Lessons from the basketball court

Have you watched Lebron make plays? Have you seen Kobe just force the Lakers to a win? If not, try catching them during the playoffs. It will give you a glimpse of what makes them great players and much more. Some of my observations

1. I am responsible for what happens - They take front and center responsibility for everything that happens in the court. They pickup slack for a bad team day, get team members involved and help the coach carry out plays. Kobe was held to 5-for-24 in Game 3 with Utah. He came in Game 4 and decimated Utah with 38 points with a 16-for-24 game.
2. Winning is almost everything - They want to win, badly and they do whatever is necessary for this, train incessantly, fire up the team etc. Just see how Lebron's presence has transformed Cavs from an also ran to a strong NBA championship contender.
3. Get better - They constantly reinvent what they do, making it almost impossible to defend or develop strategies to stop them. Kobe has answers to almost any situation, call it basketball intelligence or focus but he gets better as he progresses through the regular season.
4. Love what you do - Be passionate, love the game, love everything that goes with it (I think the money and adulation is pretty easy to get used to). This drives you to strive to be perfect and take a shot at being a legend.
5. Help develop the game - Lebron and Kobe have become great ambassadors for the game internationally which in turn helps develop the game. In this age of really short attention spans, this is very important to attract future stars, funding, fans and advertisers.
   
   2008-2009 has been an amazing season and I really look forward to the Finals.