NBA Finals Preview: Digital Dad Edition

The Warriors are going to win, so let’s spend some time discussing the real key questions

I am writing this post 2 hours after the Warriors thoroughly manhandled the Cavs in Game 1 of the 2017 Finals. Earlier in the day, I had mentioned to a friend that if the Warriors come out rusty like they did against the Spurs, I see the series going 6; if they come out sharp, the Warriors will win it in 5. Based on Game 1, I am sticking with my Warriors in 5 prediction. The Warriors are the better team from top to bottom but Lebron James is single-handely great enough to will his team to at least one victory (which I see happening in Game 3 when the series shifts back to Cleveland).

With that out of the way, let’s talk about some of the key dad-related angles to these Finals:

1. What is the best way for a digital dad to watch these Finals?

• This type of event is what makes live television great. So right off the bat, do what you can to watch the games live instead of DVR. Technology is so pervasive that it’s almost impossible to stay off the digital grid long enough to not find out the outcome. Whether it’s an ESPN app notification or a text from a friend, somehow someway technology will ruin your suspense…and you can’t un-forget something once you’ve seen it.
• Plan on watching the game at home. Taking the baby out (especially to a loud bar/restaurant) significantly increases the risk of a nuclear event ruining any chance you have of viewing a meaningful portion of the game, so be pragmatic. Keep the baby in her comfort zone while you get to enjoy as much of the game as possible.
• Know the key stretches of the game. The starters play most of the 1st and 3rd quarters and the second halves of the 2nd and 4th quarters. Do what you can to watch as much of these stretches as possible. If you have to turn away, the beginning of the 2nd and late 3rd/early 4th quarters are your best bets as that’s when the stars generally get rest.
• Cash in your chips with your wife, but be selective. If the game is a blowout, turn it off once it’s out of hand. While Game 1 was no exception, I imagine at least one of these games will come down to the wire. Especially for those on the West Coast, the 6PM start time means that crunch time will likely happen around the time baby needs to go to sleep. This is where you cash in some chips and ask your wife if she can handle baby’s sleep protocol (mostly) by herself just for today. She will probably oblige.

2. What happens if Steph Curry’s daughters wake up in the middle of the night the night before the Finals?

Baby Maya has a pretty good sleep routine going these days, but today she woke up around 5:50AM. Driving in to work, I wondered how NBA stars deal with this.

Take Steph Curry, for example. By all indications, Steph Curry seems like a loving father and husband, so I’m guessing he’s a fairly hands on parent. Which begs the hypothetical question — let’s say Ryan (his 2nd daughter) woke up crying at 3AM the night before Game 1 of the Finals. Since it’s a home game, I’m assuming Warriors players stayed at home. As couples, we’ve all had those moments when the baby wakes up in the middle of the night and we turn to each other and simultaneously say, “It’s your turn.” Does Ayesha turn to Steph at and say, “Baby, it’s your turn tonight”?

There are no off nights for a dad, so does he still have to pull night-time daddy duty? Curry’s house is probably huge, so maybe he stays in a part of the house where he can’t really hear this. Or maybe he sleeps in some high-tech, sound proof hyperbaric chamber. Maybe they have a night nanny that handles these things. Or maybe he’s just like the rest of us. All I know is that kids can easily ruin your sleep, and lack of sleep definitely prevents you from performing at peak levels the following day.

Or maybe home teams stay in a hotel the night before a game to eliminate all distractions.

3. How can my kid make the NBA when they grow up?

If you are a reader of this blog, your kid probably has a better chance of stepping foot on Mars than making it to the NBA. NBA players are outliers in every sense of the definition. Kevin Durant is almost 7 feet tall and to do what he does at that height is unreal. Have you ever stood next to someone 6' 8" or taller? They’re massive and usually not very coordinated.

But I still have hope that Maya will be crushing it in the WNBA one day. She was named after Maya Moore, you know…and she’s already dominating the monkey basketball hoop:

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