There is a video circulating of Scottie Barnes doing things in the final minutes of basketball games. Jamar Hinds posted it, and it confirms what many of us suspected, which is that Scottie is quite good at his job when the lights get bright. He moves with a certain purpose that suggests he understands the clock is ticking, unlike most of us who just realize it is 4:00 PM and we have not eaten lunch yet.
It is a strange feeling to see a player thrive in the clutch. Usually, when the game gets close, I assume something bad is about to happen, like a missed rotation or a sudden power outage. Scottie seems to ignore the existential dread of being a Toronto sports fan. He just puts the ball in the hoop.
The Center of the Universe
Darko Rajakovic was asked about the trade deadline recently, and he said he really wants a guy named Jakob Poeltl to join the team. This is a bit funny because Jakob is already on the team, he is just currently not playing because of an injury. It is like me saying I really want my car to join me on my commute, but the car is currently up on blocks in the driveway.
Jakob did a non contact workout on Tuesday, which is the basketball equivalent of standing near a treadmill and thinking about running. People are wondering what the record would be if he were healthy. We have lost a lot of games lately where we just needed one person to stand in the right place and be seven feet tall. Jakob is very consistent at being seven feet tall.
Financial Realities and Potential Rivals
The internet is currently comparing our salaries to the rest of the league. It turns out that professional basketball players make a lot of money, which makes sense because they can jump over my refrigerator. We are paying people to do things that most of us gave up on in the eighth grade. It is a peculiar way to run a society, but the jerseys are nice.
As the season winds down, we are looking at the standings. We could finish anywhere from second to seventh. It is a very wide range, like when the weather forecast says it might be sunny or there might be a blizzard. Some people want to play the Cavs or the Heat. Personally, the Heat scare me because they play with a level of intensity that I haven't felt since I tried to return a lawnmower without a receipt.
Looking Ahead to April
The Knicks and the Pistons are also out there. The Knicks have a balanced offense and star power, which sounds like something you would read on a cereal box. I used to watch Primoz Brezec play center and now I am worried about playoff seeding. Life is a series of unexpected developments.
We are just waiting to see if Jakob returns or if the trade deadline brings us a different version of the same thing. In the meantime, we have Scottie highlights. We have the memories of games that were almost won. We have the hope that eventually, the spinning stops and the ball goes through the net.