Last night I was watching the close of the fourth game in the NBA championship series between the Miami Heat and the Seattle Supersonics. After Game #1, curiously played in wild, wacky, and okie-hokey Oklahoma City, of all the places you'd expect to see a national-level game (the goofball fans there all dress alike, even more than in slightly less goofy Miami), it looked as if the Sonics would decimate the Heat. But in the last three games, Miami has turned the tables around with three close victories to take a three to one series lead, with only one more win needed to secure the title. But last night's Heat win didn't come without a heart-stopping moment for its fans.
Miami and Seattle were tied at 94 with only a couple of minutes left in regulation. It looked as if the game could go either way. Then Miami's superstar franchise forward LeBron James began to seriously limp around the court, and he was clearly in pain. Oh-no, would this be another Derrick Rose moment when one team's indispensable player would go out with a season-ending injury, dooming their chances? James initially played it brave and tried to play on, even hitting a monster clutch three-point shot to put them ahead for good 97-94. But finally he had to leave the game, putting the Heat's fate into the hands of his teammates. Led by Dwyane Wade, the rest of the Heat took the challenge to the Supersonics as they took control at the end of the game and won 104-98.
The series isn't over, and the injury suffered by LeBron James apparently wasn't an injury after all, but rather leg cramps. James vowed to keep himself rehydrated from here on as a precaution against this known recurring problem of his returning. Well, dude, why haven't you been doing this all along? Even a pseudo/pretend athlete like me carries along a bottle of Gatorade while I run...
And yes, I think I'll just continue with my happy delusion about Seattle still having their NBA team. Somehow I could picture myself visiting there one day, getting a cup of java at some streetside cafe, and then slipping in to see a good Sonics game. On the other hand I have absolutely no desire whatsoever to ever set foot in the usurping, politically hyper-reactionary state of Oklahoma, much less its capital city. They say that the Miami Heat is such an unpopular franchise these days that only those living around South Florida are rooting for them to win this championship series. Oh, and those in the Seattle area, too: apparently, they aren't quite as able as I am to revel in self-delusion...
...and how about those spunky Seattle Pilots winning baseball's National League Central Division last year?!
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