The Real...

Over the last nine months I took a break.  Personal issues in my life and a job situation that was rather isolating, moved me to a peculiar place mentally and emotionally.  I was frustrated, I was disenchanted.  I wanted no part of the world as it was before.  I wanted to get away from myself.  In a lot of ways I didn’t want to be happy, or maybe I wanted to find a new way to be happy.  Either way, for whichever the most appropriate or significant reason, about nine months ago for the first time in my life, I decided that I didn’t care about sports.

But that’s another story for another day.  This blog is about today.  And as I find myself thrust back into the real world (and the real America,) I’ve let myself re-enter interest, at least somewhat, into a place that has been so familiar to me over my lifetime; not just sports, but the best one, the NBA playoffs.  Honestly though, it was only of mild interest to me for the first few rounds, which of course was a huge change from past years.  It wasn’t all that important to me who won or lost, or that they were playing at all really, but every few days I would check the scores to see who had advanced.  It was familiar, but it certainly didn’t command that much of my attention.  But then about a week and half ago, things changed.  I started watching the Conference finals.

In short, these have been the most compelling two Conference finals matchups (taking place at the same time) that I can ever remember.  And that is really saying something.  For numerous and varying reasons, they have both been absolutely captivating.  Like, you-have-to-see-the-entire-game kind of captivating!  When has that ever happened in the NBA?  I’ve considered myself a huge NBA fan for more than 20 years, but if it wasn’t “my team” that was playing (in the Conference Finals or NBA Finals,) I was fine with missing the first quarter, or even the first half.  Hell, what’s the hurry right?  If it’s a blowout, the team that’s behind will come back and make it close.  All the real action happens in the third and fourth quarters anyway, right?  Every fair-weather fan knows that!!!  Well, not this time.  And for so many reasons.  Let’s start with the West. 

The San Antonio Spurs vs The Oklahoma City Thunder.

You could put aside the similarity of these two teams.  The small market financial limitations aspect, the brilliant way in which the teams were assembled (each team’s best four players were drafted and developed by them,) the complimentary way the players fit together, how deep each team is.  You could even ignore the fact that the architect of this Oklahoma City team, Sam Presti, used to work for San Antonio, and basically stole the entire “blueprint” and philosophy.  (Really, he was just doing what every NBA team should have done.  Y’know, wwtsasd?  What-Would-the-San-Antonio-Spurs-Do?) 

You could completely discard all of that, and the obvious old-verses-young, “changing of the guard” storyline.  Plus the other similarities.  Like the unusually humble superstar (Durant and Duncan,) each team’s unbelievably skilled and lightning fast floor general (Westbrook and Parker,) and each team’s all-star third option, usually coming off the bench even! (Harden and Ginobili.)  Or even the similarities of the fan bases.  Each team is the only “major league” game in an otherwise “minor league” town, and each building is rocking with intense fans. 

Of course there is one major difference there.  The San Antonio fans have basically had fourteen years of a basketball utopia.  The Spurs have been the best team in the league over that span (apologies to the Lakers,) always contending and winning four championships along the way. (They would have won more if they weren’t in the brutal West.)  The Oklahoma City crowd has had none of that.  The team has only been in town for four years, and while they’ve been improving every year, they’ve always been a young team, full of potential but lacking experience.  Still both fan bases love their teams unconditionally, and that can’t be said about too many of the teams in the NBA. 

So basically these two teams are bizarro versions of each other.  One created in the other’s image trying to ascend and usurp the throne.  The other trying desperately to defend the young challenger’s assault and remain on top.

But, you could throw all of that stuff completely out the window.  And you’d still have to watch every minute of these games.  Why?  Well.  Because they are playing the best basketball we’ve ever seen.

Plain and simple. 

When I saw the first two games of this series I was amazed.  The Spurs played incredibly well, and won both games.  But what was so compelling was the fact that the Thunder were playing brilliantly too.  Offensively and defensively, both teams were just awesome.  I’ve never seen a better matchup.  It was just perfect basketball.  Whoever had enough energy at the end was going to get the win, but it was going to be impossibly hard.  Two things became clear to me at that point.

First, whichever team wins the Eastern Conference will not win ONE game against either of these teams in the Finals. Neither the Heat or Celtics will stand a chance. These two are, by far, the best two teams in the league.  And secondly, this series was all going to depend on adjustments.  Which coach would be able to make the changes necessary to get any possible edge, and will his team through the thick of it, to do the incredible?  Because it was going to be unbelievably difficult.

So now it all comes down to game 6 tonight in Oklahoma City.  And it feels like a game 7 really, because neither team can really afford to lose.  Who will have the will and the skill to finish with the win?  Tonight we’ll find out.    

It’s been nothing short of amazing so far.  Seriously. 

If you love basketball… it doesn’t get any better than this.    

Underdogs out.