PAREHONG scenario, magkaibang lungsod, subalit sa pagkakataong ito, nakataya ang NBA championship.
Nagwagi ang Miami Heat sa tatlong sunod na Game 1s sa road at umaasa silang makasusungkit ng isa pa.
Ang kampanya ng Miami para sa ika-4 na for NBA title ay dadaan sa rocky mountains sa Denver, Colorado at sa No. 1 team sa West, ang Denver Nuggets.
Kapwa nagsagawa ang dalawang koponan ng kanilang media day sa Ball Arena sa downtown Denver.
Nalusutan ni coach Erik Spoelstra at ng Miami Heat ang mga hamon sa buong season, mula sa injuries at tough losses, sa huli ay pumasok sa playoffs bilang eighth seed bago dinispatsa ang dalawang koponan sa Eastern Conference.
“I probably think more than anything, it’s just the more experience you have, just the more gratitude you have for any of these kind of opportunities. This league is so fragile. It is so tough to go through the gauntlet. Not only just a regular season, 82 games, five and a half months, but then to go through the gauntlet of three seven-game series just to get to this point,” wika ni Spoelstra.
“You’re just really grateful for these kind of opportunities. This is a special group. This group has been able to overcome a lot of different things, handle a lot of adversity, setbacks, things that have not gone the way we wanted it to go. Instead of having that collapse our spirit, it allowed us to develop some fortitude and grit collectively and give us something to rally around, which was each other,” dagdag pa niya.
“Those are special qualities. I mentioned the other night, it’s a reflection of life to be able to develop those kind of things that can get you through the tough times, and then when you overcome it, just makes things a lot more gratifying.”
Sa 15 taon bilang head coach, ito ang ika-6 na NBA Finals ni Spoelstra. Ang Filipino-American ay nagwagi ng dalawang championships bilang head coach at ang ikatlo ay bilang assistant.
Ginugol ni Udonis Haslem ang kanyang buong 20-year career sa Miami Heat at kay Spoelstra, magkasamang sumabak sa pitong NBA Finals.
“It’s been amazing, watching his growth, watching him become a father, all these things, becoming one of my closest friends. It’s hard because you used to bump heads and feud with a coach but Spo and I have a special relationship and we work great together, and I’ve been fortunate to have a head coach and friend like Spo,” ani Haslem.
“The true definition when you look at us, when you’re around us, when you experience a hard fought game and never being out of it, and what Coach Spo is about what we’re about and how were lead at the top that’s just who we are, what we’re about,” sabi ni Kevin Love.
Ang makakabangga ng Heat ay ang Denver Nuggets, na may pinakamagandang record sa West, at mahigit isang linggo nang nakapagpahinga.
“I think these are the two last teams remaining, have the most chemistry within each other. (Kyle) Lowry has been a champion. Jimmy (Butler) has been in the playoffs a ton. I remember we played Jimmy in Minnesota for the eighth seed. I forget what year. I think it was 2018,” ani Jamal Murray.
“I’m trying to go through the team. Drafted or not, they can all play. They play really well. The handoffs that they do. They put us in a lot of actions. The ball is hopping. They’re unselfish looking for the shot, looking for the best shot.
They use the whole shot clock. I think they’re very well-rounded team and they trust each other. They’ve trusted each other a lot throughout the season. I think that’s what sets them apart from all the other teams in the East that they faced,” dagdag pa niya.
“I think they’re really together through the ups and downs. They’re very resilient. Kind of like us in a sense where we’re very resilient. Been together, continuity, chemistry, ball hops, unselfish. They’re more of a gritty defensive team throughout the season, and we’re more of an offensive powerhouse throughout the season. I think it’s going to be a fun series.”
Sa kasaysayan ng NBA playoffs, wala pang eighth seed na nanalo ng kampeonato. Sisimulan ng Miami ang kanilang kampanya na maging una sa Huwebes ng gabi.
