It's only a game. You guys are a bunch of grown men so I know I don't need to say anything to motivate you especially since it's...just a game. But remember back in the regular season when the people that "know" basketball said that you were past your prime? Everybody said that we wouldn't make it to the finals again, let alone the playoffs. Was it "just a game" then? And so you fought, and you won until we made it to the playoffs...AGAIN! And then those same know-it-alls wanted to crown Cleveland as the 2010 champs before we even stepped on their court. Was game 4 of that series "just a game" when they had us down 2-1?! Every single one of you stepped up and you clawed and you pushed, until you won 3 straight!
Game 6 wasn't a game...game 6 was a testament to everything we hold near and dear on this Boston team. And even then when Orlando punched us in the mouth on our own floor...the critics came out. They wanted to say we had gone as far as we could...it wasn't "just a game" then. Orlando pushed hard, so we pushed harder and we stole their magic!
L.A. outgunned us in game 1 and half the nation cried out, "L.A. has already won the finals!". Kevin, Pau had the balls to call you soft...was it just a game for you then? Even after that, it only took 4 days for us to make every critic eat crow and every Laker fan crap their pants. L.A. went from "We know we're going to win" to "We hope". But then, we got punished Tuesday and we lost one of our fiercest warriors. So now, here we are with a black eye, busted lip, and a bruised ego. Is it still "just a game" for any of you?
Gentlemen, we have 48 minutes left of playing ball on t.v. together and then our season's over. Now I don't know what's going to happen after tonight, but I know that I'm not ready to lie down, give up, or quit and say "It's just a game." Perk isn't out because "it's just a game" and Kevin, if anything is possible, then this isn't a game. This is a moment in time where we define ourselves again not as great players, but as a great team! Don't worry about if you're on the floor or if you're on the bench, just worry that no matter where you are, you're pushing this team ahead. If you're on the bench, you better be the loudest player cheering on your brothers as they fight on the floor and if you're on the floor, you better be the hungriest player in Staples! It wasn't just a game when we started this year and it damn sure isn't a game now! Boston...this is our night and our time...WE WILL NOT BE DENIED!
You know, as much as we may agree on other subjects, as far as I'm concerned, professional sports is just as much a part of the corporatocracy as BP. Same goes for movies, pop music and almost all television.
ReplyDeleteThat's a whole different can of worms though. I probably shouldn't open it here.
I must admit, though I don't share it, I feel your passion.
Don't worry. I still remember how you feel about sports. Thanks for the compliment, and besides just expressing my passion, I had to write this as an exercise to help my writer's block on another project I'm working on.
ReplyDelete