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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