Thanks NBA Champs: I’m still hungover
There were some bad ones. Waking up trying to figure out exactly how we got home or what happened. At UNB, we tried to figure out the night based on the stamps we received entering a club. A classic conversation often went
Me: Did we get a cab after we had pizza?
Friend: We had pizza?
Those could last the rest of the weekend. Maybe a part of the Monday. Advil and Gatorade helped but they lingered like Winston when he smells steak. But this one is worse.
A week ago Thursday, I sat on my couch and knew it was over. The final buzzer had not sounded but we were up 3 with 0.9 seconds left and Kawhi had another free throw Make it and Golden State can’t have two more possissions, miss it and they still can’t shoot in time.
It was over.
I sat and just existed. I am not sure I ever planned for the moment. I guess I never plan what to do after a game ends. Some friends called, many texted, lots posted stuff, but I was still sitting there.
I watched the Raptors celebrate and felt nice. I wondered why they allowed the owners so much mic time but I also loved listening to Dorris Burke. Still sitting and just existing.
I got up and had a cigar. I was not smart enough to choose one that didn’t look like an enthusiastic joint but it was a tasty cigar none the less.
I never completely understood what I was feeling until I saw Rocket Man a couple of days later. (Spoiler:He becomes a very successful musician.) Early in the film, Elton John opens at the Troubadour in Los Angeles with Crocodile Rock. As he plays the opening notes, everyone floats about six inches off the ground and I thought,”That’s how I Feel.” My hangover feels like I’m floating just a few inches off the ground... with the whole country. I’m not even sure who I’m sharing the moment with, I just know it’s a shared experience.
So after a good party, I normally wake up and wonder how bad it’s going to be. 9 days later, I wake and think, “They won.” It just doesn’t go away. I’ve listened to positive and negative reviews and thought, “we won.” Kawhi speculation and thought,”we won.” Yeah it lingers well.
I think those who saw Elton John early in his career knew they were watching something special. Raptor’s fans did not. When Alvin Robertson scored that first basket, no one saw champions. As players came and bailed, I often had flashbacks to, “I just want to be friends” speeches. When the NBA put that little gold section on the back of jerseys, I felt confident that we would never have to send ours in to get adjusted.
But then the four bounces happened.
Then, despite games one and two, we confidently beat the Bucks.
Then we won two games in Oracle.
Then there was .9 seconds left.
Then I floated..... and I think it’s gonna be a long, long time.
