Fights are fair because there is a winner and a loser.
But in the case of evenly matched opponents, the fact that someone has to lose feels inherently unfair.
That's where we find ourselves on this fine Sunday in May. Someone will celebrate on the parquet floor this evening. Someone will sit in front of a microphone to try to explain what went wrong.
Such is the chosen life of professional sport. Behemoths battle for a set amount of time, a winner emerges, and we scribes pen the narrative. The victor did the right things, and now gets to move forward. the loser did the wrong things, and must submit to an autopsy of their season.
Which is which depends on who can cheat the natural human condition the longest. Who can calm his nerves the longest? Who can keep his focus through the most madness? Who can ignore fatigue and find that extra step or jump that extra inch higher?
In a contest full of incredible achievement, which of these humans can be the most inhuman?
Strategy? Sure. There's some of that. The coaches will coach and try to find a thing to help gain some kind of advantage.
But this isn't really about that. This is going to be settled between 10 men on laquered wood and green paint and white lines. This is about things like will and desire and effort. It's about all the stuff we used to dream about as children in our driveways, except that fake crowd noise we used to hiss as we jumped around is going to be very real.
“The Garden is going to be rocking. It's been that since late in the season,” Udoka said. “When playoffs started to come around, you could feel the vibe and the energy and excitement with what we were doing. … Game 7, going into it with what's on the line, we expect no less than that tomorrow.”
We build cathedrals to these sports for the possibility of witnessing games like this. We build these arenas because we hope to be among the fortunate few to witness these events. We congregate in one this Sunday to ride the wave of emotions; to willingly submit to the whims of the basketball Gods and the bounces of an orange leather ball they influence.
One wrong one, and the solemn will trudge to their cars, talking about “if only…” One right one, and the ushers will have the unenviable task of herding celebrants up the stairs. People will stop and turn, taking in one more look, one more picture of the floor, making one more memory of what has been the most memorable series, even if it’s past closing time.
“I expect it to be loud. I expect it to be fun,” Jaylen Brown said. “And I expect to be part of a great game. I’m looking forward to it. Best two words in basketball are Game 7.”
The best and the worst, Jaylen, and both because it means this series will end today. We deserve more of this battle between these giants, but that's now how this works.
There must be a winner. It’s just a matter of who will do the unfathomable to make it happen.