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You thought they were dead.
I thought they were dead.
The Joker’s reign as emperor of the basketball kingdom was over. His statue had tumbled after cracking.
I honestly thought they would lose last night, and that was sad to think about because watching Joker play basketball is better than eating a gallon of Jamoca Almond Fudge Ice Cream every morning and night for five years straight.
But all that was just one big gallows humor joke. He was just joshing. The Joker.
The Denver Nuggets are not dead. They resurrected themselves from the dead. Not yet are they in any kind of nihilistic netherworld.
And my life – and your life – will be more exciting and hype-filled for the next few days. For at least one more game, we can anticipate with glee watching Joker playing basketball again this season, and there’s nothing any of us enjoys doing more.
Digging deep into their troubled souls, coming together as a team, battling and clawing and not giving up even when they felt they had nothing else to give, they won Game 6 to even the series with the Oklahoma City Thunder, 119-107.
That means they go back to OKC for Game 7 that will settle this basketball series between medieval gladiators. It feels like a 25-round heavyweight boxing match that has been going on for several decades.
I am reminded of how a friend once described the “Thrilla in Manila” heavyweight boxing title between Muhammad Ali and Joe Frazier. “They beat the hell out of each other,” he said.
The Nuggets and Thunder have been beating the hell out of each other in this series for six games, which feels like six eons. It’s wearing physically and mentally just to watch the games that often end after midnight Eastern time and then the press conferences take you well into the next morning if you’re like me and can’t get enough, waiting for Joker to finish his post-game weightlifting routine so you can hear him answer reporter’s questions with humility and class.
You wonder how they keep playing. You love that they do because it shows you they care. This isn’t one-and-done college hoops; this is the best ballers on Earth fist-fighting.
Yes, they’re millionaires, but this is real competition that isn’t about name, image, and likeness money hoarding. It’s about ferocious competition to win an NBA championship, to reach the zenith of basketball glory. Real competition to win, not greed to get paid more, or threatening to transfer to another team. I hate college football and basketball for what it has devolved into.
Neither the Nuggs nor the Thunder is giving up. Neither team can put the other away. Still standing, both of them, in the middle of the ring, swinging punches at each other, dazed and staggered and really really tired, but not down for the count.
And it’s a beautiful thing to see. It’s what sports is supposed to be. It’s what America is all about: competing in a meritocracy. Who is the best? Who is the toughest? Are you tired? Of course, you’re tired? You’re exhausted. You just want to stop playing games against this team. Let me out of this situation. How many more times do we have to play this team, and I don’t know if I can stand this much longer, said every guy in the series.
Joker – the most ego-free superstar who has ever lived – went off again last night/this morning: 29 points, 14 rebounds, eight assists. He had a pass to Christian Braun that made me think: “No way he saw that guy was open. No way he saw him. How did he see him? It’s not possible he saw him. What’s going on? What am I seeing? Who is this guy?”
He is a genius. Let me rephrase that: he is a genius. Put another way, he is a genius. Moreover, he is a genius. In other words, he is a genius.
What are the Thunder going to do about Jokic in Game 7? He had 44 points in Game 5. He’s figured out the Thunder defense after struggling for a couple of games. Once he figures you out, Joker tends to continue to keep you figured out.
He’s the smartest basketball player I have ever seen. Oh, and so clutch. Tonight in the fourth quarter, he kept getting fouled and kept draining free throws. Under the pressure of the Colorado mountains. Ranges. Under the pressure of Queen. Under pressure like none of us has ever felt.
Look out, OKC. Smarten up. Concoct some clever new scheme to foil the Joker, to make it about him being the joked upon. Get ready to stop the Joker or he’s going to take you out.
He wants the last laugh.
This is no joke.
He’s the real Oklahoma City Thunder.
His teammate, Jamal Murray, felt sick before and during the game, yet pumped in 25 points. Feeling bad, he played good – really good.
Proving he’s got grit.
Shai Gilgeous Alexander created 32 points tonight – the guy is a master at getting an open shot or converting smoothly a difficult shot. Reminds me, stylistically, of Dwayne Wade and Michael Jordan. He’s accurate. No trash talk, just exquisiteness.
This is what’s important now. The Nuggets, who are older than the Thunder, get an extra day of rest before Game 7. So this extra day will give the Herculean energy Joker and his teammates extra energy. A rested Joker gets even funnier.
“Wow, this has been a marathon,” said Denver coach David Adelman.
For all of us, DA.
Julian Strawther came off the bench for 15 points – a career postseason high. It was a huge and surprising spark that was crucial for the Nuggets. No one expected him to do this because he never has. Shocked us all. This guy played ball.
For the next two days, I plan to think about the Joker pretty much every waking moment. You should, too. It should be a national law.
A master of his craft, unlike any we’ve seen before, is living in our time on Earth.
For that, we should feel honored, respectful, and appreciative
We are all blessed.
The Joker lives among us.
At least until Sunday.
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Sammy Sportface, a sports blogger, galvanizes, inspires, and amuses The Baby Boomer Brotherhood. And you can learn about his vision and join this group's Facebook page here:
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