The Raptors are playing the Houston Rockets tonight at eight o'clock. It is on TSN, so you will likely have to navigate whatever it is that network is doing with its streaming app these days. My uncle says he remembers when games were just on the television without any passwords.
He also remembers when we had centers who were seven feet tall and just stood there. Now we have people like Ochai Agbaji, who seems to thrive exclusively when the team is in a metaphorical or literal tank. It is a strange skill to possess, being very good at being very bad.
The MVP From Hamilton
Shai Gilgeous Alexander might win back to back MVPs, which would make him the second Canadian to do that. Steve Nash was the first, and he did it with hair that looked like he was constantly in the middle of a light windstorm. Shai does it with more scarves and better posture.
It is interesting to think about greatness while watching Gradey Dick struggle with his shot. Basketball is basically just luck disguised as geometry. Sometimes the ball goes in, and sometimes it hits the rim and makes a sound like a wet shoe. Gradey is making a lot of shoe sounds lately.
Grudges and Championships
Danny Green recently reminded everyone that Kyle Lowry was extremely upset when DeMar DeRozan was traded. He was so upset that he simply stopped talking to people. This is a very relatable response to a work conflict, even if your workplace involves jumping in front of giant men for a living.
Kyle eventually won a title, so the silence worked out (eventually). We are currently looking at draft prospects like Collin Murray Boyles to see if they can help us return to that feeling. It is a slow process, much like waiting for the bus on Lawrence Avenue in January.
Looking Ahead to Tonight
Houston is a long way away, but the physics of the game remain the same in Texas. We will watch the game and hope the ball goes through the hoop more often than it doesn't. Or maybe we hope it doesn't go in at all, depending on how you feel about the draft lottery.
The lottery is just a machine with ping pong balls that decides our future. It is a lot like life, really, except with more suits and fewer snacks. We will see what happens at eight o'clock. Or eight fifteen, because basketball games never actually start when they say they will.