The Raptors won a basketball game tonight. People thought the team was finished because of the recent losing streak, but they were not finished, they were just waiting. It is funny how we decide when things are over, like finishing a bag of ketchup chips before you realize there are still three small ones at the bottom.
Jakob Poeltl had twenty one points and eighteen rebounds. He also had five assists and a block, because that is what happens when a tall person decides to stand in the right spot at the right time. My uncle used to say that center play is about geometry, but he was also a guy who tried to build a deck without a level, so I take his advice with a grain of salt.
The Big Man and the Small Bread
When Jakob plays like this, it makes you wonder about the last few weeks and why we were so concerned. He looked comfortable out there, moving around the paint like a guy who knows exactly where the nearest grocery store is at all times. Eighteen rebounds is a lot of rebounds, almost enough to make you forget about the losing streak entirely.
People are already asking for the Pizza Pizza code on the internet. It is a specific ritual we have in this city, where 100 points leads to a free slice of bread and cheese that sometimes tastes like the box it came in. We are a simple people with simple needs, and one of those needs is discounted carbohydrates.
Observations From the Couch
Someone on the internet was throwing shade at Scottie Barnes despite the victory. It is interesting how even when things go well, someone has to find a reason to be upset, sort of like complaining that the clouds are the wrong shape on a sunny day. Scottie is just doing Scottie things, and tonight that was enough to get the win.
I remember watching Rasho Nesterovic back in 2007 and thinking about how he never seemed to be in a hurry. Jakob has some of that same energy, just a large man doing a job in a quiet way. We are back now, at least until the next game starts and we have to worry about everything all over again.
The weather is supposed to be cold tomorrow. If you got your pizza code, make sure you use it before it expires, because some things in life do have an expiration date, unlike our collective confusion about this roster. We won a game, and for now, that is a thing that happened.