Faith takes courage

Two sports that I actively follow from sunny Honiara is soccer and basketball in the American NBA. I root for the LA Lakers and believe inspite of every hate, malicious dissections that everyone out there has given; that Kobe Bryant of the LA Lakers is by far the greatest player in the game today.

Soccer concluded on Wednesday of this week when Marist FC completed its fairytale run to the O-League by beating all pre-tournament favorites in the Our Telekom National Club Championships. For that, they get a chance to go back to the O-League (Oceania’s equivalent of the Champion’s League) at the expense of Honiara giants, Koloale, Makuru and Uncles. Uncles FC is my team and my disappointment at their loss is overwhelming; I’d rather not dwell on it.

The LA Lakers won Game 4 today and head into Game 5 having a 3-1 advantage over the Orlando Magic. I hope this time I will not be disappointed and that they will actually close out the series preferably in Game 5 or Game 6 in Los Angeles. I hate to think that they can go to a Game 7 and by some miraculous measure lose it to hand Orlando Magic the NBA title.

I followed the game on the ESPN’s Gamecast; and for the first time in my entire dedication to Kobe Bryant; I honestly wanted him to pass rather than shoot. A woeful night and he could have cost them the game but all that gaffe is now lost in Derek Fisher’s moment of brilliance in which he tied the game then gave Lakers the lead in overtime, which they never conceded again.

About soccer, well, much of my disappointment is not in the player’s inability to win the game; it was more the strategy that the coach and his assistants employed in trying to win the game. I was already on alert when I saw the coach fielding in his best 11 when they had already qualified for the semi-finals. I was even more disappointed that Uncles FC should see it fit to keep their top players in the game in games they had already won or were leading by huge goal margins. To be fair, Jacob Moli was right when he said ‘Whether you score 10 goals or 1 to win, its still only worth 3 points’. So forget the scoreline; focus on the ultimate prize. That’s the biggest mistake Uncles FC made. A tired, battered Benjamin Totori could not find the strength to run past his defender, a weary Judd Molea failed to deliver the crosses he so often delivers with precision and an injured Kidston Billy is better left on the bench.

I chose to write on both sports today because one single principle resonates in both cases; that is FAITH. Despite calls for Phil Jackson to sit Derek Fisher; he had faith that when it matters Fish will deliver and he did on two crucial possessions that ensured that the Lakers won the game. Kobe on the other hand chose to pass to Fish when double teamed in OT and Fish scored the 3 giving Lakers the lead. Faith is what Uncles FC did not have. Faith that the role players could deliver in crucial times. The senior players must also demonstrate faith by deferring to others who are in a better position, better physical shape to win games.

Faith, some say, is believing in things unseen, one team showed they had it and the other refused to embrace it. Sometimes, faith is the difference between a win and a loss; sadness and happiness. I suppose I must also have faith that with only one victory needed, the LA Lakers may just win Kobe’s fourth championship. I must have faith that Uncles FC time will come, perhaps when they learn a few simple lessons in faith.