June of 2013 seems like a lot longer than a year ago, doesnt it? At least in basketball terms it does, anyways. For those of us in and from San Antonio, the last twelve months have simultaneously been a tumultuous mixture of agonizing, frustrating anger and inspiringly beautiful redemption, as weve witnessed a team pick themselves up from the darkest depths of disappointment and once again rise to the top, where they were just last year. The Finals used to be a friendly place—for so many years, they were a destination where the Spurs went to win. It was the stage from which our boys silenced every hater, every trash-talker, every hypocritical zealot who spat at us with fury that our team was an old, boring group of nobody floppers that everyone hated, and not even in the fun way. The Finals used to be the place from which we could reply to any of these accusations with a simple point of the finger, and a quiet muttering of the word Scoreboard, and that was that. But as things often do, all of it changed last year. One unfortunate, too-oft-mentioned Ray Allen three, and our worst fears were confirmed. The pretty image of Finals perfection—of the Spurs prevailing no matter how bad it looked—had vanished, and us fans, spoiled as we are, experienced the true, total heartbreak of the most agonizing kind of defeat: failure in the face of so much hope. Souls were crushed beyond words, and many of us—myself included—simply had none to express the hurt. And thats why this return trip to the Finals is so beyond important. Thats why this closing chapter of the journey is so emotional. Seventeen years is a long time, and weve been through every one of these successes and every one of these failures together, as a city, as a community, as friends. When Manu and Manny had sons, we felt their joy. When Timmy and Amy split, and you could see the hurt on his face as he navigated an ugly divorce, we hurt for him. Im convinced that no fanbase in NBA history has felt so emotionally connected to a trio of players and their coach as we are today. It isnt just trophies and rings on the line this series. Our hearts are at stake, too. So as the wood floors of the AT&T Center are changed to reflect the logo of the NBA Finals in that classic script font, and as the banners hang with pictures of the gleaming, elusive, Larry OBrien trophy, know that there isnt a fan of the San Antonio Spurs or a player wearing our jersey who isnt ready for this series. This game. This moment. This is our year. #GoSpursGo
Posted on: Thu, 05 Jun 2014 23:59:49 +0000
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