The Raptors lost to the Spurs tonight, 110 to 107. We had a twelve point lead going into the fourth quarter, and then we didn't. San Antonio took seven points off that lead in about ninety seven seconds while Scottie Barnes and Brandon Ingram were sitting on the bench.
It was a very fast ninety seven seconds, like when you put something in the microwave and realize you forgot to take the metal fork out. The bench lineups are struggling to hold onto things. It is like trying to carry a handful of water across a parking lot.
The Experience Factor
Speaking of Scottie, people are pointing out that he has already played the same number of playoff games as Zach LaVine. Scottie has been in the league for five seasons, while LaVine has been here for twelve. Comparison is the thief of joy, but sometimes it is also just a weird thing to think about while you're eating a patty at Warden Station.
It makes you realize how fast time moves in the NBA. One day you're a rookie with a lot of potential, and the next day you're being used as a statistical benchmark for a guy on the Bulls. I wonder if they ever talk about this. Probably not.
Footwear and Bad Memories
Nike is apparently releasing a shoe called the LeBronto. This feels unnecessary, like putting a mirror in a room where you just finished crying. It commemorates a time when LeBron James was very good at basketball and we were very good at being in his way.
I don't think I will be buying these shoes. I have enough reminders of the past in my junk drawer, mostly old charging cables and ticket stubs from games we lost by twenty. We should move on, but the shoe industry prefers that we don't.
News From the Pacific Northwest
In other news, Jontay Porter has signed with a team in Seattle. It is the USBL, which is apparently fine with players who have been banned from the NBA. Blake Murphy reported it.
I remember Jontay. He had a specific set of circumstances. Now he is in Seattle, which is a nice city with a lot of coffee and rain. It rains a lot here too, but the coffee is different.
Basketball is a strange business. You can be at the top of the world, or you can be playing in a secondary league in a city that doesn't have an NBA team anymore. Everything spins. That's what my uncle says. He also says the government is hiding the good lightbulbs, so take it for what it's worth.