Hail the conquering losers
The above image, if you can’t tell, is Paul Gasol tipping home Koby Bryant’s missed jumper to end the Thunder’s season.
A certain number four had his shock blocked at the other end, and then a certain number nine failed to block out Gasol. A certain number zero had a decent chance at a corner three to force a Game 7, but with only 0.5 seconds left on the clock, it was never to be.
The Thunder had gone toe-to-toe with a foe the like of which they had no business competing with. They had been weighed, they had been measured, and they had been found formidable.
Durant and Green both fell to the floor in despair, and Russ hung his head low. Loud City would have none of that.
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Again, here is the full highlight video for that game, but the above is all you’ll need. I’d like to take a moment here to gloat – I was at this game, up in Loud City, high enough to touch the rafters of the Ford Center and bask in the rising emotions of those beautiful fans.
This was a truly special moment in the entire history of sport. When the Thunder failed, fell to the floor, and hung their heads, the crowd refused to let them despair. 18,342 Thunder fans stood as one and cheered their fallen warriors until they left the arena entirely.
This moment, at the time, may have been just a feel-good, reality tv fluff piece, but the decisions of first Russell Westbrook and then Paul George to remain in OKC with this team, and this culture, and these fans, all reflect back on these moments.
Call it naive, but these fans were here for their players when they were needed. Now, they have players who are here for them, too.