If there was anything less than perfect about the Supersonics' season, which could be described as a dream, it was that they had to win the championship on the road.
For a team facing the risk of relocation, winning the championship would undoubtedly increase their support at home. This benefit would not diminish just because they won on the road, but the lack of a home court trophy ceremony did leave a sense of incompleteness.
This brings us back to the issue of the NBA Finals' format.
The 1984 NBA Finals, hailed as the greatest modern NBA Finals, adopted a 2-2-1-1-1 format. This was a fair season, no matter how you looked at it, but afterwards, the Finals switched to the 2-3-2 format.
Over the years, there have been many who expressed dissatisfaction with the format, but the NBA never considered changing it.
North Shore Garden was about to host the ultimate ceremony.