What is it that drives people nuts about the LeBron and the Miami Heat? Or rather, what ‘was’ it? Mainly, I think, it was the lack of heart that LeBron showed by going to team up with his pals to try and bully their way to a title.
Instead of going after it the way MJ would have, which is to destroy his buddes because they stood in his way.
But LeBron is an ESFP brain type, and as such never wants to carry the load, he wants to be the sidekick.
This isn’t just about the Heat though. It’s about what I saw in the only game I saw of the NBA Playoffs, while in an airport. Game 6, Dallas winning the title.
I was blown away by the sheer speed and athleticism that the Heat showed…occasionally. When they turned it on, they reached that “extra gear” that is talked about so much in sports, and they were just miles apart from the slower, older Mavs.
But why didn’t they turn that on the whole game? It’s what people have knocked on LBJ for his whole career – he has possibly the most amazing athleticism and physicality the NBA has seen, and yet he rarely turns on the jets.
Image if LBJ had Michael Jordan’s wiring. He’d probably have 6 titles ALREADY! Ok, that’s a bit gratuitous, but seriously. When he wants it, when he turns it on, he’s unstoppable.
And yet he doesn’t turn it on. Every now and then, yes – but rarely. We think about his 25 points in the 4th and Overtime against Detroit a few years back, and how amazing it was. That’s what we want to witness…
But how often do I fail to turn on my potential to “max”? How often do I coast? And you?
I read a story on Derek Sivers’ blog recently about Socrates and a student.
“There’s a parable that Socrates had a student who asked him, “How can I get wisdom?” Socrates walked him down to the ocean until they were both standing waist-high in the water. Then he grabbed the student’s head and pushed it underwater, holding it there while the student struggled and panicked. When he let go and the student stood up, gasping for air, Socrates said, “When you want wisdom as much as you wanted that next breath, you’ll get it.”
The same goes for most anything in life, I think.
It was obvious to me as I watched game 6 that the Mavs simply wanted it. A lot more. And thus I wasn’t at all surprised by LeBron’s comments after the game.
After turning in another heartless playoff performance, LeBron said, in essence, “all those people reveling in [my] failure will eventually have to return to their miserable lives, while [I] continue living like a King. And I’m happy with that.“
Obviously, the guy’s comfortable, enjoying his rich life in South Beach. But he’s so comfortable, he’s never experienced having his head underwater, that desperation, fighting for that next breath. Which is why he’s never become a Champion.
Dallas understood it. They fought for the W like it was as important as that next breath.
What are those things in my own life that I should be fighting for passionately? Because they’re part of who I am, who I potentially can be? Because fighting to make the most of myself in that area, in that aspect, is what my Creator requires of me?
People dislike Lebron and are disappointed in him because his lack of heart and desire is causing him to completely waste the most amazing basketball talent of a generation, maybe ever.
Yet I think we’re all prone to falling into that rut – just living where we’re comfortable, never pushing ourselves, challenging ourselves, never stretching ourselves to discover our limits.
Get out of that rut. Maximize yourself. If you want it badly enough, and it’s part of who you are, no matter the odds if you’re willing to pursue Life with the determination of a drowning man gasping for air you will capture what you’re reaching for.
