Holy War: Archbishops of Miami, Oklahoma City wager bet on NBA winner

 
 

Miami Archbishop Thomas Wenski and Oklahoma Archbishop Paul Coakley "seal the deal" on their NBA Finals bet while on break during the Spring Assembly of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops at the Hyatt Regency Hotel in Atlanta on June 14, 2012.
Miami Archbishop Thomas Wenski and Oklahoma Archbishop Paul Coakley "seal the deal" on their NBA Finals bet while on break during the Spring Assembly of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops at the Hyatt Regency Hotel in Atlanta on June 14, 2012.
Don Clemmer / USCCB

lyanez@MiamiHerald.com

First, it was the mayors.

Now, the wagering for who will win the NBA Finals between the Miami Heat and the Oklahoma City Thunder has taken a turn toward the holy.

Archdiocese of Miami Archbishop Thomas Wenski, a Heat fan, and the Archbishop of Oklahoma City Paul Coakley, a Thunder fan, have thrown down “the ecclesiastic gauntlet.”

Wenski has made a friendly wager to Coakley as the Thunder prepare to face off in Game 2 of the NBA Finals Thursday night.

Here’s the bet:

If the Heat lose to the Thunder, Wenski will send Miami hand-made cigars and stone crabs to Oklahoma City.

If the Thunder lose, Coakley is offering up organically-grown Oklahoma beef, courtesy of the Oklahoma Beef Council.

Best of all, the losing bishop will receive a T-shirt from the opposing team, which he agrees to be photographed in.

Not to disappoint, the men did some heavenly trash talk:

“The Miami Heat is resilient if anything,’’ Wenski said. “We relish being the underdog, but the Thunder will not stand up to the Heat.’’

And from Coakley: “The Thunder have proven time and time again that they have what it takes to become the NBA Champions. It is a great time to be an Oklahoman,” said Archbishop Coakley.

The two religious men faced-off this week— sporting T-shirts and caps from their teams — to pose for a photograph together in Atlanta, where both Wenski and Coakley are attending the Spring General Assembly of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops.

Earlier this week, Miami-Dade Mayor Carlos Gimenez and Oklahoman City Mayor Mick Cornett made similar wagers on the NBA finals.

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