September 15, 2020

 

This was supposed to another day off for me but ESPN had sent home another crew of technicians not anticipating a game seven between the Clippers and the Nuggets.  As a result they recruited me once again along with two of my Turner cohorts and we agreed to work that series deciding game for them.  I mean let’s be serious.  What else did I have on my fully stocked agenda anyway?  Going to work was welcome relief to Groundhog Day.

 

I was already upset with the Clippers.  I had picked them to win it all, they were up three games to one against the Nuggets, then they completely collapsed forcing a game seven in their series.  This, of course, pushed the Western Conference finals back two days which was my biggest agitation.  They were up three to one!  Come on!

 

But more about that deciding game later.  My Turner mates and I were going to work the first game of the Eastern Conference finals which pitted Miami against the Celtics.  Going into this game and after all the games I had witnessed since being here I was leaning towards Boston taking the first game.  I thought the teams were pretty evenly matched and looked forward to getting the series started. The game proved to be hopefully a sign of things to come as the contest went to overtime with Miami preserving a thrilling victory in the final seconds. Jimmy Butler who had played for several teams during his All Star career but seemed to had found a home with Miami attacked the basket against Jayson Tatum and scored over his outstretched arms, earning a foul in the process and giving Miami a two-point lead with 12 seconds left in the overtime period. On the next possession, Tatum drove against Butler and went for a dunk, but Bam Adebayo met him at the rim and swatted the ball away.  That play by Bam has been heralded as one of the best clutch defensive maneuvers in the history of the NBA playoffs.   Tatum then missed a desperation 3-pointer at the buzzer sealing the victory for Miami.

 

That play of Adebayo’s block was played over and over on all the networks the following morning as well as during the game that followed us on ESPN. We had that baby covered from every angle and it couldn’t be replayed enough.  When we returned on the shuttle to watch the Clippers Nuggets game at the resort with the rest of our guys, I let them know which replay was mine, which was Jonathan’s, and which was Gumby’s.  And the good thing about it, they were complimentary!  That’s a sign of respect in our business where we take greater pleasure giving each other a hard time rather than a good one.

 

I still had faith in Los Angeles to beat Denver and face the Lakers in the Western Conference finals which we would cover on TNT.  At one point in the game the Clippers led by as much as twelve.  And then they decided to pack it in a give the game away.  Their offense became listless, they appeared tired along with showing a complete lack of heart and intensity.  Perhaps the bubble defeated them along with the Nuggets.  And the Nuggets did it in record-breaking style. Never before had a playoff team overcome a three to one deficit in two consecutive series. After coming back against the Utah Jazz in the first round, the Nuggets did it against the Clippers in the conference semifinals, and they did it the hard way. The Nuggets trailed by sixteen points in game five, by nineteen points in game six and by twelve points in game seven. They won all three.

 

So now the conference finals stage is set.  Only four teams left in the bubble.  We started with twenty two and then there were four.  I will leave the resort once the field is reduced to two as we at TNT are done after the Western Conference finals.  I don’t really care who wins the conference as long as they sweep.  Have you gotten the impression that I am ready to leave yet?  I don’t know how I can be any clearer.