Seven hard-fought NBA Finals games pass without a single scuffle or technical foul.
In public, people who write and talk about sports look down on pushing, shoving, trash-talking, and smack-jiving. Words like "ugly" and "loss of composure" are used to describe such shenanigans. In private, though, you rarely meet a fan who gets upset by a little beef. No one wants to see cheap shots causing injuries, but let's just say this...
...did not make the 2004 ALCS between the Red Sox and Yankees less exciting.
It is in this context that this year's NBA Finals were a reminder — a chastening and embarrassing one, if we're being honest — that clean and civil doesn't have to mean boring and emotionless.
You can't possibly complain that the games weren't competitive enough. The second halves of Games 6 and 7 in particular were played at a continuous sprint and decided by a combined ten points. About eight different guys made huge clutch plays that seemed, as they were being made, like they could be the decisive moments of the series. All ten players on the court moved with desperation. TV timeouts were actually a relief amidst the fury of the last five minutes of yesterday night's game. Humans were pushing each other to the pinnacle of achievement and whatnot.