So, they are just one win away.
Steven Adams and the Oklahoma City Thunder are one win from toppling the 73-9 Golden State Warriors for a place in the NBA Finals.
Yeah, yeah, I hear it all the time. Why are we calling them 'Steven Adams and the Oklahoma City Thunder'? They're one team after all, and Adams is just one part of that.
Well, for us Kiwis, Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook are huge, but Adams is the biggest part of the Thunder team.
And he's on the verge of becoming a big part of our sporting history. A New Zealander playing a starring role in the NBA Finals is about as good as it gets.
Let's just quickly recognise the efforts of the Thunder. A lot of people are mentioning how Steph Curry's not fully fit. That maybe so, but the Warriors are still a champion team. And who did they beat to get there? The San Antonio Spurs.
In their last ten playoff matches, Thunder are 7-3 against the two teams with the best records in the regular season. Two teams that went a combined 140-24 through the regular season. OKC are playing out of their skin.
Amongst young Kiwis, the NBA is arguably the biggest international sporting league. All Blacks idolise NBA players, they wear their singlets in the gym. It's massive. And we've got a Kiwi who is just so close to getting his hands on a coveted Championship.
Sean Marks is officially an NBA Champion, but with all due respect to Sean's impressive resume, he rarely played. Adams is a star.
The BBC rates him as one of the biggest stories of the playoffs. ESPN talks of the 2016 Playoffs as his 'coming out party'.
While he's now considered one of the top five centres in the entire NBA. The entire NBA!
So, if he won a title with the Thunder, where would it compare to other Kiwis competing in the world's toughest sports leagues?
Wynton Rufer led Werder Bremen to a Bundesliga title, and played in the Champions League. Adams helping the Thunder win a title would be like Rufer helping Bremen WIN the Champions League.
We've never had a Kiwi play in the Superbowl, win the World Series or Stanley Cup. No one's been part of an English Premier League title winning side.
Of course, I'm ignoring all of the tremendous achievements New Zealanders have made in individual sports, or national teams, this is about a Kiwi being part of a professional team in a major sporting league. And no one comes close to what Adams is on the brink of.
Lap it up New Zealand. Stuff like this doesn't come around too often. Steven Adams and the Oklahoma City Thunder are on the verge of greatness.
Newshub.
