By Sylvester “Nunnie” Robinson
From my perspective, the Miami Heat lost game one of the NBA finals because of a failure to convert open three point shots combined with a subpar performance by Bam Adebayo. Though not particularly confident regarding outcome, l waited patiently for game two Sunday, hoping for a different result based on my game one observations. When Bam is decisive and confident offensively, especially shooting, and his midrange jumper is effective, he opens up the floor – spacing – for our shooters (Max Strus, Caleb Martin, Duncan Robinson and Gabe Vincent) to thrive. The Heat won the second game in Denver against the more talented, motivated Nuggets because those elements occurred: Bam’s heightened play overall and consistent, timely three point shooting. In game one the Heat shot 13 of 39 or 33% , but in game two improvement was dramatic, shooting 17 of 35, an almost 50% clip.
The Panthers, on the other hand, appear overwhelmed as they allowed the game to get out of hand early, leading to the 7-2 onslaught. The road to the finals was difficult at best so they could be suffering from mental and physical fatigue/exhaustion, similar to the Celtics. We trust that they can rebound at home, rejuvenate, revive and energize themselves. Hockey is a great sport but has little appeal to minorities because there are so few of us in the sport at any level or capacity, especially players. Can you name the one Black player on the team? I didn’t think so. He’s Anthony Duclair, a socially conscious advocate for greater diversity in the sport. He’s so committed that he has started an organization — Hockey Diversity Alliance — to make hockey a more inclusive, diverse sport while eradicating racism in all its ugliness. Brother Duclair, our community is proud of you on and off the court. I must admit that I like the ownership and direction of team. Perhaps they will do more in the future to include/increase minority participation on all levels. We are rooting for the Heat and Panthers— South Florida Strong.
And just when you think the racial climate is improving, another Black person has been senselessly killed by a MAGA bigot. A mother of four in Ocala was shot to death after knocking on a neighbor’s door to retrieve her son’s iPad. As of last evening no one had been charged or arrested.
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