You鈥檇 be lying through your teeth if you say, even with a straight face, that you fully expected the Bucks and Suns to meet in the National Basketball Association Finals. In truth, hardly anybody saw them coming; fans held out hope, sure, but hope is far from certainty. As history only too easily underscores, the protagonists are as close to underdogs as you can get. Yet, as history likewise shows, time and again, the confluence of events that led to their ascent to the top of the pro hoops heap serves to highlight their capacity to make the most of the opportunities given them.
Indeed, the Bucks and Suns meet in Game One of the league championship series today with resolve borne of their singular experience. They weren鈥檛 immune to the ups and downs of the season, started and about to be completed in a pandemic, littered with turns of events that changed the seemingly predetermined fates of franchises. Injuries took their toll on the competitiveness of such notables as the Lakers, Nets, Clippers, Jazz, and Nuggets. Even the finalists themselves had to deal with the ill effects of a short turnaround time between the 2019-20 and 2020-21 campaigns.
Nonetheless, don鈥檛 tell the Bucks that they鈥檙e any less deserving of the chance to wrap their arms around the Larry O鈥橞rien Trophy. You may be entitled to your opinion on how the road in the East was paved for them, but they鈥檒l be very well within their rights 鈥 and they鈥檙e very well right 鈥 to argue that they鈥檙e still up and about precisely because they battled adversity, and won. After all, they lost two-time Most Valuable Player awardee Giannis Antetokounmpo to a hyperextended left knee in the middle of Game Four of the East Finals, and yet they still won the next two outings.
In the same vein, don鈥檛 tell the Suns they鈥檙e mere beneficiaries of developments en route to their first Finals appearance since Hall of Famer Charles Barkley鈥檚 heyday in 1993. They, too, had to withstand low blows along the way; acknowledged leader Chris Paul was hampered by a shoulder ailment early on, and then by coronavirus safety protocols despite having been vaccinated. In other words, they鈥檙e justified in dismissing your views on their supposedly fortunate state.
Bottom line, the Bucks and Suns earned their place in the annals of the sport. And regardless of who get to bring home the hardware, there will be no asterisks in the aftermath. There鈥檚 a reason they鈥檙e the last men standing, and far be it for you to rain on their parade. Both joined the NBA in 1968, and either will be erasing half a century鈥檚 worth of futility. They deserve to take a bow, and you would do well to applaud them in turn.
Anthony L. Cuaycong has been writing Courtside since 大象传媒 introduced a Sports section in 1994. He is a consultant on strategic planning, operations and Human Resources management, corporate communications, and business development.
