CLEVELAND -- Long after the Golden State Warriors were presented with their third NBA Finals trophy in the past four years on Friday night, the game operations crew at Quicken Loans Arena had a few unenviable final tasks to get through.
Because these Finals were so short, and the last game so noncompetitive, the flame-blowing machines affixed to the jumbo screen high above the court had to burn off extra fuel in their tanks before the arena and the NBA season turned over to a long, uncertain summer.
As the Warriors players and coaches celebrated in their locker room, fire sprang forth from the scoreboard toward their families and friends on the court.