I watched Game 6 of the NBA finals last night.

Is was an… interesting one.  The Spurs were ahead for almost the whole game before the Heat stormed back and sent the thing into overtime.  That period was back and forth between the two, but Miami had too much momentum.

They pulled out the victory, forcing a winner-take-all Game 7 on Thursday night.

One more thing about the game: a ton of whistles were blown.  At times, I wasn’t sure if I was indeed watching a basketball game, a dog competition, or a bizarre new reality show sponsored by hearing aid manufacturers.

These whistles had a huge impact on the game.

Apparently I’m not the only one who has a problem understanding NBA officials…

Many people will argue the NBA had a vested (i.e. ratings)  interest to… make sure this thing went to the seventh game.

Me?  I really don’t know.  I’ve been watching basketball for a while now, but I can’t figure out the officiating.  The rules always seem so fluid, and the calls (or no-calls) often mean the difference between a victory and a loss.

Which makes watching the games maddening for me.  Yet for some reason I continue to insist on doing so…

Anyways, the point of this is that good teams – playing their best basketball – don’t let games get close enough for the refs to matter.  They don’t leave their fate to chance, or if you take the conspiracy side, David Stern’s insidious intentions.  Hey, not like it hasn’t happened before.

Like the professionals that they are, they do what they need to do to take chance out of the equation.

You might not have a 40-inch vertical, but you’re a professional, too.

But I have to ask: are you taking any chances in your business right now?

You are if you create a product and expect its quality alone to make it a best-seller.

You are if you try to copy the cute, expensive polar bear ads you see Coca-Cola putting out.

You are if your ads neglect tested, effective copywriting principles.

There a plenty of things out there you can’t control – global economy, competitors, etc. – so all the more reason to clamp down on what you can.  Those little improvements add up and fold over themselves until they form a competitive edge.

Have you covered all of your bases?  An honest assessment of your business (of which a lot of people are incapable) will almost certainly reveal a few things you could tighten up.

Get in touch with me here if you want to kick the cobwebs off your ads or revamp your marketing strategy.  We’ll talk about how I can help you get to the next level.

Now… one more question, one of tremendous importance…

Who do you have for Game 7?

This guy…