One of life's greatest privileges is to be proud of something without reservation. The pleasure of being proud is enhanced if you feel like you have a role in creating the thing you are proud of, but even a distant association with something worthy of praise and recognition is cool. That's the way I feel about the Oklahoma City Thunder.
I'm not an NBA fan. For the most part, I think the NBA consists of thugs and gang bangers that would probably be in prison if they weren't making millions playing basketball. I'm not a student of the sport, so I don't get the nuances of the game. If the game is any good, only the last 2 minutes matter, and if the game is not good, none of it matters. It seems to me like they could accomplish everything involved with one jump shot, and whoever wins that wins the game.
But the reality is that, second only to soccer, NBA Basketball is the most watched and followed sport in the whole world. And tonight, OKC has home court advantage in Game 1 of the NBA Finals against the Miami Heat.
And I am really proud of our team.
First, overall they seem to be really good guys. Durant and Westbrook just don't fit the typical NBA mold discussed above. The whole team seems like a group of really good guys that care about each other and want something bigger and better than any of them could have individually. I'm proud of them.
And they're pretty damn good too. They beat Dallas, those filthy Lakers and the Spurs to get to the finals. You don't get through three 7 game series on beginner's luck. Those guys played hard, and played well, and earned the position they have taken. I'm proud of them.
And the future looks bright. I'm sure that salary caps will eventually disperse the team to other NBA franchises, but not for the next couple of seasons. And at their current level, I don't think anyone will be able to challenge them in the near term. Wow. It looks like we've got more than a basketball team. We've got the beginnings of an NBA Championship caliber dynasty. I'm proud of them.
And the entire city has coagulated around this team like flies on a donut. OKC, with all of its faults, knows what it means to come together. And it's a whole lot more fun to come together around a basketball team than around a tragedy like the 1995 bombing. This weekend I was out and about, and people were stacked up to buy their Thunderwear. I think everyone in the city has at least three Thunder shirts and a hat. It is wonderful that the community has something to gather around and support, even if it's just a basketball team. I'm proud of them
I don't know much about basketball. But I know what I'm proud of. And I'm proud of the Thunder. There's nothing like a good thunderstorm to cool off a hot day. And there's nothing like the Thunder to beat the Heat for the NBA Championship. Bring it on!