People often debate whether you would rather lose in a late, heartbreaking fashion or get blown out so you never get your hopes up. In football I actually prefer the blowout, but this season has proven to me that in college hoops I'll take a tough, hard fought close loss every time.
Any kind of loss is not ‘acceptable’ for a player or a team that seeks excellence and ‘Elite’ status. But given the choice of a close loss or a blow out the choice is simple – close, heartbreaking, gut-wenching, soul-crushing, energy-sapping, mind-numbing loss is better.
Now why would that be?
First, because you showed the opponent that no one actually showed superiority in the contest. Any one small thing in a thousand on the court would have changed the outcome. They know they got a bit lucky with the outcome and that doesn’t provide the swagger they seek.
Second, because the close loss hurts the team that lost more. And pain is a great motivator. You just hate how that feels and you never want to experience that again. And so, you double-down on becoming better player and team so you won’t have to feel that kind agony again.
Michael Jordan as a young man was once basically told he’d never amount to much on the basketball floor. He took that insult and personal slight and that moviated him to become the best roundballer that ever lived (sorry, Lebron and Coby and Wilt and Kareem and Larry and Kevin and Rick and... on and on).
So this is with a tough loss. You feel the pain of coming so close and not being victorious. Good players will use this as energy. Lesser players will get negative about that and pout. And find excuses.
Victories begin in the mind before they can be achieved on the court.
