It was game four of 2-on-2 this past Saturday.  After having scored eight points in a row, I was struggling.  I was gassed and couldn’t find my wind.

Hands on my knees, stripped of energy, I pleaded to my brother, my teammate, slow it down!

An hour and a half before I had been bent over and clutching my bathroom sink, throwing up.   I wasn’t feeling well, but I didn’t let my opponents know that.

When I got to the gym that morning, as I attempted to force down an energy gel pack, I mentioned to my brother in passing that I had been sick earlier.  I then proceeded to let him know that I’d be fine and walked onto the court to warm-up.

I wasn’t fine, but I wanted to play.  I needed to play.

Now in game four, that need, had me running on fumes.

Up 8-3, I made my way to the three-point line and received the inbounds pass.  As my brother began running to the opposite wing, in an almost whisper like tone, he said, “Michael Jordan.”

A thousand images flashed through my mind in a split second.  I saw MJ back in Utah, wrinkled jersey, playing not on energy, but with HEART!

I pump faked, jab stepped to the middle, and went hard left for the lay-in.

9-3.

Success in life isn’t as much about winning or losing, as it is about NOT QUITTING!

An amazing friend of mine posted the following quote on the mevsMJ.com Facebook page the other day:

“Now if you are going to win any battle you have to do one thing. You have to make the mind run the body. Never let the body tell the mind what to do. The body will always give up. It is always tired in the morning, noon, and night. But the body is never tired if the mind is not tired.” – George S. Patton, U.S. Army General, 1912 Olympian.

Last Saturday, my body wanted to quit, but my MIND and my HEART would not allow it!

We played seven games that morning and won four of seven.  We battled when we WERE NOT at our best!  We battled when MOST might have quit.  We battled because SUCCESS doesn’t come easy.

When you fight through struggle, YOU APPRECIATE the good times even more!

At some point this weekend, I will walk out on the basketball court ready to play.  Because of what happened this past Saturday, I will know exactly what I’m capable of when my body screams at me, “You’re tired!!”

I will know that to QUIT is not an option in this journey.  To LET UP is what others do.  To fight through the pain is what WINNERS like Michael Jordan do!

Michaaaeeeeel Jorrrrrrdaaaan….

Who’s ready to get better?!?!  Who’s ready to fight for their dreams?!?!

me vs. MJ…the journey continues!

The “Flu Game”

Here is video of Michael Jordan’s incredible 1997 NBA Finals performance in Game 5 against the Utah Jazz.

httpvh://youtu.be/OLQl7UJOYUs

Congrats to the Mavs and their first Championship!  Well deserved!  Superbly played!

So many were beyond excited by the outcome of Sunday’s game and many weren’t even Dallas Mavericks fans.

No doubt the Mavericks bandwagon was filled beyond capacity here in the NBA Finals.  When there was no more room, not even one inch of space, people were still clawing and scratching just to get on board.  I have no issue with that whatsoever, as bandwagon jumping is a part of sports.

What I have an issue with is the WHY.

Typically teams attract “so called” fans late in the year based upon their play.  They pick up the sports fans who want to have a dog in the fight, as well as, some people who don’t even watch sports, but fall in the love with the drama that makes athletic competition at the highest level so fantastic.

All of that is cool.

What isn’t cool or acceptable is when HATE for another is the sole reason for which cheers and support are cast and given to the other team.

The Mavs had a lot of people in the “I HATE LEBRON JAMES, SO I WANT DALLAS TO WIN” category this year and that’s sad.

This series unfortunately became more about LeBron losing than Dallas winning.  More people were excited that LeBron didn’t play well than they were that Dirk Nowitzki, Jason Terry and JJ Barea played SO WELL.

Facebook and Twitter were ablaze with Mavs support from many that could tell you very little at all about the game of basketball, yet they all had one thing in common:  They HATE the Miami Heat and more importantly they HATE LeBron James.

When did rooting for someone to fail become acceptable?

When James did the decision?  When the Heat held the preseason celebration?

I would bet almost every one of us has left an employer for what we thought was a better opportunity.  We didn’t do “the decision” of course, but then again we don’t have the voice.

You know, I can’t recall one letter of hate mail or even one negative comment thrown my way when I went from one bank to another over eight years ago.

The preseason celebration, not the best idea, but it is what it is.  The city of Miami and the fans were ecstatic!  They held a celebration because the city, players and organization were excited!

Shame on them I guess.

We don’t do such things of course, unless you count tweeting and facebooking (including pictures) every single great thing that happens in our lives.  We don’t hold an official “celebration” because again we don’t have the voice, but if we did, well just look at your “facebook wall” and tell me what you think would happen.

FACT:  LeBron James is not perfect.

But guess what, neither are we.

I know if I had to endure what James is going through, the good days and for most of this past year, the bad.  If I was followed around with cameras and asked tough questions over and over again.  If every little thing I did or didn’t do was judged by the masses, it would be tough, and I would MAKE MISTAKES.

Honestly, I make mistakes all of the time.

TRUTH:  We ALL make mistakes.

Matthew 7:5 of the Good Word says,  “You hypocrite, first take the plank out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother’s eye.”

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Sunday night, amongst family and friends, I was rooting for LeBron James like never before.  I was rooting for the 26 year old young man with the weight and hate of the majority on his shoulders.  I wanted to see him smile, because I haven’t in quite some time.  I wanted him to feel joy, but more importantly I didn’t want him to feel anymore hate.

