There is a person on the internet looking for a video of the national anthem from the game on February 24th. I am not sure why they want it, because the anthem is usually the same every time, but they are looking everywhere. Maybe someone hit a high note or maybe they just like the song.
The song is fine, I suppose. It reminds me of being in school where we had to stand still while a crackly recording played over the PA system. My uncle says anthems are too long, but he also thinks the shot clock is a frantic invention of the modern era.
The San Antonio Problem
The Spurs are coming to town and they are apparently bulldozing the Western Conference. They have won five games in a row, which is a lot of games to win without losing once. The Raptors are wobbling, which is a word that accurately describes how I walk after sitting on the couch for four hours.
This back to back stretch is being called a gut check. I checked my gut recently and it told me I should have stopped eating those chips three minutes ago. Toronto is nursing injuries and clinging to a mid tier seed, which is a very familiar feeling for anyone who has lived here since the 1990s.
Scottie Barnes and Other Mysteries
Scottie Barnes has ten games this season with multiple steals and multiple blocks. This is more than anyone else in the NBA. It is impressive to take the ball from people and then hit their shots away later, like a polite way of saying the ball does not belong to them right now.
Regardless of Scottie standing in the way of everyone, there is still one open roster spot. People are wondering if the team will sign a veteran, a young player, or simply do nothing. Doing nothing is an underrated strategy in life, as it rarely leads to making a mistake, but it also rarely leads to winning a basketball game.
Hamilton and the FIBA Quest
People are also asking for presale codes for FIBA tickets in Hamilton. I have spent some time in Hamilton. It has a lot of charm and very large steel mills. Watching international basketball there feels like a very specific kind of Canadian experience, like buying a coffee and realizing they forgot the sugar but drinking it anyway.
I hope the person finds their video of the anthem. I hope the Raptors find a way to stop the Spurs from bulldozing them. I hope we figure out what to do with that last roster spot, even if the answer is just leaving it empty like the guest room at my house that still has a treadmill in it from 2012.