"Four or five moments, that's all it takes [to] be a hero. Everyone thinks it is a full time job. Wake up a hero, brush your teeth a hero, go to work a hero. Not true. Over a lifetime there are only four or five moments that really matter. Moments when you are offered a choice make a sacrifice. Conquer a flaw. Save a friend. Spare an enemy. In these moments everything else falls away. The way the world sees us. The way we-" — Colossus from the movie "Deadpool"
Kyrie Irving thought, "He can't guard me, he can't guard me."
The score was tied in the Game 7 of the NBA Finals with only a minute left. The unanimous MVP of the league was guarding Kyrie but you could tell that only made him more confident. The shot clock was waning down 10, 9, 8, 7... He began to make his move. He bent low in a predatory stance and handcuffed the ball with his right hand and faked like he was going to crossover. While the defender backed up waiting for the cross, Kyrie slightly dragged his right foot to the right side to create separation for a shot. The defender put his hands up to try and contest the shot but it was to no avail. The shot went up. With three seconds on the shot clock, swoosh. The three-pointer went in and the Cleveland Cavaliers went up in Game 7 of the NBA finals 92-89.
I don't know exactly what was going through Kyrie's head as he hit the biggest shot in Cleveland Cavalier's history but I do know that in the 2016 NBA finals Kyrie proved not only to be the hero but also to be a clutch leader. During the season Kyrie averaged 19.6 points; during the finals he stepped up his game averaging 27.1 points. When the moment arrived Kyrie elevated his game like a true leader.
The same could be said for Lebron James who made the biggest block in NBA history to set up Kyrie's game-winning shot. During the season Lebron averaged 25.3 points 6.8 assists, 7.4 rebounds; during the finals averaged 29.7 points 11.3 rebounds and 8.9 assists. When his moment arrived he elevated his game. Both Lebron and Kyrie did.
The same could not be said for Steph Curry and the Golden State Warriors (GSW).
The 2016 GSW had the best season in the history of basketball winning 73 games. Their star player Steph Curry won the MVP unanimously averaging 30.1 points and shattering his own record of 3 point field goals made (402). However, in the finals, he averaged 22.6 points.
In fact, after Kyrie hit the big-shot the unanimous MVP had possession of the ball with 50 ticks left on the clock. But Steph did not display the same confidence as Kyrie. Steph looked like a fish out of water attempting to maneuver around Kevin Love to get a three-point shot off. He dribbled left, dribbled right, passed it, received the ball back, dribbled some more and then shot a tear drop from 25 feet away and missed. It was hard to watch.
Although the Cavs regular season was not as glamorous as the GSW, their caliber opponents were not as tough as the Warriors, and their star players did not shatter regular season records like the GSW, they won when it counted most.
Watching the 2016 NBA finals I will admit that I wanted the GSW to win because I wanted to say that I witnessed the best team to ever play basketball cement their legacy by surpassing the 1995-1996 Bulls for the best basketball team ever. If the GSW won the finals, then there was no debate. But they let me down. Instead, I witnessed a star, Lebron James, cement his legacy in the world of basketball.
Steph Curry's finals performance does not take anything away from the GSW's historic season, his phenomenal regular season, or his ability as a leader. However, the world witnessed a 24-year-old outduel the unanimous MVP for seven straight games and in the moment when it counted most.
As a New York Yankee fan, Derek Jeter is Derek Jeter because of what he did in the playoff months, not the regular season. The rule that I have taken away from watching superstars perform like Lebron James or Derek Jeter is this: in every book or every season there are defining moments that test a character's spirit. These moments only make up 20 percent of the book or 20 percent of the season yet make up 80 percent of the results (contract deals, legacy, fame etc.) Therefore it is more important for leaders to be great during the 20 percent and not focus too much on the 80 percent that makes up the regular season. That focus is why the Cleveland Cavs are the reigning NBA Champs and the GSW are not.
