I Love This Game

I have a confession to make: I can sit at home all day, everyday and watch the NBA playoffs. After a game like tonight's Sixers/Pistons game, I feel like my emotions have climbed to the top of Mount Everest and taken a free fall dive down to the bottom. Those of you who do not watch sports, and who do not know my passion for sports (or at least watching them!) may not understand this post. Tonight, I really felt for Allen Iverson. He is one of the greatest players in the league, and deserves much more than what he gets. He is a true warrior and is the template for what all basketball players should be. I don't want to mention any names (such as Vince Carter), but one's love for a sport should drive him to play his heart out every single night. Iverson has gotten into bad arguments with coaches because he has wanted to play, but the medical staff says he is in no shape to play. A player like Iverson deserves a championship. It is so sad to see such great players in the league who may never win a championship. Another example is Chris Webber. He is an excellent player, but now due to health problems isn't able to play up to par. It was sad seeing the Sixers get eliminated (although I am a Pistons fan), but seeing the entire Pistons team, including former head coach Larry Brown show such warmth towards Iverson shows what a great player he is. Everyone loves him.

Many players have come and gone without having won a championship. Malone and Stockton are two of the most famous. Technically Malone still has a chance, but HAH! Anyway, the point of all my rambling is that, yes, so much importance is placed on winning. People's lives are completely changed when they are winners. This is how society has molded us. We need to breed champions, winners and heroes. Nobody wants a loser. Well, we have an all too common cliche, "it's not whether you win or lose, it's how you play the game". I like to add a twist to that. "It's not whether you win or lose, it's how you handle it". Nobody wants a sore loser. A winner is never a winner for the rest of his life. We have to learn how to deal with that. And, some people may never win. Well, that's life. How can you deal with it? Back to Iverson, I love how he deals with it. He just comes back and fights for more. He does not give up, he does not whine and he always give it his all. Maybe we should all learn something from AI. We may not always accomplish our goals, but we must learn how to deal with failure. Props Allen, and better luck next time. Long post? Yes...but I had to get it off my chest. Ciao!