The Nuggets edged the Thunder on Harris’ driveway shot in the Game of the Year.
There are times that sports can seem tedious. There are times it can seem silly to give so much attention and energy to a kid’s game. Bright uniforms and feats of strength, larger-than-life, fragile gladiators that amaze us, mostly with grace, sometimes without. Then, there are times when a group of young men put together a show for us that, at least momentarily, transports us to the purity of competition that we crave, the very core of our complicated relationship with sport and it’s purveyors.
Last night’s game was one of the good kind.
I have to admit, I’ve always had a thing for the Thunder. Technically, I’ve always had a thing for the Sonics but it carried over with the move. I was upset by KD’s departure, felt like he owed the Thunder another shot, after the playoff collapse against the Warriors. Turns out, I’m glad he left. It equalized things in the Midwest Division a little bit. It seems absurd to say, with Paul George dropping 43 (on19-for-26 shooting), but there’s opportunity, with Durant gone for much more parity in the division. It’s created rivalry, with the ‘Wolves, with the Jazz and most certainly with the Thunder. Add former Nugget Carmelo Anthony to the mix and there’s just a nice feel to games against the Thunder, these days. Right down to the beef between Nuggets mascot Rocky and Russell Westbrook.
Against the backdrop of that fledgling rivalry, the Nuggets and Thunder put on a masterpiece Thursday night. There were runs, big leads, the inevitable collapse and then redemption at the hands of what could be seen as our sturdiest, most reliable player, Gary Harris. Amid all the fan fare, it’s important to point out that Harris’ shot was made even more legendary by the fact that Paul George hit a big-boy three of his own, incredibly capping a comeback from a 20-point deficit for the Thunder. Also worth mention is the second-quarter, crossover 3-point shot by Jamal Murray that put Steven Adams on his keys and on every highlight show. Lost in the pageantry of Harris’ shot were Jamal’s 33 and Nikola’s triple-double. Gary gets the glory tonight but it was truly a team effort that carried the Nuggets to victory.
Let’s look at a couple of specific takeaways, Game of the Year edition:
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