Since the 2014 Finals, the stories of San Antonio and Miami couldn't be more different.
Cruising down US-41, I passed the ascending steps leading to American Airlines Arena, the home of the Miami Heat.
The year: 2014.
The occasion: a wedding of a family friend's granddaughter.
The time: shortly after Miami's throttling at the hands of a revenge-famished San Antonio squad in game 5 of the 2014 NBA Finals.
The scene was dead, besides scant workers mounting ladders and operating elevated lifts, unceremoniously stripping Finals banners from their posts.
There was no fanfare; the stadium grounds were absent of any fans exploring or taking pictures in front of the edifice of the building, a common tendency of Miami fans forsaking their team.