There's a long way to go in the NBA playoffs, but my Minnesota Timberwolves have been arguably the most impressive looking squad thus far. They've won each of their first six postseason games by an average of 15+ points, including a 26-point drubbing of the defending champion Denver Nuggets last Monday in Game 2 of the Western Conference semifinals -- and on Denver's home court, no less.
As such, this has many basketball commentators blown away by the Wolves' prowess.
.@stephenasmith says the Timberwolves are the new championship favorites 👀 pic.twitter.com/umtHDwqFMu
— First Take (@FirstTake) May 7, 2024
I shared that particular clip because my friend and valued NARN colleague Mitch Berg used it to troll Minnesota sports fans, specifically as possible validation for one of his "laws."
Berg’s Fourth Law of Media/Sports Inversion reads as follows:
A Minnesota sports team may be a contender until the moment the local media actually believes they will be contenders. At that moment – be it spring training, late November in the NFL season, or week 72 of the NHL playoffs – the season will fall irredeemably apart.
A couple of issues here.
First, the obvious. In no way shape or form can ESPN or Stephen A. Smith be remotely considered "local media." And second, a "Minnesota sports team" is open to broad interpretation. If it's merely limited to the four major men's pro sports teams (Vikings, Twins, Timberwolves or Wild), this would track. After all, the last time any of those four won a championship was the 1991 Twins. Given Mitch's blog did not even debut until 2002, this 20+ year "law" has stood the test of time among those four clubs. However, the WNBA's Minnesota Lynx absolutely falls under the category of a "Minnesota sports team." And from 2011 thru 2017, the local media without a doubt believed that squad was a contender, a belief that was rewarded with four championships in that 7-year span.
Bottom line: if a judge were to make a legal ruling based on the wording of Berg's 4th Law, he/she would most certainly declare it obsolete as of October 7, 2011.
---------------------------------------------
No comments:
Post a Comment