Denver Nuggets’ playoff run reminds that basketball can bring us together

We always wondered how an NBA Finals would feel in Denver. 

We are finding out. It’s emotional, intense and expensive!

My father loved basketball. Dad played at West, and then coached hoops at Denver’s post-World War II JCC. Sheldon Silverman bought a great, sturdy backboard for our southeast Denver driveway. Our court was long, flat enough and smooth. 

It was perfect for practice, and games of one-on-one, or even two-on-two. My Mom, serving treats between games, made it extra-popular.

There’s a new Allstate Mayhem ad depicting the kind of brotherly brawls Bill and I waged daily. My Dad occasionally officiated and broke up skirmishes. When I finally grew taller than Bill, I could win and outrun him. Most of the time. 

But then along came a neighbor…