Do you remember the 2016 NBA Finals?

The Golden State Warriors held a 3-1 lead, one win away from completing a storybook season in which they’d gone 73-9 in the regular season, the best regular-season record in NBA history. With one more win and the championship, the Warriors had a strong claim to the “Best Team Ever” title.

But then…

The Cleveland Cavaliers came back and improbably won the next three games, upsetting the Warriors and becoming the first team EVER to come back from a 3-1 deficit in the Finals to win.

Years later, Cavs player (at the time) and leader LeBron James went as far as to use that miraculous comeback as the strongest point in his personal case for GOAT (Greatest Of All Time) status in the basketball hierarchy.

I wouldn’t go that far with LeBron, but I do admit that it’s a compelling argument, one that his most devoted fans quickly echoed.

Just a year later, the same two teams — Cavs and Warriors — faced each other again in the Finals. The teams were pretty much the same, save for one notable addition: the Warriors now had one Kevin Durant, a 6’10” superstar who’s accepted as one of the top five players in the world, on their roster.

The Warriors beat the Cavs in 5 games this time, and swept them in 4 games the following season. But fans didn’t seem as willing to laud the Warriors, especially Durant, for these victories the way they did the Cavs in 2016.

Winning with Durant was too easy, many said. The Warriors were a championship team without KD — now they get a Top-5 player?? It’s not a fair fight!

A ring is a ring, but perception is reality: the Warriors’ 2017 and 2018 championships don’t get nearly the praise that the 2016 Cavs receive. And it’s reasonable as to why: the Cavs’ win was not expected.

Very few people thought the Cavs had a chance that year (for the record, I was one of them). That’s exactly what made it special. The Warriors’ subsequent Finals wins were a foregone conclusion, and that’s why they’re not celebrated as much (except by Warriors fans).

The thing I really want you to take away from this is you're not a champion until you're expected to lose -- and you win.

So what this means to you in your life / business is you must face a real challenge in life to be a TRUE champion. You can’t become great via racking up easy wins.

Here's your next step as it relates to what I just shared: getting my full MasterClass on this here: http://WorkOnMyGame.com/571


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