While most you probably avoided the Football League play-offs over the last couple weeks, two Irishmen have been keeping their eyes on play-offs of a different sort.
Dons duo Shaun Williams and Stephen Gleeson have spent the first few weeks of the offseason staying up until the early hours of the morning to watch the their beloved Miami Heat compete in the NBA Play-Offs.
The Florida-based basketball team were the number 1 seed heading into the highly-anticipated play-off series and so far the LeBron James led franchise have lived up to their billing, finding themselves just a seven-game series away from the NBA Finals.
And both Williams and Gleeson expect the hot favourites to walk away with the coveted trophy in early June.
“I think Miami will walk away with it this year.” Williams said. “I like watching basketball and I’ve been watching the play-offs the last couple of weeks, especially Miami. I haven’t ever been to see them although I have seen the Knicks, Magic and Cavaliers. I saw LeBron play twice for Cleveland so I think I’ve just followed his glory.”
Gleeson followed up: “I’ve started watching the play-offs and I often stay up a lot later than I should to watch it. I went to America last year and fell in love with the sport. I saw Miami play and they’re the team I support now. I’ll be watching it throughout the summer.
“I’m not great at playing it, though, I just enjoy watching it because the atmosphere is incredible. I don’t want to watch the football play-offs but I will be staying up till three or four in the morning to watch the basketball play-offs.
Basketball isn’t the only sport the two Dons stars enjoy, however, with both Williams and Gleeson keen golfers as well, the former admitting that he’d be out on of the golf course every day if he could.
“If I could, I would play golf every day.” Williams jokingly added. “I’ll be playing golf most of the time this off season. It’s peaceful and quiet and it’s a single person sport which is quite refreshing when you’re involved in team sports. That’s the way I look at it.
“It can be quite relaxing as well although if it’s not going to well then it can get quite frustrating – I’m the type of person to pick up the ball and go in if I’m not playing so well because I’m competitive and know I can do better.”
