Change

In 2006, the Dallas Mavericks led the Miami Heat 2-0 in the NBA Finals and were heading back to the Metroplex for three games. Then Dwyane Wade went to the free throw line 5,342 times,
the Mavs melted down in spectacular fashion, and Miami won four straight games to take the title. The next year, the Dallas regrouped and won 67 games, one of the best records in the history of the NBA. But they yet again fell short in the playoffs, this time in the first round, when a Golden State team led by former Mavs coach Don Nelson dismantled his old team. He knew every button to push to disrupt what Dallas did well, and a not so historic Warriors team led by Baron Davis, Monta Ellis, and Stephen Jackson eliminated the Mavs in six games.

Dirk Nowitzki won the MVP that year, but he didn't live up to that distinction in that playoff loss. He didn't handle it well when the Warriors doubled him, struggled with the length of the defenders they threw at him, and spent more time complaining to the referees than actually playing basketball. He gained a reputation as being soft, a whiner, another star who was good but not good enough to lead his team to a title.

Nowitzki ended up traveling through the Australian Outback that summer, trying to find some balance. The Mavs were bounced in the first round two of the next three years, and the one year they advanced to the second round they lost to the Denver Nuggets in five games. There was no apparent success, and local media started joking, calling the Mavericks the "one and done boys." But over those three years, Dirk matured. He learned where to position himself on the floor to more effectively pass out of double-teams. He stopped complaining when he didn't get calls. He became better at basketball and leading his teammates.

Dirk changed. The result? A championship ring and Finals MVP in 2011 against LeBron James' Miami Heat.

The next year, LeBron was on the ropes against the Boston Celtics in the Eastern Conference Finals, his team trailing three games to two and heading to Boston for what felt like a closeout game. In game five in Miami, Paul Pierce and Kevin Garnett (supposedly) berated James, questioning his mental and testicular fortitude. From what I understand, they gave him the verbal beating of his life, and pushed his team to the brink of elimination.

His whole career, LeBron had come up short. People questioned his ability in big games, claimed he hid from the ball in clutch moments, and doubted his ability to finish the job. In 2012, heading back to Boston, it felt like we were going to see yet another example of James not being able to finish the job and win a championship.

But something happen. LeBron changed. Instead of wilting under the pressure of an elimination game and a history of coming up short in the playoffs, LeBron came alive. He scored 45 points, grabbed fifteen rebounds, and dished out five assists in a blowout win over the Celtics in Boston. If you were watching, you could literally see the Celtics give up the ghost after that game. You knew there was no way Miami was losing game seven. Not after James decided he refused to go out timidly yet again.

I could go on and on with stories like these, especially from the NBA, where the players are more vulnerable and available. It's what I love about sports. The ability of men and women to change, to rise above their current circumstances and become better. Sports allows people to face themselves, to look in the mirror and clearly see their flaws. The best work hard and improve those flaws. The ones who can't do that inevitably fall away, lost in a parade of players who had some talent but not the will. I love it.

Usually refusal to change is the reason a lot of talented people end up getting fired, traded, or cut. Stephon Marbury refused to be anything more than a scorer, and now he plays in China, where he can be nothing but a scorer. Scott Brooks is a talented coach, but he didn't change his offense in an attempt to find creative ways for Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook to score. Now he's gone from Oklahoma City. Tom Thibodeau refused to change his view on how many minutes a player should get in every game. Now he's out of Chicago.

In sports, like life, you'll be faced with moments of adversity. Moments that test your strength and character. Sometimes you'll be prepared for those moments, and other times you'll be forced to confront your weaknesses, change them, and battle for what you want. It's fun to see professional athletes do that on a big stage.