Why do we love basketball so much?
Last night, the Brooklyn Nets and the Milwaukee Bucks offered us one of the greatest games of the 2020-2021 NBA season. The decisive match for the Eastern Conference Finals needed one period of extra time and it was a total showdown. In the end, Giannis Antetokounmpo led his team to victory, 115-111, but the Nets were very, very, very close.
Sometimes I ask myself why do I love basketball so much. Then, I watch a game like the one in Barclays Center and I remember just how amazing this sport is.
First of all, it was game 7. This means that it was an absolute battle. Both teams fought hard and gave everything on the court. Also, neither of the two sides was ready to give up. This is why the game had 20 lead changes and 9 ties.
Second of all, we saw huge performances from some of the best players in the NBA. Kevin Durant scored 48 points, Antetokounmpo responded with 40 points, while Middleton and Harden had 23 and 22 points.
But, I think that the biggest reason why we love basketball is its unpredictability. In this sport, everything can change in a second. At the end of the regular time, Durant made an amazing shot with his team being led by two points. His toe was on the three-point line so the Nets sent the game to overtime. Therefore, we can say that they were just a few centimeters close to advancing to the Eastern Conference Finals.
Of course, it is tough. For fans, coaches, players, and everybody involved in sport. But if a team wins one time, the other team will win next time and this is the beauty of basketball. As the NBA says, ”this is where amazing happens”.
*photo: The Athletic, Nathaniel S. Butler/NBAE via Getty Images
