Well…first off, the two mile bike ride on National Bicycle Day was a struggle. There was no Rocky climbing the steps in Philadelphia on this ride. In fact, my cellular dashboard was still in such chaos my time was double what it was a week ago before this most current chemo infusion.
But as Coach Lombardi…sometimes said, “It’s not about winning all the time. It’s about you giving the ultimate of what have to give. The time will vastly improve by Friday morning. There isn’t a doubt in my mind in that regard. None.
So…I opened my private mailbox last night and this video above had been seent to me from my friend, Thunderchick a.ka. TC. Usually, I get stuff from all over the world from college educated men and women who love the NBA like I do. They seem be my niche readers. While white- male, racist, red-neck, uneducated guys in Oklahoma….not as much. Except for the occasional warm death threat genre read. Que sera.
I want to thank TC for thinking of me and sending me this video. She’s very talented and if not already…should be employed by the Thunder in some capacity. I thought this was beautiful… and it put a lump in my throat as I predictably cried again.
For me…even though I strayed as an OKC fan during the draconian deathwalk-purge tanking…I very much want them to win this series. They’re not playing Denver. They’ve solidly won me back as my second favorite NBA team.
I don’t think this is that complicated or needs to be. The Thunder are substantially better than the Pacers…and from my viewpoint–the Thunder crossed an enormous bridge to the championship when they beat Denver in Game 4 to even that series and not allow the Nuggets the thought of closing out the Thunder at home in Game 6.
In fact…I THOUGHT TO DATE THAT WAS THE MOST SINGULARLY IMPORTANT WIN IN THE THUNDER ERA IN OKC.
From that point on…this was not about just getting to the Western Conference Finals. Nope…from the moment that game ended and that dark, black, ominous Thunderstorm engulfed Denver proper it became Sam Presti’s One Shining Moment. It did.
From that win moving forward forward this became OKC’s NBA Championship Season in my mind. Not Boston’s, not LA’s, not Dallas’s, not Minnesota, but it became the Thunder’s personal property.
So…what I would say is this to Coach D who I will no longer called Coach Mark is this…DON’T OVERTHINK THIS AND TRY TO BE TOO CUTE.
Establish the tone of the physicality allowed by the zebras, adjust on the fly… and do what you’ve done all season, that being, perform like the best team in the NBA this season with the fifth best win mark ever heading into these Finals.
The Championship Window isn’t just ajar…it’s wide f–king open. Now go get what is rightfully yours and have no regrets.
- Damn….I cried again. Seeing Perk I on that podium 125 lbs lighter with that snarl on his face set me off. My son honestly named his pup lab Perk on Perk 1’s second day here from Boston. If you don’t think that tugs at MJ’s heart…you don’t know MJ. Perk II is still vibrant in Denver while Perk I is schooling Steven A on ESPN.
Mike J