Congratulations to the Milwaukee Bucks on wining the 2020-2021 NBA championship. 50 years is a bloody long time to wait since the last title. Now, a whole generation of fans get to revel in the joy of finally seeing their team win it all. As a fan of the San Francisco Giants, I knew what that felt like back in 2010. The Giants won the World Series for the first time since the team moved to San Francisco over 50 years earlier. It warms me to see another fan base experiencing that same euphoria.
I am extremely happy for Giannis Antetokounmpo, the superstar and leader of the Bucks. A year ago he could have sign elsewhere as a free agent, to join another team of stars in order to chase a championship. That would be the easy way. Instead, he chose loyalty to (what was) the beleaguered franchise that drafted him, the only team he’s known. Giannis aimed to win a title with Milwaukee, and that goal is now very much achieved.
Basketball fans root for Giannis because he’s also - by all accounts - a genuinely nice guy. Full of caring and a lack of ego. Just look at this exchange with a fan during a signing event. Unless you’re fans of the opposing team, how can you not root for Giannis?
On the other side of the coin, basketball fans are delighted that Chris Paul - point guard for the losing Phoenix Suns - did not win what would be his first championship. Known as one of the dirtiest players in the league, Paul is a petulant flopper. Nobody likes how he plays the game, except I guess if you’e a fan of his team. Sad thing is, Paul has all the talent in the world; he doesn’t need all this extracurricular stuff to be great. Instead, it rather taints his legacy.
You love to see good things happen to good people. Congrats again to Giannis, and the Milwaukee Bucks.
Annoyed cat!