Atlanta’s Teague explodes past Indiana’s Watson
Sports Saturday
What a strange NBA tournament it has been so far, what with lower seeded teams faring better than anticipated in six of the eight match-ups. Can you guess what passage from Midsummer Night’s Dream this reminds me of? Here’s what has transpired so far:
In the Eastern Conference tournament,
#8 Atlanta leads #1 Indiana 2-1
#6 Brooklyn leads #3 Toronto 2-1
#5 Washington leads #4 Chicago 2-1
Only #2 Miami leads its lower seeded opponent, with a 2-0 edge over Charlotte, although both games have been close
Things are almost as crazy in the Western Conference:
#8 Dallas is tied with #1 San Antonio and the Mavericks almost won the first game as well
#7 Memphis leads #2 Oklahoma City 2-1 and came close to winning the first game as well
#5 Portland leads #4 Houston 2-1
Only #3 LA (Clippers) leads #7 Golden State 2-1 and the margins of victory have been razor thin
These strange reversals cause one to wonder if the teams are lost in the crazy forest outside Athens where Puck is playing his tricks. Everything is topsy-turvy and, in the case of Helena and Demetrius, the weaker party pursues the stronger:
Demetrius: I’ll run from thee and hide me in the brakes,
And leave thee to the mercy of wild beasts.
Helena: The wildest hath not such a heart as you.
Run when you will, the story shall be changed:
Apollo flies, and Daphne holds the chase;
The dove pursues the griffin; the mild hind
Makes speed to catch the tiger; bootless speed,
When cowardice pursues and valor flies.
Overlooking the playoffs, Puck would undoubtedly say, “those things do best please me/That befall preposterously.”
Puck, however, does not prevail in the end as hierarchy is restored. The higher seeds have got to be praying that their story too will be changed back again. Tis a consummation for which Indiana, Toronto, Chicago, San Antonio, Oklahoma City, and Houston are devoutly wishing. Stay tuned.
