choice

He was arguably the best ever. I'm not the first to say that, but for the first time you'll read why he was (and it wasn't just the dunks)...

He was physically gifted, yes, but many others in his profession were, too.

One, what set him apart was his work ethic. He respected the game, respected his place in it, and worked at being the best he could be. That alone set him apart from a field where most expected to float to the top on their physical gifts alone.

He hired a personal trainer at his own expense, his off-season training regimen becoming legendary. But he wanted to be the best he could be, and he was not content with what came naturally -- without effort. He understood this very early, and stuck with the program thru-out his career. He pushed his natural ability to he very edge.

Second, he was smarter than nearly everyone else on the floor. He thought about what might/could happen. He anticipated. This video is a testament. I'll never know--I'm not an MJ expert so I've never read anything he's said about it--but I think some of these missed free throws were planned. So he could do what we see him doing. Giving his team an edge, demoralizing his opponent.

Opponents soon understood their physical gifts weren't enough. In the midst of a season, it all of a sudden dawned on them that their lackluster workout regimen during the season AND off-season wasn't enough. This guy is SERIOUS! This guy wants to win! To beat this Jordan fella, you had to actually think a lil' bit. And not just be a thinker -- you had to think all g-dang game long... EVERY GAME.

And that's were he held a significant edge. Most of his competitors didn't care to think on his level or nearly as long. I wasn't there, but I know that during games they lost focus. Not Mike. Not ever. He was out for the kill every moment he was in the arena--the field of play. Like how Bill Russell blocked shots...

To this day, most blocked shots you'll ever see in a basketball game go into the high-dollar seats. The crowd oohs and aahs! How impressive!!

Hall Of Famer Bill Russell understood that blocking shots into the crowd meant the other team would get the ball back. So... oh no. Russell would block the ball into the backboard, grab the deflected ball, follow it up with a quick outlet pass to a team mate for an easy score on the other end.

Yeah, the shot blocked into the seats roused the crowd -- but the ball went right back to the other team. Bill Russell, Mike's predecessor, was smart. A thinker. A high school senior amidst eighth graders, really. I digress...

Third and maybe most important, Jordan WANTED it more than everybody around him. He wanted to be the best... to excel. By definition, he wanted "to do or be better than." I hear it sometimes: "so-and-so thinks they are better than such-and-such." Well, maybe they are. Water seeks it's own level. *shrug*

If you watch the video like I did, you wonder: did he and Pippen (who was usually the one missing the free throws in the vid) plan the miss? Or did Jordan study Pippen's (missed) freethrows, learn which way they were most likely to bounce off the rim, then take advantage?

Then.... if you're like me, you say "no," because Grant Hill in an All-Star game does the same thing -- misses a free throw... and looks stunned when Jordan flashes by to slam in the miss.

Here's the deal:

There are never more than 500 active NBA players at any one time. Tens of thousands of little boys dream of being in the NBA. You and I know: the majority never make it. It goes w/out saying: 99.9999999999% of us can't really relate to Jordan's feats on a pro b-ball court. None of us ever did or ever will get there. Still, there are lessons to be learned...

We do what we do, whatever it is. We go to work everyday. We punch a clock, go to an assembly line, get in a truck, deliver mail, pick up a hammer and build something that we can look back on in wonder at the end of the day. Whatever it is we do, the question hangs: When it comes to what you do, whatever it is... are you like Russell and Jordan... working hard, thinking ahead, wanting to be your best?

Or are you more like the numberless journeymen players Russell and Jordan consistently beat -- employees satisfied with a paycheck on Friday so they can party on the weekend but never reaching the top of the mountain or wearing the crown? The kind of player/team Russell and the Boston Celtics and Jordan with the Chicago Bulls rolled over many years on their way to multiple championships. In other words, a loser.

Being the best you can personally be is not a matter of luck or a ball's good or bad bounce. It's A CHOICE. The work we leave behind says something about us. What we do speaks in our behalf.

Capt Sully knows.