2012
NBA Playoffs
Eastern Conference Finals
Miami Heat vs. Boston Celtics
Game 5 in Miami
Series tied 2-2
Paul Pierce hits a jumper over Lebron James to win the game for the Celtics and take a 3-2 lead in the best-of-seven series. The two teams head to Boston for Game 6, an elimination game for Lebron and the Heat. Lose this game and it’s possible the famous Miami Heat Big 3 of Lebron, Dwyane Wade, and Chris Bosh is broken up after just two seasons and without a title (after promising not one, not two, not three, not four…).
Boston is a notoriously zealous sports town that is not exactly welcoming to visiting opponents. While re-telling this story in his episode of the Greatness Code on Apple TV+, Lebron said he always had an anxious feeling when going to Boston to play, especially in the playoffs.
But this time was different.
This time, he said, he “felt absolutely nothing.”
“The day before and the day of the game I said absolutely nothing to nobody. When the game started, I felt nothing.”
Feeling nothing resulted in a 45-point, 15-rebound, 5-assist performance and a Heat win. The series went back to Miami where the Heat clinched a berth in the Finals and went on to win their first of two back-to-back championships. The New York Times called Lebron’s Game 6 a “career-defining performance.”
The people who perform well under pressure don’t have some unique gene or talent that is unattainable.
At some point in their lives they learned a powerful secret.
Pressure is a mental construct.
It is the result of a lie that is imposed on the moment from outside voices - and an internal narrative.
It’s a lie that makes you believe that who you are is riding on the results of your performance.
When who you are is defined by what you do then your performance in any one moment has the potential to crush you. The moment becomes more than just an experience to learn from or to enjoy. It carries the weight of your identity. And that’s too heavy a burden for anyone to perform well under.
The people who perform well under pressure understand that who they are is not defined by what they do.
When your identity is not on the line you can engage the moment with a non-anxious presence.
You don’t force your will onto the situation in order to get something from it. You relax and give the moment exactly what it needs.
You can surrender your skills to your instincts and trust your training and experience when it matters most.
The people who perform well under pressure don’t feel the pressure.