Not sure how many of you are basketball fans, but if you have even a cursory interest in the sport I suggest you check out this year's NBA finals. It is widely regarded as one of the most anticipated match-ups in many years. OKC's stars are all under the age of 24 which means they should dominate for years to come. We have literally watched these guys grow up before our eyes and they finally get their shot at the title this year.
LeBron James has been lambasted for leaving his hometown team to try to win a championship with the Heat which has evaded him so far. The Heat are the most hated team in the league. By contrast, the Thunder is led by the league's leading scorer Kevin Durant who's appears to be one of the most humble superstars in the league. It's the ultimate good guys vs. bad guys matchup. LeBron, likely fueled by all the criticisms about his ability to perform in the clutch and his will to win, appears to be on a mission to prove everybody wrong and finally win his first championship. To put it in perspective, facing elimination in game 5 versus the Celtics, LeBron put on one of the best playoff performances in history scoring nearly half his team's points (http://www.nba.com/games/20120607/MIABOS/gameinfo.html).
The series will be on ABC so you don't need cable to watch it. Catch at least one game.
It's worth pointing out that Erik Spolestra and Scott Brooks are also two brilliant tacticians.
Examples:
1. Kevin Garnett of the Celtics had been troubling the Miami Heat's inside game during the Eastern Conference Finals (partially due to the absence of Chris Bosh). Bosh is fully healthy for Game 7, and he has a great jumper for a big man, so Spolestra plants him in the corner during the crucial 4th quarter of Game 7. Bosh hits three 3-pointers, forcing KG out of the paint to cover him. This is perfect for the Heat's isolation offense, as it rotates 6'7" Paul Pierce into the paint. Lebron/Wade spend the rest of the game driving on Pierce, while Bosh and KG hang out in the corner. Game over.
2. Serge Ibaka is an excellent shooter given his playing style (big shot-blocking men often shoot poorly unless your name is "Kevin Garnett" or, to a lesser extent, "Tim Duncan.") Brooks knows he shoots well, and runs both Ibaka and Perkins for extended minutes during Game 4 of the West Finals against the Spurs. The Spurs only have an aging Tim Duncan defending the paint, and his focus on Perkins means Ibaka makes all 11 of his shots, many in that troublesome midrange area. The Thunder take Game 4 before taking two more to advance.
This series will be incredible. Two teams equally matched in skill and coaching acumen. Can't wait.
Every day it blows my mind how much of a tactical/strategic game basketball is. You provide some great examples! It's often hard to see as an outsider. "Why is he shooting 3's? He shoots 25% from beyond the arc!" ...well, he may be trying to draw his defender out so that he can penetrate easier. "Why is he complaining to the ref about that obvious non foul?" ...well, maybe he is priming the ref for the next posession, where he is planning on going to the rim and expects to get fouled. I would love to hear more tactial examples, those are awesome!
It's even got a bit of "who's the real villain", due to the manner in which the Sonics/Thunder left Seattle. While those who weren't Sonics fans tend to enjoy the way the Thunder play and the humility of KD, a lot of Sonics fans who watched the Clay Bennett saga and read the leaked e-mails are quite bitter. It was similar in heart-wrenching status in Seattle to "The Decision" in Cleveland.
I agree that this is going to be a very competitive series. The match-ups seem to favor OKC a bit since I think they can spread the floor better and create good shots for their KD and Westbrook. But James and Wade are very experienced and savvy players and their athleticism (along with Miami's excellent defensive play) gives Miami a strong chance to win.
I'd say you're probably wrong on that. The Thunder are hated by Sonic fans for the most part. The Heat are generally disliked in a way that the Yankees, Duke basketball, and the Patriots/Cowboys are. Heck, the Lakers or Celtics might even be above the Thunder on the list of most hated teams in the NBA.
I'm a die hard NBA fan and have never heard of anyone hating the Thunder.
Why do people hate the Thunder?
I can see the argument that some Seattle fans would resent that the team left, but I think their anger would be directed toward the owners involved or David Stern - not the team itself.
For Seattle fans, it's not merely that the team left, it's how they left. Some of Clay Bennett's e-mails got leaked, and they make it clear that while he was publicly promising to try to keep the team in Seattle (which was a condition of the original sale) he was privately saying he'd move the team to OKC ASAP. As long as Clay Bennett is involved with the Thunder, the majority of Sonics fans are going to be against them.
Also remember that of current Thunder players, only Nick Collison was on the team before Clay Bennett arrived. Kevin Durant played one year in Seattle but it was already common knowledge that the team was going to leave, so fans didn't really take to him much. All of the other rotation players were added after the move. So there aren't any beloved players left on the team to mitigate the anger coming out of Seattle.
It's similar to LeBron being thought of as a villain. It's not that he left Cleveland, it's how he left Cleveland. To a lot of fans in both cities, it felt like their guy/team lied about wanting to stay, left under dubious circumstances, and disrespected the fans and the city on the way out.
LeBron James has been lambasted for leaving his hometown team to try to win a championship with the Heat which has evaded him so far. The Heat are the most hated team in the league. By contrast, the Thunder is led by the league's leading scorer Kevin Durant who's appears to be one of the most humble superstars in the league. It's the ultimate good guys vs. bad guys matchup. LeBron, likely fueled by all the criticisms about his ability to perform in the clutch and his will to win, appears to be on a mission to prove everybody wrong and finally win his first championship. To put it in perspective, facing elimination in game 5 versus the Celtics, LeBron put on one of the best playoff performances in history scoring nearly half his team's points (http://www.nba.com/games/20120607/MIABOS/gameinfo.html).
The series will be on ABC so you don't need cable to watch it. Catch at least one game.