Where the air at?
sport resilience
The NBA Finals are always a test of a team’s resiliency. How well two conference champions can handle the chess moves, Sun Tzu tactics, and moment of being within the grasp of the sport’s ultimate goal. With the Spurs thirsty for redemption and the Heat’s sights on a milestone in their still-forming legacy — a sturdy stage was set.
Then the A/C went out.
Courtside temperatures rose from comfortable up through the eighties and topped out around 93° F. For all the Xs and Os, matchups and adjustments, neither of the the accomplished coaches could have planned for this wrinkle in Spurs/Heat II. From there, the plot lines thickened like the air’s humidity.
Who rises to the unexpected occasion? How do players deal with an environmental factor that most haven’t considered in years? Is it bad to find it hilarious that all those “Fans” spending silly amounts for a seat to also have to suffer in the stuffy first few rows?
And what will the internet trolls do in response?
The Heat handled the change of climate with ease at first. Big players played big. Their superstars stepped up and made shots. Ray even turned back the clock, if only for one dunk, proving the value of his maniacal training and preparation, and providing us some wonderful Photoshop fodder.
In the most Spursy of ways, the Spurs steadily stayed the course through the first leg of this marathon while Supernova Bron crashed in the 4th. In the matchup of the Greatest Player Alive versus the Greatest Team Alive, the depth of the Spurs kept them afloat, allowing their starters to be fresh down the stretch.
Each team has a distinct identity. Old School v New School. The matchup has everything that is great and gory about sports today. The specialness of a team potentially winning rings fifteen years apart with two of the GOATs, Duncan and Popovich, steering the ship towards five ‘ships. LeBron, and we know that he is the Heat, being the talent of our generation creates an unprecedented love/hate relationship with fans. From the throwbacks and Hummer in high school, to The Decision, to his hairline, and whether he is “clutch” — his actions are scrutinized unlike any to my memory.
People are going to give Bron shit about his cramps. Mike woulda played; Mike woulda won; Mike woulda…. That’s just part of being Bron. Dealing with the pressures of the comparison with MJ. Mike never had to play with that historical comparison. He only had to worry about the Isiahs and Malones in his way; from Detroit’s Bad Boys to the Short Shorts from the City of the Saints. People didn’t compare him to Elgin Baylor, or Wilt Chamberlain, or any of the players who revolutionized how the game was played — and how fans envision what’s possible — on the court. And fans’ conversion from passive viewer to a voice with direct access in today’s social media-empowered bases of crazed followers. Throw in the polarity of opinion today of all things inclusive of sports and those voices will be loud, voracious, and ruthless. That’s just part of being Bron.
Alas, San Antonio prevailed. Recall, this is Game 1. Time for the internet to overreact, for Bron to repair and stew and rest for 72 hours, and for us to anticipate how the air will feel in Game 2.
