SportsCenter got a little trippy Tuesday night following Game 1 of the Western Conference Finals when Neil Everett blissfully lost himself on a trip to the wonderful world of Oz. Mark Stein wants to talk basketball—the sole purpose of their existence at this exact moment in time—but Everett travels deep into a world where words are not your friend and flammable scarecrows are a metaphor for life.
It is magical and innocent and the envy on Stein's face is clear as Everett takes a brief journey down the Yellow Brick Road,It's like the scarecrow in Oz. If you get too close to the fire, eventually you're going to get burned and….
After a moment—about 10 seconds—of silence, Neil returns just as the scarecrow did—with a brain. Welcome back, Neil. There's no place like home.