Last night one of the strangest things in sports happened that I’ve ever seen, but I’ve seen it many times before. I know you’re anti-sports here for the most part, but bear with me, because it’s relevant.
The Warriors, for those who don’t follow, are the most dominant team in basketball over the last 5 years. They have 4 all-stars on the court (of a team of 5) at any given moment. They’re the best of the best players in the league, and their arrogance shows more often than not.
Last night’s playoff game started like any other game they play. They went up by 31 points mid-third quarter. There was no way anyone could come back from such a deficit. It was easy rolling. All of the stars fired their best shots. They were smirking, dragging their feet, resting up, because they didn’t ant to exert themselves any longer.
Then a crazy thing happened.
The end of the 3rd Quarter saw the Clippers make a 12-2 run against the Warriors. But they Ws had been resting Steph Curry the whole time. It was probably just the bench play, right?
The lead was cut to 20….
Then to 10…
Then to 2…
During the course of this, the stars of the Clippers, Green and Beverly, both fowled out. They were playing so hard, so physical that they couldn’t stay in. The Warriors meanwhile were really playing up the fouls, getting calls because they’re the champions. Draymond Green of the Warriors mocked Beverley for getting that last foul (which he barely touched Green) with a little wave and a “bye bye!”
It surely was over for the Clippers.
But their bench worked even harder. The Warriors, overconfident and lazy, just let them get past them. The Warriors finally went down, and couldn’t make up the difference.
It’s a huge lesson for all of us. No matter how well we’re doing, no matter what it looks like, we cannot get overconfident and rest on our laurels.
I’ve seen it happen soo many times in so many industries. There’s such a temptation to say “I won. It’s over” and stop fighting or producing. But life is even harder than sports. If you declare victory while the game’s still on, your loss is going to hurt a lot more than a few points. It could be your whole life, your whole livelihood.
Don’t get overly satisfied with what you’ve already done. Don’t get cocky. Don’t buy your own hype.
It’s the only way to keep winning. Otherwise there’s a lot of sharks out there ready to take you down and do it for themselves.
No matter where you’re at, there’s a lot of work to do. And on the other side — if you’re a “little young guy” like the Clippers appear to the Warriors, your lesson is you CAN do it. You can fight the big monster and win.
It’s all about perseverance and hard work.
My hard work is on display on Kickstarter right now! How many people keep telling me I’ll never cut it in the industry? I’ve got the monolith against me, and they started the game with a hundred point lead. But I’m going to fight and claw my way to victory with my every last breath. Flying Sparks 2 is my best comic work yet. Check it out. Only 3 days left!
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