they cast no blame on their teammates for almost losing the game. Manu said the team had made mistakes and then quickly added that he also had made mistakes in the game that cost the team points. There was no bad-mouthing his teammates, his opponents, or the referees. He simply acknowledged his mistakes, and celebrated the team effort. He didn't mention that he put up 33 points during the game. Likewise Neal humbly celebrated the basket that resuscitated the Spurs for at least one more game. He spoke of the team effort more than individual success.

A reporter asked Manu if having the heart of a champion enabled the Spurs to win game four, and he replied, "No we just got lucky."

It may have been luck that won Game five, but it is the heart of the Spurs that makes the team true champions. It was their heart that stole mine and turned me into a true fan. Sadly, the Spurs lost game six. Either way the ball bounces though---in or out of the rim---the Spurs will have my heart, because they have heart. The way they win and the way they lose have taught me some amazing life lessons.

1. We play as a team. We lose as a team. We are not created to play alone. We need each other to do our best.
2. Choose your teammates wisely. The people we spend the most time with each day have a major impact on our vision of life.
3. Blaming doesn't make you a winner. Accepting responsibility, or letting go when genuinely wronged, does.
4. We are not our mistakes. Once we evaluate how our actions contributed to a failure, we can let it go and play the game well.
5. Don't hog the ball (or the glory). Team work multiplies the joy of success and reduces the pain of loss.
6. Don't coast on the last victory. Stay in the moment and play as if you will not get another chance. Don't rest on your laurels thinking that the way you have always won in the past, will always work in the future. Welcome new people and new ideas for a winning strategy.
7. Even when you are down and there seems no way you could possibly win, NEVER, NEVER, NEVER give up until the final buzzer sounds.
8. Don't let emotions get the best of you. When frustrated, find your center and breathe. Keep dribbling, keep moving, and keep shooting for your dreams.
9. It takes different strengths and talents to make a winning team. At times in our lives we need a strong presence in the paint who can move through tough obstacles and create an otherwise impossible shot. Other situations call for someone to stand beyond the arc and show us how to shoot for our goals from a distance. Still other times we just need someone to set a screen so that we can take our shot. One type of play is not better than another. It is just different, and celebrating our differences strengthens the team.
10. Don't waste time on the bench. Use it to focus and engage in the game. Much of life is spent waiting for an opportunity play. Don't waste that time or resent it. Use it to plan, to learn from others and to strategize. When you are called off the bench, be ready to enter the game with gratitude, energy and enthusiasm.