Though many people might be exhausted from the last tournament the nation experienced (NCAA men’s basketball what, what!), another round of equally important, and incredibly exciting, playoff games are about to commence. And this time it isn’t just basketball everyone will be tuning in to watch—the NHL is also coming in hot, though not too hot because that would melt their playing arena. So in light of the upcoming tournaments for respective NBA and NHL championship titles, we, at Koa, thought it would be quite apt to discuss stick-to-itiveness and always staying positive.
“Never say never” isn’t just the title of Justin Bieber’s concert-centered biopic; it’s also the motto of every sports team that “started at the bottom now we here [at the top]” (it’s imperative we sneak in as many references to topical music as possible in order to stay hip and trendy). As we witnessed from the NCAA tournament, every team has a chance to win. The determining factor in making a playoff berth is motivation and dedication from the first game of the season to the last.
Seasons are long and are destined to experience a few hiccups. Just look at the Wizards, for instance. They started off stronger than they have in years, exciting both players and fans alike, and then the team experienced a terrible slump that lasted for the better part of the winter. However, did that diminish Washington’s desire to win and become the best basketball team DC has seen in decades? Not at all! In the last stretch of the season, the Wizards have proven their stick-to-itiveness and have won 75% of their last 8 games in conjunction with earning over 45 wins this season, which hasn’t happened since the late 70s. And as of the end of this week, they will be heading to the 2015 NBA playoffs. Talking about stick-to-itiveness!
On the opposite side of the sports spectrum, the Capitals have experienced their fair share of upsets and disappointment, including not making it to last year’s NHL playoffs for the first time since 2007. And now, if we pan to the end of this past season, we can observe some statistics that are off the charts (figuratively speaking, of course). Alex Ovechkin lead the NHL in goals scored with 53 total, Nicklas Backstrom has the first place spot this season for most assists with 60, and don’t even get me started on Braden Holtby’s performance! For brevity’s sake, let’s just say Holtby has received honors in almost every possible category out there this season. And come tomorrow, the Capitals will be taking to the ice for the first round of playoffs after having finished 2nd in their division. Wow!
Both of these Washington teams are exemplars in demonstrating the power of staying positive, battling through adversity and, as said many times before, stick-to-itiveness! Playoffs act almost like a reward from the sport you play to your team—by demonstrating your drive and positive team dynamic throughout the regular season, you get the opportunity to continue playing your game and showing everyone what you got when the going gets really tough.
No one knows what will ultimately happen during the playoffs (though fingers crossed the Wizards and Caps both make it to the chip!). However, what we do know is that, win or lose, entering the postseason means your team and you individually, never stopped playing the game you love and achieving positive results.
-Tony Korson, CEO 04/02/15
