https://mediumhappi.org/?p=6166
No time for MH today. Sorry. Susie B., don’t take it personally. You know I was the one on Friday telling everyone who said the series was over that they were simpletons. It’s amazing that for as much as people watch sports, they mostly still fail to factor in the effect that incentive has on teams’ performances. Don’t fall prey to the Nate Silver world, people. It’s a calculus of ignorance for the greater things in life.
“Series wasn’t over”? Was that before or after it was announced Kyrie had suffered a broken knee cap in Game 1? 😉
Alas, I wasn’t as optimistic. Of course, I was just “happy to be there” in the Finals from the beginning & after listening to the TV NBA “experts” during the playoffs (& for the entire regular season) go on & on about the “pathetic Eastern Conference teams” & the oh-so-much “stronger & better” Western Conference, I wasn’t sure if we’d have a chance against the “best team in the NBA this season, blah, blah, blah” even IF we’d have Love & Kyrie at full strength. Plus, despite believing LeBron can do whatever he wants on a basketball court, last year’s shocking Finals Games 3 & 4 was a never-forget reminder that basketball is a TEAM sport & ONE man does not a championship make.
I found out about Kyrie’s knee when I got home Friday night & spent most of Saturday reading all the stuff I printed out last week (but wasn’t able to actually read) from the various sports websites (ESPN, SI, YahooSports, etc). Even BEFORE Kyrie’s broken kneecap, less than 10% of these NBA analysts/writers thought the Cavs had even a chance. It was actually quite humorous – the ones who gave an explanation for their predictions usually trashed the Cavs pretty good & then said “Warriors in 6”. They hadn’t said ONE positive thing about the Cavs & yet it would take 6 games?
Then I watched American Pharoah gallop into history & later saw a piece on the American women’s World Cup team & how we hadn’t won the Cup since 1999. And I thought about the UNBELIEVABLE grenade-strewn path of Ohio State to their CFB championship this past season. Then, I thought about “destiny” & of all things, the movie “Galaxy Quest” – “Never give up, never surrender!” & I thought – “of COURSE it’s crazy to think even LeBron could take a depleted team of cast-offs &/or undrafted to the NBA championship, especially over the team touted as “the best this year” headlined by the current MVP who has been lauded as ‘the best shooter in HISTORY’ “. But THAT is exactly what makes this “quest” so fantastic. What are the BEST sporting moments of all-time? When the overwhelming odds are against – Michael Phelps’ unprecedented 8 Gold medals in 2008, the 1996 women’s Olympics gymnastics team with the injured final competitor & of course, the 1980 Team USA hockey college kids against the big red Soviet machine. The bigger the odds, the more MAGNIFICENT the quest & achievement!
Would I bet my house that LeBron & the Cavs will win the NBA title over the “oh-so-popular” Warriors this year? Absolutely not. But after watching the last 2 OT games, I BELIEVE it’s possible! One of the great things about the NBA Finals is how a team’s play & success/failure can change so dramatically from one game to the next. In 2013, the Heat & Spurs traded wins until Game 7. And they weren’t close! We’d win by 15-20 & the next game, the Spurs would win by even more. It was difficult to remember the same guys were playing in each game!
You are so right, whether it’s called motivation or “will” or “heart” or the “refusal to lose” or just the ability to block out EVERYTHING except the overwhelming, all-encompassing, singular focus on what needs to be done to defeat your opponent, there is no predicting gage for it. Just as there is no gage for which athlete can harness their emotions & focus to not crumble when the stress is the highest & then to elevate themselves to the realm of the “miracle”.
That the Cavs took the Warriors to OT in TWO back-back Finals games on the Warriors home floor is a ‘win’. That the Cavs WON the 2nd game is, of course, a win. If the current-roster Cavs do not win another game, they’ve already overachieved. If they win one or two more games but not the title, they are still parade-worthy. However, IF they somehow scrap their way to the championship, SONGS WILL NEED TO BE WRITTEN & JVG/Breen better have a catch-phrase ready as it will be repeated/bellowed ad nauseam for the next 50 years! 🙂