A letter to the LAKERS 6-15-08

Posted by Nick on June 15th, 2008 filed in Blogged, Sports / Outdoor Activities

Info: Game 5 vs Celtics, 6:00pm

Dear Los Angeles Lakers,

Like many, I witnessed Game 4. “Disappointed” only scratches the surfaces for many reasons. 1) You guys were better than that and you know it. 2) The fact that Boston made a moment in History that will forever be re-told over and over again and that all Laker members and fans will have to burden with for the rest of our lives.

I am not writing this post to remind you and Laker Nation of our disappointment or that I have any inspirational words of advice that will allow us to win the next three consecutive games, no. I have none of that (nor do I think anybody from the LAKERS reads this website.) What I have as a fan is trust. Trust that you will do what is best for the team. No matter how hard you play or whatever turns out in this series, trust that you will have made the best possible choices for the remainder of this season. As a fan, that is all I expect. We still expect to win, but if we do go down, we rather do it with our heads held high.

I love basketball and I’m not a professional ball-player by any means, but I have had a great deal of experience in team-work. And like all team situations, a successful team is a team that consists of individuals that communicate effectively, pays attention to details, and works together efficiently. To me, that is no different than basketball. So in closing I leave you with this, a transcription to Al Pacino’s speech from ‘Any Given Sunday’. An inspirational speech fitting for our moment of darkness.

“I don’t know what to say, really. Three minutes to the biggest battle of our professional lives all comes down to today. Either, we heal, as a team, or we are going to crumble. Inch by inch, play by play, till we’re finished. We are in hell right now, gentlemen, believe me, and, we can stay here and get the sh!t kicked out of us, or, we can fight our way back into the light. We can climb our of hell. One inch, at a time.

Now, I can’t do it for you. I’m too old. I look around and I see these young faces and I think, I mean, I made every wrong choice a middle age man could make. I uh… I pissed away all my money believe it or not. I chased off anyone who has ever loved me. And lately, I can’t even stand the face I see in the mirror.

You know, when you get old in life, things get taken from you. That’s, that’s part of life. But, you only learn that when you start losing stuff. You find out that life is just a game of inches. So is football [inject “basketball” in lieu of “football”]. Because in either game, life or [football], the margin for error is so small. I mean, one half step too late or too early, you don’t quite make it. One half second too slow or too fast and you don’t quite catch it. The inches we need are everywhere around us. They are in every break of the game, every minute, every second.

On this team, we fight for that inch. On this team, we tear ourselves, and everyone around us to pieces for that inch. We CLAW with our finger nails for that inch. Cause we know when we add up all those inches, that’s going to make the fucking difference between WINNING and LOSING, between LIVING and DYING!!!

I’ll tell you this, in any fight , it is the guy who is willing to die who is going to win that inch. And I know, if I a going to have any life anymore, it is because, I am still willing to fight, and die for that inch, because that is what LIVING is. THE SIX INCHES IN FRONT OF YOUR FACE.

Now I can’t make you do it.

You gotta look at the guy next to you. Look into his EYES. Now, I think you are going to see a guy who will go that inch with you. You are going to see a guy who will sacrifice himself for this team, because he knows when it comes down to it, you are gonna do the same thing for him.

That’s a team, gentlemen. And either we heal, now, as a team, or we will die as individuals. That’s [football] guys. That’s all it is.”

One,

Nick

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