It would have been easy to walk away from the floor, get into the showers and put the 2012 season behind them, but the Oklahoma City Thunder saluted the NBA champions, Miami Heat, as the game reached the end of regulation.
The young Thunder team was obviously crushed after being up 1-0 in the series and winning five straight dating back to their series against the San Antonio Spurs.
Coach Brooks must be given a lot of credit for the way he controlled his basketball team in the late minutes of the game.
He knew how emotional and passionate his team was about winning, but he wanted them to bear with the pain and recognize the Heat as champs.
It was good for Coach Brooks to take the time to relax his team, be real with them and stop them from doing anything stupid.
The Andrew Bynum incident in last year's second round of the Western Conference Finals was an atrocity and Coach Brooks wanted his team to go out with class.
It looked more like a little league ball game at the end of Game 5 as both teams took time to congratulate each other for their Finals performance.
LeBron James and Kevin Durant shared an extensive salute. The MVP and scoring champion respect each other as players and people, which was evident at the end of the game.
For the Miami Heat, it was a moment of relief. They had lost last year in crushing fashion to the Dallas Mavericks. James and Bosh accomplished what they promised the Heat fans and won the championship this year.
For the Thunder, this could be the beginning of the end for other teams around the league.
With a talented young team, the keyword being young, the Thunder have the chance to make various trips to the NBA Finals.
Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook head the offense. They are the deadliest combination on the open floor, and after Durant learns how to work on his post game the way LeBron and Kobe developed throughout the years, then the Thunder offense should be absolutely dangerous.
The Heat admitted in postgame interviews that losing made them a better team. For the Thunder, the loss could catapult them to another level next year.
With Durant and Westbrook making their first Finals' appearance at only the age of 23, the sky is the limit for the club.
It is guaranteed that they will work harder during the offseason as they will try to come back next year.
A good sign for the Thunder is that they have shown improvement year after year.
In 2010 they were eliminated by the Los Angeles Lakers in the first round. Last year they lost in the Conference Finals against the Mavericks. This year they made it to the Finals.
So what's the next step?
Getting into the Finals and winning it.
Nobody will be able to say the Thunder do not have Finals experience after this year. Rather than feeling pressure next year, they will come out hungry for a championship.
