The Florida teams both lost today. It was a good day, mostly because it means other people are as miserable as we are. Orlando and Miami failing to win provides a certain comfort, like finding a twenty dollar bill in a jacket you haven't worn since Jorge Garbajosa was our starting power forward.
The standings are a mess, but at least they are a mess that favors our general sense of survival. We are currently playing the Denver Nuggets, a game that starts at 9:00pm because time is a construct and the NBA wants us to be tired at work tomorrow. It is hard to focus on a game in Colorado when you are thinking about the state of the world.
Where Is Bill Simmons?
Bill Simmons is currently looking for the Raptors. He posted on the internet, specifically on the website formerly known as Twitter, that he cannot find us in the standings. This is a very targeted form of geography. It is like when my uncle says he cannot find the remote even though it is sitting right on his lap.
We should probably help him find us, perhaps by sending him daily updates on our location. We are right here, Bill. We are in the city with the big tower and the expensive milk bags. Being outside the top six is not being in Witness Protection, it is just a temporary vacation from expectations.
Memories and Realities
There is a growing theory that the post Kawhi Raptors are victims of the Mandela Effect. People remember things differently than they actually happened. I remember being happy in 2019, but maybe I just had a really good sandwich that day. The mind plays tricks when you watch too many fourth quarter blown leads.
The game thread for tonight is active, filled with people who are either very optimistic or very hurt. Basketball is a strange ritual where we watch tall men run back and forth while we eat chips on a sofa bought from a store that no longer exists. Denver has a very large man who passes the ball well, which seems unfair.
We continue to exist, regardless of whether American media personalities can see us. Visibility is overrated anyway. The best things in life are often hidden, like the secret menu at a Harvey's or a backup center who actually sets a proper screen. We will keep spinning, in our own way, until the season ends.