The Orlando Magic are playing the Cleveland Cavaliers on NBC tonight. I do not particularly enjoy the Magic, though I cannot always remember the specific reason why. It might be because their name suggests something whimsical is about to happen, but then it is just a basketball game (which is rarely whimsical).
The standings are doing that thing where they move around while we are not looking. Orlando and Miami are losing games, which is helpful for those of us who enjoy watching other people fail. It looks like the Raptors are now locked in a struggle with Atlanta for the fifth seed.
Watching from a Distance
Atlanta plays Detroit tomorrow on ESPN. Detroit will be without Cade Cunningham, which makes the game feel a bit like a rehearsal for a play that was already cancelled. We will keep watching these other teams, mostly out of a sense of obligation and mild spite. It is the purest way to consume professional sports.
My uncle says that watching a game you do not care about is like looking at the prices of houses you will never buy. He is usually talking about real estate in Pickering when he says this. I think he is right, though I find it hard to focus when the Hawks are on the screen.
The Shrinking Bench
There is a conversation happening about whether the Raptors should move to an eight man rotation for the playoffs. This would involve taking Jamal Shead out of the mix. The bench would then consist of JaKobe Walter, Sandro Mamukelashvili, and Chris Boucher (CMB).
When Immanuel Quickley needs to sit down, we would ask Scottie Barnes or RJ Barrett to handle the ball. It sounds simple on paper, but basketball is rarely simple once people start sweating. Playing eight men implies that those eight men will not get tired, which seems biologically unlikely.
External Observations
Bleacher Report is saying things again. Sometimes I see their graphics and I wonder if the person making them has ever actually been to Toronto or if they just think we all live inside a giant igloo. Their latest suggestions are a bit confusing, even for someone like me who is confused by most things.
I once saw a backup center from the mid 2000s at a grocery store in Scarborough buying nothing but grapefruit. I feel like that is where we are at with the playoffs (the grapefruit part, not the center). We are just waiting to see if everything holds together or if we end up spinning in circles like we usually do.