“I’m cheering for Portland now,” I told my dad as soon as I heard the news that the Seattle Sonics were indeed relocating to Oklahoma City. I was disappointed, as Kevin Durant had just completed his rookie year in Seattle and I was hoping to see more of him in the Sonics uniform. I ended up shifting my attention from the NBA to college ball, pulling for the Huskies and Zags in March for the next few years.
Four mere years later after relocating, the Oklahoma City Thunder just finished their 3rd season and they surged throughout the playoffs, defeating perennial powers Lakers and Spurs to cinch the Western Conference. They now open up the NBA Finals against the Miami Heat and this has caused many fans in Seattle, including myself, to have mixed emotions. Do we cheer for the Thunder, formerly our team and watch as Clay Bennett, the Benedict Arnold of Seattle celebrate as they clinch their first title? Or do we pull for the most hated player in the NBA and his Miami Heat? This isn’t the NBA Finals I wanted, although it’s a dream match-up for the rest of America. Not for us in the Pacific Northwest. We’re stuck with this, and it would have been easier if the Boston Celtics had advanced as they had Avery Bradley (a Tacoma native) and fan favorite Ray Allen, who spent a few seasons in Seattle before being dealt.
A lot of people are eagerly awaiting the match-up between Kevin Durant and Lebron James, and many are pulling for the Thunder to win it all. I want them to win it but at the same time I don’t only because of my strong opposition against their owner. The truth is that I’m one of millions in Seattle that have absolutely no idea what to do. Should I just ignore the Finals altogether or suck it up and support Kevin Durant and Nick Collison as they brought us some temporary joy with their play? Or should I hold my grudge against Clay Bennett and support the Miami Heat, the team America hates? I don’t know. And when the Finals go from the opener to Game 7, chances are that I still won’t know.
It’s hard to support the Thunder when Clay Bennett lied to the entire city, and it’s harder to fathom the fact that if they do win, that it COULD have been our city celebrating in downtown. It COULD have been us if our legislators had let us get a new arena. COULD have been if Howard Schultz didn’t pull a bonehead move and sell the team to someone all the way in Oklahoma. Come on, did you really think he would keep the team in Seattle if he lives in Oklahoma? Sell the team to some rich dude who lives in Lake Washington instead or some random rich guy in Japan, because nobody would let him relocate the team to Tokyo or Yokohama. (It worked when the Mariners were owned by the owner of Nintendo in Japan, because he won’t move them). Common sense is apparently something the CEO Starbucks founder lacks. There are so many COULDs that just never happened and I just hope the city of Sacramento doesn’t go though what we went through, because I sure as hell don’t want the Kings in Seattle.
I see articles on rumors and speculation but STILL. Sacramento can keep their team. I see our columnists talking about the Kings moving here like it’s GOING to happen. I don’t want that. We have no reason to steal another city’s team, and if we do that, I give up on David Stern and the NBA. That would only prove my theory that the NBA is full of greedy owners and David Stern who don’t give a flying shit what their fans think (with the exception of owners Mark Cuban and Paul Allen). What I want is an expansion franchise here, one we can proudly call our own and start over from scratch. Let’s see what happens next. I’m done ranting.
I guess I’ll be watching the MLB and College World Series to keep me distracted. See you later!
toshibastravels 