Two weather systems in the finals!
And as far as I can tell, this is the first time two of the league’s non-pluralized teams have met in the finals. There are only a couple of them.
For the Thunder, as I’ve been living in Oklahoma for the last 5 years and never liked the Mavs.
Against Miami. If James had just switched teams and not made a big fucking deal about it, I wouldn’t give a rat’s ass. For me, MLB > NCAA FB > NFL > NHL > NCAA Hockey > NCAA Baseball > Horse Racing > NCAA Basketball > Soccer > Curling > Golf > NBA > Miami Heat > LeBron James
Four of them.
Four, not three, as I wrote as my answer when this came up at bar trivia last week, thereby costing me a first-place finish by 10 points. Stupid Magic…
:d:d:d:d:d:d
“I’m going to try my best to win the championship every year, and I think that’s a very achievable goal–this is a fantastic team, with a great group of teammates and a dedicated coach and organization. I’m going to be very disappointed any year we don’t win the world’s championship, including this year.”
I completely disagree with you on Carmelo. Cleveland probably wishes LeBron would have given them months of notice that he wanted out of town so they could get something in return. The Nuggets became a better team after Carmelo, thanks to him.
The Decision was really bad, but the pre-championship celebration with Miami’s Big 3 was what turned me way off.
I think we’re talking about two different issues here. The Nuggets got much more for Carmelo than the Cavs did for LeBron and that’s obviously a good thing for them, but Carmelo also dragged out the whole process for an extremely long time and did nobody any favors in the process- nor did he help them by making it known he’d accept a trade to only one team.
I’m not rooting for any particular tram, just want to see some great games. Part of me wants the Heat, mainly to quiet the LBJ haters; I still think that Jim Gray, the architect of “The Decision” deserves as much of the scorn and the ridicule that James has been subjectected to these past 2 years.
And part of me wants the Thunder, because I really like watching them play; loved how they made the proper adjustments to counter the Spurs pick and roll and turn that series on its head after everyone had OKC buried. Also, the beard.
I don’t really think of Carmelo as dragging the process out. He was pretty upfront the whole time. Either way, it’s still better than stringing them along throughout the season and into the summer.
I can’t really root against either team since both beat one of the NBA teams I hate (Spurs and Celtics) and I don’t care enough about the NBA much beyond that.
I also don’t have the scorn for LeBron that a lot of people do, though I do think his move to the Heat was mismanaged from a PR angle. I’m mostly just sick of all the publicity about the Heat. If they win a championship, it legitimizes everything, and we’ll spend the off season hearing about how awesome they are and that they’re the early favorites for the championship next year. If they lose, we’ll spend the whole off season hearing about how they choked and they need to fix their “glaring” issues, but they’re still the early favorites for the championship next year. For that sake, I’d like to see the team that’s had every bit as good of a season (one game better even) but with so much less hype win.
I have nothing against the Heat, and will be happy for LeBron if he gets his ring.
But I’m definitely rooting for OKC, for one big reason: Kevin Durant.
Even though Kevin Durant only played one season of college ball here in Austin, he made a lasting favorable impression on most of us Austinites (he made a few noticeable “Hook 'em Horns” gestures to fans in San Antonio, did you notice?).
He was always so sweet and humble that he’s impossible to root against.
May not have been much national hype about the Thunder, but it filled up OKC’s media (and rightly so). SI has been talking about OKC, too. How they have a legitimate claim to being a contender, and likely will for the foreseeable future.
I will watch the series, that’s for sure. Root for the current home team of where I reside (OKC, moving again soon, NM this time). And hope no one gets shot in any celebrations or mournings.
Ticket prices here, even from legal sources, are really going up. I still think it’s lower here, tho, than in a larger market, like Dallas, Miami, Chicago, or L.A. If I think about it later, I’ll do a price search between OKC and Miami. If anyone beats me to it, that’s cool, too.
astorian-I like Durantula more than I dislike LBJ.
From the KOKH-TV facebook feed (Ch 25, OKC):
KOKH - FOX 25
The bet is on! Oklahoma Governor Mary Fallin and Florida Governor Rick Scott placed a friendly wager on the NBA Finals.
Governor Fallin is putting up a Made in Oklahoma gift basket with the following:
Head Country BBQ Sauce – Ponca City, OK
Flying G Ranch Pecans – Lotsee, OK
Daddy Hinkle’s Meat Marinade – Cleveland, OK
Red Dirt Pretzels – Tulsa, OK
Scott Farms Oklahoma’s Own All-Purpose Seasoning – Altus, OK
Suan’s Scotch Bonnet Pepper Jelly – Oklahoma City, OK
Prairie Gypsies Chipotle Lime Mustard – Oklahoma City, OK
Bedre Chocolate – Pauls Valley, OK
Jan’s Pickles – Carmen, OK
Dreamcatcher Farm Salsa – Edmond, OK
Willis Chili Seasoning – Norman, OK
Gov. Scott is wagering a Florida key lime pie.
Head Country BBQ Sauce – Ponca City, OK - Had this. Awesome.
Flying G Ranch Pecans – Lotsee, OK
Daddy Hinkle’s Meat Marinade – Cleveland, OK
Red Dirt Pretzels – Tulsa, OK
Scott Farms Oklahoma’s Own All-Purpose Seasoning – Altus, OK
Suan’s Scotch Bonnet Pepper Jelly – Oklahoma City, OK - Had this. Awesome.
Prairie Gypsies Chipotle Lime Mustard – Oklahoma City, OK
Bedre Chocolate – Pauls Valley, OK
Jan’s Pickles – Carmen, OK
Dreamcatcher Farm Salsa – Edmond, OK
Willis Chili Seasoning – Norman, OK - Had this. Meh…
Rooting against Miami. Not because I dislike Lebron or anything, but just because it’s a fun storyline (team of superstars can’t get it together, fails to win championships), and I don’t want it to go away.
I voted against Miami but it should more accurately be against Lebron
I am rooting against Miami because of one of their players. Battier is a freakin’ dookie to his core and I always root against dook when possible. I never want another dookie to win a ring, because as of right now, Rick Fox has more NBA championship rings than every dookie ever combined and I’d like to keep that intact.