Last night I watched the Knicks win the NBA championship. I used to root for the Knicks back in the day when they were really good, and became a casual observer when they were bad in the 50 some years since they were relevant. One thing really caught my eye and reminded me of some of the things I experienced as a competing player and things I experience as a coach.
The lady on tv tried to interview Jalen Brunson, the captain and leader of the team. He was so emotional he could not talk. She continued to try to coax something out of him and the phrases that went something like this came out. “All those summers” “All those hours”…
I felt that more than heard it. As a player I remember defeating people I was told I had no chance of ever beating. As a coach the victories by the underdogs are the sweetest. When you have some experts on social media forecast your player losing in the 16s and that same player is in the finals, that is where it is at. There is nothing like winning at an elite level. It is euphoric and like a drug I keep chasing it at my age when I should be on the front porch of the shady rest retirement home!
Fortunately for me, and the athletes I work with, I never really acted my age!
The fans were as joyful as the players because they too have suffered for years rooting for a team with no chance of winning…until now.
So here’s to all of you out there in racquetball land…keep chasing that dream and don’t let up.
Go get’em tigers!!