PHOENIX — A pair of Phoenix friends made it to Game 2 of the NBA Finals Thursday after being involved in a serious car crash on their way to Game 5 last week.
Dylan Dewilde, 20 and Anthony Baich, 21, have been Suns fans their entire lives. Born and raised in Phoenix-- it's been a dream to make it to a playoff game.
"Been rocking with the Suns from day 1, from them losing and having the worst record, absolutely sucking, to this year," said Dewilde.
They were on their way to the arena last week for Game 5 against the Clippers when Dewilde's tire blew out on Interstate 10. They ended up hitting the barrier head-on.
"It just happened really fast," said Baich.
"It was so shocking to me, I felt like I couldn't breathe. My window caved in, everything caved in, airbags went off," said Dewilde.
They were taken to the hospital and spent the night for observation. Luckily, they only had minor injuries.
"When the accident happened---I was telling Anthony, 'maybe we can make the second half of the game.' And I was like 'ehh maybe not.'"
They didn't make it to Game 5, but Dewilde was able to use the credit from those tickets toward two tickets for Game 2 of the NBA Finals Thursday night. He surprised Baich, who was expecting to watch the game at home.
"Once we got there, it was enjoying the moment and being present. It was great," said Baich. I couldn't really hear myself, I think I lost my voice halfway through the first quarter."
"The hype and the yelling and the counting for Giannis," said Dewilde.
They said it was an experience of a lifetime and they have a new sense of gratitude.
"We're so glad that we made it out alive and we didn't hit any of the cars, we didn't flip. It could've been way worse than it was," said Dewilde.
