The Oklahoma City Thunder reached the NBA Finals on Wednesday night.Oh, I can imagine. All Cleveland Browns fans can imagine.
The city of Seattle feels cheated.
Following the 2007-08 season, the Seattle Supersonics controversially relocated to Oklahoma City and rebranded the franchise as the “Thunder”.
Sonics fans have been angry and in denial ever since, bouncing back and forth between the first two stages of grief. The loss of their beloved franchise is going to take years to overcome.
Oklahoma City defeated the San Antonio Spurs 107-99, coming back from a 2-0 series deficit and winning four straight games. Seeing the Thunder reach the Finals with Kevin Durant (a player they drafted) stings more than most fans can imagine.
We had our hearts ripped out in 1995 when a lying, loathsome, despicable, idiotic owner stole the Browns and moved them to Baltimore, where they have won a Super Bowl (with perhaps the most disgusting set of players ever to take a football field, led by lying thug and probable murder Ray Lewis, using tactics that involved the deliberate injury to opposing quarterbacks) and been perennial contenders ever since.
The Cleveland Browns should be the perennial contenders, not Baltimore. That should be our rivalry with the Pittsburgh Steelers, not Baltimore's. That was stolen from us, and we will likely never get it back.
Nothing against Kevin Durant, Russell Westbrook and the rest of the players of the Oklahoma City Thunder, who seem like great guys. Nothing against the fans of Oklahoma City, who have done better than I thought they would. But the Thunder do not deserve to win, simply because of their owner Clay Bennett and his lying, deceitful, despicable conduct in stealing the team from the loyal basketball fans of Seattle.
Unfortunately, I may have no choice but to root for the Oklahoma City Thunder. Because LeBron James, a creature even more loathsome than Bennett, and the Miami Heat also do not deserve to win, and, moreover, cannot be allowed to win, because it would be an insult not only to Cleveland, to whom James lied and on whom he spit, but to all fans of small-market NBA teams who are threatened by collusion like that of James, Chris Bosh and Dwayne Wade.
So, I'm sorry Seattle. I support you and your abused fans, having been there myself. You did not deserve the grand theft team by the sleazeball Bennett.
But stopping LeBron James and Miami is much more important.
While born in Tulsa, I've lived in Kansas, Illinois, Texas, and now Indiana as well. There is common thread running thru all Mid-Westerners anytime we're represented against the self-absorbed coastal dreck like the Lakers, Yankees, Patriots, etc.
ReplyDeleteIt was more moment of literal pride when (NBC?) had a great promo featuring Reggie Miller hoisting up three-pointers, crops waving in the wind, and then the left-to-right, Gone with the Windesque title bar, displaying 'Hicks vs Knicks'......
GO Thunder!!!