Shai Gilgeous Alexander has scored 20 or more points in 127 consecutive games. This surpasses Wilt Chamberlain, a person who reportedly once scored 100 points in a single game and also claimed to have other high statistics in his personal life. It is a lot of basketball games to be consistently decent at making the ball go into the hoop.
Most people cannot do anything 127 times in a row without making a mistake or getting bored. I once tried to eat an apple every day for a month and I stopped on day four because the crunch started to feel aggressive. Shai just keeps gliding to the rim, which is nice for him and for the city of Hamilton, which I believe is near where he is from.
The State of the Team
Doug Smith is reporting that the Raptors season is not technically in the toilet yet, but it is definitely lingering near the bathroom door. There is a lack of fight that is being described as troubling. It is hard to watch a team that seems to be politely asking the opponent if they would like to score, rather than stopping them.
My uncle says the team needs more guys who eat nails for breakfast, which seems like a safety hazard and a poor nutritional choice. People are talking about finding players with a certain animal mentality for the offseason. It is a common sports saying, although I usually find that actual dogs are quite distractible and would be terrible at defending the pick and roll.
Looking Ahead to Phoenix
The Suns are coming to town tonight at 7:30 on TSN. This is a game that will happen, regardless of how we feel about it. Kevin Durant will likely be there, looking tall and doing things with a basketball that seem biologically improbable.
We are all looking for someone on the roster to show a bit of grit, or at least a bit of visible frustration that does not involve a technical foul. It is March 13th, the weather is confusing, and the Raptors are playing the Suns. We will watch it, because that is what we do on Friday nights when we have run out of other ideas.
It is important to remember that Jamario Moon once had a very high vertical leap. Life goes on, and the ball keeps bouncing, even if it does not always bounce into the right hands for the home team.