Kentucky Wildcats: Friday Morning Open Thread And Commentary - NBA Edition

This is not really a quickies post this morning, I just don't have time to get that done. One of the benefits of being your own boss is occasionally, you get to take a day off of your own choosing, and today is my day to do that. So instead, treat this as an open thread to post news and discuss all things sports and Kentucky Wildcats related.

Instead of a quickies post, I'm just going to dash off a bit of blather for you to consider or ignore, as you will. The first thing that comes to my mind is the remarkableness of modern medicine. I had cataract surgery this week, and it was so unbelievably quick and precise for such an important organ, my head is still spinning from it. My vision, however, is suddenly perfect (at least in my left eye, and at distance).

In the 20 years since my dad had the same thing done, the procedure has come a very long way. No more stitches, no more post-op discomfort, none of that. The fact that I am able to play golf three days after a full-blown operating room full of people just boggles the mind. If the actual procedure took 10 minutes, five of it was preparing me. Amazing.

Enough about me. Did you see the NBA Finals last night? If not, in my view, you missed one of the great moments in sports history. The game itself was not nearly as well-played offensively as some of the other games in the series, but it was played at a remarkable level, especially defensively, and unlike most professional games, was not merely running up and down and trading layups or dunks.

At the end, the Miami Heat barely one in a game that saw the San Antonio Spurs make a couple of late mistakes that ultimately cost them. I think they just got a little tired in the end, and Miami, the younger team, had just a tiny bit more in the tank after a long and amazing Finals series.

The sportsmanship displayed in this series has no peer in my memory in NBA basketball. There was not one technical foul, the coaches were extraordinarily well-behaved and professional despite making their points to the officials, and the players respected each other in every possible way. I have to tell you, I watch very little NBA during the season, but after this, I'll be watching more of these two teams. I am at a loss for words, and that's truly saying something, about the level of professionalism I witnessed in this series. It was gobsmacking, which in itself is a bit of a sad commentary when one of the biggest stories is how well-behaved the players and coaches were.

After it was over, I have never seen two teams treat each other with such genuine affection and respect. In sum, I can say that the Finals had some of the highest-quality basketball and sportsmanship I have seen at any level. It was, in a word, uplifting. I didn't care which team won, they both deserved it and in my view, they were both winners as human beings and sportsmen.

What about that Mark Stoops guy and those Wildcats? Are they awesome or what? The noise they are making on the recruiting trail has been the subject of much commentary. Larry Glover and I talked about it last night. He had me on a day early to accommodate another guest tonight, which worked out really well for me. Just in case any of you don't know by now, I am on Larry's show, Larry Glover Live, every Friday at 6:35 -- except this week.

Anyway, we talked about how despite their Sugar Bowl victory and projected high ranking this year, the Louisville Cardinals are being swamped by Kentucky for 2014, particularly with the in-state recruits. As I told Larry, I think that's due partially to the great sales job that Stoops & Co. are doing on these young men, but also because Kentucky is an SEC school, and that matters -- a lot; perhaps even more than we know. The SEC is so incredibly hot in football right now, it might as well be a separate league from the rest of the nation. You can hear my conversation with Larry here.

Well, that's all I have time for. Hank will have some more stuff up later today, as will I.