Against all odds
By Jesus A. Garcia, Jr.
WE, avid buffs of basketball games who watched the first three matches of the best-of-seven championship series of the current NBA season between three-time champion Miami Heat and first-time finalist Denver Nuggets on TV thoroughly enjoyed the seesaw battle between the top seeded teams. The Nuggets quintet took the initial battle, 104-93, and protected its home court advantage. Then, the Heat took the second confrontation, 111-108, at Nuggets home court to even the score at 1-1 and seized the home court advantage to the delight of the Heat fans, particularly the Filipinos in Florida, U.S.A. as well as our country mates here (including me) and in San Pablo City, Laguna, hometown of Spoelstra’s mother Elisa Celino.
It was the Nuggets’ first loss at home after 66 games in the hands of the Heat, still under the tutelage of half-Filipino half Dutch-Irish Erik Spoelstra. Humiliated, the Nuggets and showed their championship caliber in their third meeting and avenged their second game defeat by clobbering the Heat by 15 points, 109-94, at Heat’s home court. This enabled the Nuggets to recapture the lead, 2-1, that disappointed the Heat’s diehard aficionados, including this writer.
Like in the past, it was the Nuggets 7’1” pivot man Nikola Jokic who did the biggest damage on the Heat. Puzzled and exasperated Spoelstra was seen scratching his head each time Jokic did a rebound, assist and scored. Spoelstra describes Jokic as an incredible Serbian player. Jokic is averaging triple-double marks during the playoffs with 41 points and 11 rebounds. Yes, he played ala Kareem Abdul Jabbar of the Los Angeles Lakers in his heydays. Twice in two seasons, he was NBA’s best player.
I’m making this piece after the third game and I guess by the time you read this article the best-of-the-seven championship series might be already over. And I seriously doubt the Nuggets could win consecutively. But playing against all odds, basketball experts say it will be the year for the title-less Nuggets. They don’t want to lose their biggest opportunity. Next year will be a different story. While I like the Nuggets to win but I’d still love to see the Heat score its fourth tiara because of Spoelstra for obvious reason, his Filipino lineage.
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The Lingayen bikefest supposed to be conducted tomorrow, June 12, in line with the celebration of our Independence Day was postponed indefinitely because of inclement weather in Pangasinan. The 115 kilometer- cycling road race dubbed as “Mayor Bataoil Cup Independence Day Cycling Challenge” was supposed to be participated in exclusively by 70 of our province amateur cyclists. It was supposed to be one of the best tune-up races for our local amateur riders preparing for the national cycling road race championship slated after the wet season. The bikefest, if it pushes through after the rainy season, will be my 250th organized and directed race since March 7, 1974.
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QUOTE OF THE WEEK: “You have heard that it was said, ‘An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth.’ “But I tell you not to resist an evil person. But whoever slaps you on your right cheek, turn the other to him also. MATTHEW 5: 38-39
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