Should be a wonderful weekend in what I feel is the ultimate celebration in sport, nothing beats being there on Semifinal Saturday where hope abounds.
I'm not actually as big a basketball fan, but I do love the tourney. Nothing, and I mean nothing, in sports for me can top the last minutes of a Stanley Cup Finals game, especially if it's an elimination game and the team about to lose is down 1 goal in the final minute. And the exhilaration when a team you've been a fan of for over 30 years who never did diddly squat and then finally goes on a magical run to win the whole damn thing? Priceless.
Now that I've had some time, I can look back and still be happy with Florida's season. I hate that they had to play until after 1 am, on a game where nobody could have possibly fallen asleep afterward until at least 3, and then come back 37 hours later for the early game on a Sunday. I missed the first part of the second half because we'd gone for a late lunch and didn't get back until after the first media timeout, but SC being in the bonus already after 4 or 5 minutes despite them being the ones playing rugby was disconcerting. The simple fact is that be it destiny, fatigue, officiating or whatever else, Florida had their chances and didn't play well enough to deserve the win. Considering how many people kept writing them off every round because they didn't have Egbunu, and considering how easy it would have been for them to give up when Wisconsin had them down in OT, though, I'm pleased with their effort overall.