Sunday, June 20, 2004
"We Are the Champions!"
"We knew we could play with these guys, but we had to prove it to everybody else." Chauncey Billups, 2004 NBA Finals MVP
Last Tuesday night at the Palace of Auburn Hills, the Detroit Pistons reached the top of a mountain that few thought they could climb. Defying the odds makers, and ignoring grim predictions by the "experts," the Motown team stood triumphant at center court with the 2004 National Basketball Association championship and the gleaming, gold Larry O'Brien Trophy in hand--this, following a decisive 100-87 victory over the Los Angeles Lakers in game five of their best-of-seven series.
The Pistons-Lakers matchup was a modern-day David and Goliath drama, played out before the second largest TV audience to ever watch an NBA final game. As it turned out, the heavily favored Los Angeles Lakers were, as Piston's owner Bill Davidson noted, "lucky to win one game." The giant fell--and fell hard!
As a native Michigander and longtime Pistons fan, I've been savoring "the thrill of victory" this past week. And when I learned of plans for a victory rally last Thursday afternoon at The Palace, I decided to make the 60 mile drive from Port Huron to Auburn Hills to join the celebration.
22,500 fans packed the home of the Pistons, and the triumphant team once again took center court amidst the flash and flare of pyrotechnics, the thundering strains of "We Are the Champions," and a deafening roar of approval from the red, white, and blue-clad crowd.
Lessons for Living
"Maybe we don't have two superstars like the Lakers, but we've got five stars in their own way in the starting lineup and a lot of other solid players." Joe Dumars, President of Basketball Operations, Detroit Pistons
There are many stories that could be written, and life lessons that can be learned from this memorable victory: such as the triumph of teamwork over individual talent, the willingness to sacrifice one's self for a greater cause, the determination to do "whatever it takes" to get the job done, and the value of having an optimistic "keep on believing and never give up" attitude.
Over the past 25 years, the NBA has been ruled by teams that have been carried to the top by "franchise" players: names such as Jordan, Johnson, Bird, Thomas, Duncan, Bryant, O'Neal, Robinson, and Miller, have dominated the headlines. But the 2003-2004 Pistons have no such names. They're just a group of hard-working guys (Coach Larry Brown included), who overcame adversity, setbacks, and disappointments, and who never gave up the dream of winning a championship title.
These hardwood warriors remind me of the band of misfits, outcasts, and malcontents who made up David's army of old (See 1 Samuel 22:1,2). Ben Wallace was an unheralded, undrafted player from second division, Virginia Union University; yet, "Big Ben" has come to make his presence known under the boards and above the rim as the Piston's starting forward. The 2004 Finals Most Valuable Player recipient, Chauncey Billups, entered the league in 1997, and played for Boston, Toronto, Denver, and Minnesota before landing in Detroit. He never seemed to fit in those other places; but finally found a home in the Motor City. Eight-year veteran Rasheed Wallace was best known for technical fouls and his hair-trigger temper when he played for the Portland Trailblazers in the Western Conference; but he changed his ways and has become a dominant force in the Piston's line-up. Small forward, Tayshaun Prince, is only in his second year in the NBA, and, well...you can ask Reggie Miller about Tayshaun.
"Are You a Superstar?"
Richard "Rip" Hamilton, the Piston's 26 year old, 6' 7", 193-pound shooting guard, was the team's leading scorer in the regular season at 17.6 points per game. But, Rip stepped his game up in the postseason, averaging a team-high 21.5 points per game in the playoffs. Of his own performance, Hamilton said,
"I've always felt I could play with anyone in the league. I didn't need to do some of the things I've done in the playoffs to feel that way. That's just who I am, very confident."
So, what is the source of Richard Hamilton's confidence?
Maybe the answer can be found in Rip's response to a question put to him in an interview prior to Tuesday night's game. Hamilton was asked, "Are you a superstar?" Rip's answer came without a moment's hesitation: "Yes, I am!"
Now, I didn't detect that Rip's answer was given with any hint of pride--but, rather, with a sense of confidence and conviction. He went on to say, that when he was 6 or 7 years old, his father began telling him, "You're a superstar." Wow! Did you get that? Rip's father spoke words over him for the past 20 years that created an image of success inside his son. The things that Rip has believed from childhood, the rest of us are seeing demonstrated on the basketball court.
Do You See What God Sees?
Do you realize that God, your Heavenly Father, is speaking words over you, too? If we could only see ourselves as God sees us, and say about ourselves the things that God says, it would absolutely change the way we think and live--and change the world around us, too!
Yet, too often we see ourselves as "old sinners," while God see us as "new creatures in Christ." We see ourselves as "grasshoppers," while God see us as giant-slayers--"more than conquerors through Christ who loved us and gave Himself for us."
Are you getting this? This is not merely the power of positive thinking--this is believing in the presence and power of God in you. This is simply agreeing with the truth of God's Word concerning you.
The fact is, if you are in Christ, you are righteous, you are holy, you are created in the image and likeness of God--and you are able to do all things through Christ who strengthens you! That's what God sees--that's what God says!
In the same way that Piston Richard Hamilton took the words of his father to heart, we, too, need to start believing what our Heavenly Father has to say about us. When we do, we will soar to new heights and experience the victory that belongs to those who are on God's team!
We are the champions!
think on these things...
Ephesians 1:15-20 (NLT)
Ever since I first heard of your strong faith in the Lord Jesus and your love for Christians everywhere, I have never stopped thanking God for you. I pray for you constantly, asking God, the glorious Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, to give you spiritual wisdom and understanding, so that you might grow in your knowledge of God. I pray that your hearts will be flooded with light so that you can understand the wonderful future he has promised to those he called. I want you to realize what a rich and glorious inheritance he has given to his people. I pray that you will begin to understand the incredible greatness of his power for us who believe him. This is the same mighty power that raised Christ from the dead and seated him in the place of honor at God's right hand in the heavenly realms.
1 Corinthians 6:9-11 (NKJV)
Do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived. Neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor homosexuals, nor sodomites, nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners will inherit the kingdom of God. And such were some of you. But you were washed, but you were sanctified, but you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus and by the Spirit of our God.
1 Corinthians 15:57 (NKJV)
But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.
