The Joy of Hoops

I make no apologies: I'm a Golden State Warriors fan.  I love the style they play, I identify with what they represent and the kind of team they are, and of course, I love watching Steph Curry play.  I'm rooting for him to take the Finals MVP.

I had my hometown baseball team from childhood: the Pittsburgh Pirates.  I have my new hometown (sort of) team, the San Francisco Giants.  I've seen several games there over the past few years.  And though I'm distancing myself from football, I'm always going to be checking out the Steelers.

Pittsburgh has never had an NBA team.  (They briefly had a professional team in a couple of ill-fated leagues, but I did get to see what remains my only pro game, and the immortal Connie Hawkins.)  So I've been free to root for a team of my choice.

I chose excellence: the Magic Kareem Lakers, then the Jordan Bulls, then the Kobie Lakers again.  Golden State happens to be geographically closer than other NBA teams, so once they started on their path to excellence, I went with them.

Then once I understood their personality and their culture as a team, I was all in.  I've admired Steve Kerr since he was the Chicago Bulls' sharpshooter, and as a TV game analyst, and now as the perfect coach for this team.

This story is the latest that expresses why.  They play with joy, because Steph Curry plays with joy.  And he--and they--are (at their best) a joy to watch. Joy being in short supply these days.

The 2017-18 Finals start tonight.  Go Warriors.