Lamrock wrote:You're cutting it close, my friend. Beat the Heat!
Martti. wrote:The hell is wrong with Durant? I thought he'll surely thrive on the biggest stage.
KEVIN DURANT, SEATTLE STEALTH WIN NBA CHAMPIONSHIP
June 21, SEATTLE – After years of playoff heartbreak, the Seattle Stealth finally have an NBA championship.
“It was a long time coming,” a teary and battle-weary Jason Kidd told sideline reporters as confetti fell from the rafters, “Kevin (Durant), Coach (George Karl), the manager (Will Sit) and the team have been through a lot. We knew that our time would come… it just took a little longer than expected.”
As the buzzer sounded in the 122-101 win in Game 7 of the NBA Finals, the Stealth players leapt off the bench and ran to the middle of the court to celebrate. NBA MVP and Finals MVP Kevin Durant (27.9 ppg, 6.4 rpg, 3.3 apg for the series) didn’t join his teammates as he ran to the baseline in front of the stand where a contingency of diehard Durant fans were giving him a rousing ovation. As they chanted, “Kevin, Kevin, Kevin”, Durant cupped his hand to his ears and then put his index finger in the air.
The Miami Heat nearly spoiled the Stealth’s fairy tale finish to a great season as they opened the game with a 13-2 run. Durant missed his first three shots and was in foul trouble early in the game. The Stealth were not in sync and had it not been for Chinese forward and substitute Mingyu Li, then the champions could have been the Heat.
Li came off the bench to knock down three shots to score 7 of his 11 points in an important 3 minute stretch to end the first period. He ended the quarter with a three pointer off the dribble, which seemed to energise his teammates coming out of the quarter break. The Stealth played a much better second quarter as they evened the score with both teams locked at 51-51 at halftime.
“Mingyu really saved us out there,” Coach Karl smiled at the podium interview, “We’ve encouraged him to really take advantage of his shooting skills out on the floor. We needed a lift from him especially because of the fact that our other (David) Lee wasn’t on the court.”
The third quarter then belonged to Durant who scored 15 of his 37 points. Durant was unstoppable as he scored on an array of moves to the hoop as well as deep in the half court. “You just can’t stop him,” Wade told the media, “I don’t know what to say. He’s the best player in the NBA. He deserves the title as much as it stings me to say it.”
Seattle didn’t pull away with the win until the fourth quarter. The Stealth entered that period with an 84-79 advantage and it was NBA veteran and future Hall-of-Famer Allen Iverson who helped to seal the deal. Iverson scored 10 of his 16 points in the first 6 minutes of the fourth period. “Just like old times,” Kidd marvelled at his teammate, “Iverson is the most fiery basketball player I have ever played with or against. His heart is bigger than even (Michael) Jordan’s.”
Durant wasn’t done yet as he added point after point to his total in the fourth quarter. He finally took a seat to MVP chants with 2:16 left in the game and his team comfortably ahead. Durant had 5 rebounds and 4 assists to go with his 37 points (16-20 shooting). He missed just 1 shot over three quarters and boasted that he had promised to deliver a title to Seattle. “This is my team baby,” he addressed the stadium, “That’s why I put everything I had on the floor tonight.”
Future Hall-of-Famer had one of his best games of his career in a game that has redefined his standing as one of the All-Time greats. Kidd’s 19 points and 17 assists will surely never be broken again as he became the oldest player to ever record a double double in an NBA Finals game at the age of 41. “This is the sweetest win of my career,” he exclaimed as he held back tears addressing the crowd.
The injured Andrew Bogut continued to impose his dominance despite a heel injury as he put up 27 points, 9 rebounds, 3 blocks. The Australian big is convinced that Stealth fans are looking at a possible dynasty, “Even if Jason and Allen retired today, I am pretty sure we have the depth to continue title runs for the next four or five years,” Bogut said, “I’m very excited we got over the hump.”
Young superstar shooting guard Reshawn Tyson added to his collection of championships. He noted that he was over the moon about beating college rival Moses Chara to an NBA title after their battles in the college game whilst he was with the Tar Heels and Chara played for the Blue Devils. “I struggled tonight a little bit but what matters most is the win,” Tyson who finished with 9 points and 7 assists said.
Wade (23 points), JR Smith (22 points) and Michael Beasley (20 points) were gracious in defeat. “They deserve it,” Wade said. Smith added his congratulations as he retreated from the arena, “This is one helluva a team. I think they were underachievers for a long time so it’s about time they performed well.” Beasley noted, “This is always the hardest city to play in. This team is going to be strong for years to come.”
After David Stern presented the Larry O’Brien trophy to Coach Karl, the noise in the arena nearly brought the roof down. “Seattle will be partying for months now,” Coach Karl joked.
The best moment of the night might have been David Lee being helped onto the podium by Rocky Akonnor and Li. Lee left his crutches courtside but had his teammates to support him to stay standing throughout the trophy presentation.
It was also fitting that General Manager and former Head Coach Will Sit addressed the crowd, “When I assembled this team, I knew we had the right people to bring a championship here. It was only a matter of time and this organisation is blessed to have such great fan support. And to think that David Stern wanted to move the franchise to Oklahoma City!”
Read More…
The X wrote:Glad you could finally get it done. A fitting way to end this Association. Those ghastly grey jerseys, don't know how you played so many seasons with them
The X wrote:Great to see Rocky Akonnor get his well deserved title
Glad you could finally get it done. A fitting way to end this Association. Those ghastly grey jerseys, don't know how you played so many seasons with them
Martti. wrote:Finally! KD saved his best for last. Though I'd have preferred my Tar Heel bro Ty had got the MVP.
Lamrock wrote:Awesome way to end the best association story ever. Glad it finally happens after years of near misses, and with Kidd still on the roster to boot.
shadowgrin wrote:IRL Woody Hannes would only be qualified for writing Bleacher Report articles or worse - ESPN.
Valor wrote:If you continue on, I hope J-Kidd returns for the title defense
Lamrock wrote:Glad I caught that last article. Nice to see all the noteworthy players given closure. Now, you're the champs and its Jao Wu's turn.
The X wrote:Better than Magic? You're dreaming Woody, you're dreaming
Sit wrote:Jao Wu's career averages of 4 ppg, 1 apg over 2 seasons aren't exactly eye-catching. Next Darko? A cult figure who cannot measure up to expectations?
shadowgrin wrote:Sit wrote:Jao Wu's career averages of 4 ppg, 1 apg over 2 seasons aren't exactly eye-catching. Next Darko? A cult figure who cannot measure up to expectations?
Fuck you Sit. Fuck you. That's both for Darko and Jao Wu.
Return to NBA 2K Stories Hall of Fame
Users browsing this forum: No registered users and 3 guests