Last night I caught a few minutes of the San Antonio Spurs/Golden State Warriors game. For those unaware, these are two National Basketball Association (NBA) teams. I happen to be a fan of the Warriors—being a native of the San Francisco Bay Area.
The Spurs were impressive in winning the game—their 19th in a row! If you want to see basketball played at the highest level imaginable—watch the Spurs play sometime. It’s the precision and jaw-dropping impact of Cirque du Soleil in gym shorts. Some have argued the Spurs could field two NBA quality teams from their current fifteen-man roster.
The Spurs have three future Hall of Fame players but that’s not why they’re so impressive. They play within a system—one that’s been carefully honed over the years by coach Gregg Popovich. When it comes to the Spurs, it’s professionalism on steroids.
I believe that, out of all the modern sports, basketball is the best in illustrating the mind sets in action.
Consider:
***the deadly-shooting point guard who acts as a decoy, enabling them to distribute the ball to open teammates (mind-sets 1,2,6,7 ).
***the player who passes up a good shot so that their teammate will get a better one (mind-sets 1,2,6,7).
***the uber-talented individual players who choose to forgo their individual stats and play as a unified team (mind-sets 1,2).
***the shooting guard who takes a charge from the opponent’s 280 pound power-forward (mind-sets 1,2,3).
***the star player who generously renegotiates their contract, releasing monies for the team to sign a desirable free-agent, and enabling the team to stay under the salary-cap (mind-sets 1,2,4).
Watch the Spurs play sometime—you’ll see these attributes and more. You’ll see professionals in action.