The Raptors are at a point where things are happening, though perhaps not all at once. Scottie Barnes is returning to the lineup, which is good for the basketball team. Jakob Poeltl will be watching from a chair tomorrow, presumably to save his energy for the San Antonio Spurs, a team he used to play for.
It is a common practice in modern sports to rest a tall person so they can be tall and productive against a specific opponent later in the week. My uncle says that in the 1980s, people did not rest unless they were actually asleep or dead. Things have changed quite a bit since then, and now we have spreadsheets that tell us when a center needs to sit down.
Visitors and Autograph Seeking
There are people coming from other cities to see this game. One person is bringing their father to Toronto, which they described as the biggest city they have ever been to. It is quite large, especially if you get lost near the arena and start wondering if you should have stayed in the hotel.
If you are looking for a place to drink before the game, there are many options that are warm. Being warm is important in February. We often forget that we are just biological machines trying to maintain a steady internal temperature while watching Shai Gilgeous Alexander score thirty points.
Speaking of Shai, people are very concerned about how to get his autograph. Someone has a pair of Shai 001 sneakers they want him to sign. They are asking about hotel schedules and when the team bus leaves. I often wonder what it is like to be a professional athlete leaving a hotel. You are just trying to find your headphones, and someone wants you to write your name on a shoe.
The Mathematics of the Season
Gilbert Ngabo notes that there are twenty five games left in the season. This is the drive to the playoffs, or perhaps the drive to the end of the calendar. Numbers are interesting because they always go down until they reach zero. Twenty five games is enough time for something good to happen, or for us to simply become more familiar with the middle of the standings.
The Thunder are coming to town, and they are very fast. The Raptors will need to be fast too, or at least very persistent. It is a strange time of year where the weather is grey and the schedule is packed. We just have to keep showing up and watching the ball go through the hoop, or not go through the hoop, depending on the shooting percentages.
We are all just waiting for the next thing to happen. Scottie is back, Jak is out, and someone is standing outside a hotel with a marker. It is a very specific way to spend a Tuesday. I hope the visitor and his dad find a nice bar. Toronto can be a lot of things, but mostly it is just a place where we wait for the subways and the playoffs.