The Eastern Conference is currently a disaster, but it is a disaster that seems to be working in our favor for some reason. The space between the fifth and tenth seeds is a bloodbath (which is a violent term for a game where tall men bounce a ball). We lost last night, and in a just world, that would have consequences.
Instead, we have been bailed out by players who do not even play for us. Amen Thompson hit a game winner for the Rockets to beat the Miami Heat. It was not a good day for residents of Florida, but they have the sun and no state income tax, so they will be fine. Watching teams you dislike lose is a specific kind of hobby, and last night, the hobby was very productive.
The Strange Kindness of Strangers
Luke Kennard also did something helpful, apparently hitting another game winner that kept our standings from collapsing. It is weird to depend on Luke Kennard for your emotional well being. My uncle once spent three hours trying to fix a toaster only to realize it was not plugged in, and that feels very similar to how the Raptors are navigating this season. We are just kind of there, existing, while other teams fall down around us.
The Open Gym cameras are still rolling, documenting the building blocks of this team. They call them building blocks, but sometimes it feels like we are just moving the same three bricks around to different corners of the room. It is nice to see the behind the scenes footage, though. It reminds us that these players are real people who eat breakfast and probably also wonder why the East is such a mess.
Desert Basketball
Tonight we play the Phoenix Suns at 9:00pm. It is a late game, which means most of us will be tired and making poor life choices by the fourth quarter. The Suns are in the desert, where there is a lot of sand and perhaps some cacti. Playing basketball in that environment seems dehydrating, even with the air conditioning.
We are heading into the stretch where every game feels important, yet also feels like a fever dream. If the Raptors win, we move up. If they lose, maybe Amen Thompson will hit another shot for a different team and save us again. It is a strange way to live, but I have seen Andrea Bargnani try to help on defense, so I have survived worse things.