Enough is enough.

LeBron James has shown he isn’t perfect.

Unfortunately, we have also shown how equally imperfect we are as a society.

It’s time for us all to grow up.

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me vs. MJ aka Michael Jordan Update:

MJ has yet to agree to play me 1-on-1 (if anyone reading this knows Mr. Jordan, please tell him I’m looking for ’em…haha), but I’m still working hard and getting better every day.  I’m really hoping that all of the work translates to the court when I play my next opponent, professional hoopster, Andy Gebru later this week.

Pray for me! I may need every single one of your prayers!

me vs. MJ…the journey continues!  As always, thank you for following along!

The skeptics doubted, but Mr. June knew.

They applauded his individual talents, while questioning his ability to carry a team, but Mr. June knew.

At the start of the 1991 NBA Finals, the defending NBA champion Los Angeles Lakers were favored, but Mr. June knew.

After losing Game 1 of that Finals series, the critics smirked, but Mr. June knew.

Five games later and 31.2 points per game, 11.4 assists per game, 6.6 rebounds per game, 2.8 steals per game and 1.4 blocks per game later, the World knew too.

But Mr. June aka Michael Jordan was just getting warmed up!

6 Time NBA Finals Most Valuable Player

Over his career, Michael Jordan made the NBA Finals his personal playground.  Six times he and the Chicago Bulls made it to the NBA Finals and six times they won.  Each time Jordan was also named NBA Finals Most Valuable Player with plays and stat lines to leave even the most seasoned basketball aficionado amazed.

During his time on the court, Michael Jordan had more defining moments than anyone in NBA history, but it’s what he did in June that truly made him special.

Mr. June (video):

Because we too often forget too soon, here is a look back at Mr. June.  Enjoy!

httpvh://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w0BQKX_lszY

[If you are reading this via email or RSS, click here to watch the video.]

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Headed to the NBA Finals!

Later this evening, I will head down to Miami to see my first ever NBA Finals game!  Pretty pumped, I must say!  In case you’re wondering, I’ll be rooting for Wade, Bron and the Miami Heat!

It’s time for a little game.  A game to get you thinking.  Ready?

OK, here we go.  Fill in the blank:

I currently do __________ for a living, but wish I could do __________ instead/also.

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I know a handful of people reading the sentence above, who can’t fathom how anyone would ever think that way.   Just do it already, they might quip.  If you’re one of those people, stay with me, I will need your help in a bit.

Today’s reality however is one where most, including myself at times, does think or has thought that way.

So why doesn’t everyone stop talking about it and “just do it”?

Fear?  The unknown?  Fear of the unknown?  What if things don’t work out?  What if I wish I had never stopped doing what I was doing?

Sound familiar to anyone?

The King

The year was 1993.   The Chicago Bulls had just won their third NBA Championship in a row, the first team to do so in 27 years.   For the third consecutive year Michael Jordan was named the most valuable player (MVP) of the NBA Finals.   In that Finals series against the Phoenix Suns, Jordan averaged an NBA Finals record 41 points per game, and still grabbed 8.5 rebounds per game and dished out 6.3 assists.

Put your eyebrows down and close your mouth.  In case you forgot, MJ was a bad man!

He was the very best in the game.  The King.

A few months later, following the sudden tragic loss of his father, he walked away from his Kingdom.

The King becomes a Pauper

Jordan walked away from the game of basketball while standing on its peak and went to the first step of another sport he hadn’t played since he was a kid.   He tried his best at the game of baseball and took all the curious eyes and ridicule that came along with it.

He made a decision to walk away from comfort.   To put aside something he had mastered and pursue something he was passionate about.

Not many believed in him or supported him.  Most in the baseball world couldn’t wait for him to fail.

There was nothing easy about the voyage, but yet he pushed off.

He Tried

Baseball didn’t work out for Michael Jordan the way hoops did.   He went back to basketball less than two years later and the rest is roundball history.

How he did at baseball in the big scheme of things doesn’t matter.  The most important part is that he tried.

He did the one thing that so many are unwilling to do.

Your Turn to Try!

I know people that sing like birds, write as well as best selling authors, rap like they should be getting paid, cook like Paula Deen, train like Jillian, build like Bob (making sure you’re paying attention, haha!), and on and on and on.

Know this…before the artist wins the Grammy, before the author tops the New York Times best seller list, before he was Kanye West, before she was Paula Deen and before she was Jillian Michaels, they had to begin with a single step forward.

They were all just “regular” people before they did.

One or Two Things I NEED From You!

Ok, we are finally to the “what I need from you” interactive part of today’s post.  Please don’t just pass over this.   This is VERY important!  Your effort could help guide someone’s first step.  Thank you in advance.

1. What Have You Always Wanted To Try?

Leave one thing you’ve always wanted to at least try in the comments section below.   If you’re advanced and I know you are, tell me why you have never moved forward with it before now.

2. What You Have Done?

If you’ve done something really cool in the last year, leave that in the comments section as well (even if I already know about it).  Look at it, not as a gloating session, but as positive reinforcement for all.   Proof that it can be done!  (Remember, not everyone thinks like you may, so please take the time to share.)

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Thanks! I’m hoping for lots of feedback and even more newbies giving new things a try.