The loss to the Magic on Tuesday night time marked 5 in a row for the Spurs. A season-high shedding streak. Not precisely a report that anybody was seeking to shatter, and one that’s definitely weighing closely on everybody in Spursland as we get up this morning.
In occasions like this, I believe a very powerful factor we are able to do is be accountable and, within the spirit of that, we’ve determined to assemble the press at our headquarters and maintain an prolonged, emergency WWL POST GAME PRESS CONFERENCE.
(prolonged, emergency) WWL POST GAME PRESS CONFERENCE
– Is that this really an emergency?
– No doubt. The staff is floundering and this author is in shambles. I’m resorting to bizarre gimmicks and stunts simply to get phrases on the web page. I wanted 4 cups of espresso earlier than I might even present as much as work right now.
– Proper. Properly, so personally you appear to be going via a little bit of a disaster, which we are able to dig into if you’d like, however the Spurs are most likely okay, sure?
– Oh, they’re okay, positive. They’ve misplaced 5 straight and aren’t excellent at basketball, however yeah, they’re okay.
– Aren’t excellent? They appear to be taking part in fairly nicely right here and there. They put up a battle in opposition to the Celtics throughout this shedding streak. For 3 quarters of the sport final night time they had been taking it to the Magic. They’ve proven flashes of being good! Is anybody anticipating them to be greater than that proper now?
– sigh Properly. Not anymore, I assume. Actually not anymore.
– They’ve misplaced their two greatest gamers for the season! They’ve a first-year head coach who’s making an attempt to fill the footwear of a dwelling legend! This isn’t an issue. Dropping video games is what they need to be doing.
– even deeper sigh Okay, so that is the place the disaster is coming into play for me, personally. Take into consideration that sentence you simply stated. “Dropping video games is what they need to be doing.” Strip away the context. Neglect what you realize about how skilled basketball works as of late. Think about that assertion on a elementary, human stage. Actually really feel it in your bones. “Dropping video games is what they need to be doing.” It’s like a pebble in my shoe. I can carry on strolling, however it’s in there and it’s gnawing at my soul.
– So your argument is that we shouldn’t, as people, settle for that shedding is what we’re speculated to be doing?
– We’re all on the identical path, headed in the identical route. The one distinction is whether or not we’re dwelling or dying.
– Okay. Let’s… let’s pump the brakes a bit of right here.
– Agreed, I perhaps spun out faster than I used to be anticipating on this bit.
– Let’s speak basketball. What did you see final night time? That is speculated to be a What We Discovered column—somebody would possibly present up right here and count on to, I don’t know, be taught one thing.
– Positive. I’d argue that there’s nothing extra necessary we are able to find out about than our souls however…
– Hey! Focus!
– Proper, proper. Okay, so final night time the Spurs had been, as you so eloquently put it, wonderful. They had been decimated by accidents and compelled to play a collection of lineups that had been simply… I imply, I like Bismack Biyombo, however this was a major quantity of Bismack Biyombo.
– What about Sandro Mamukelashvili? You’re keen on that man! He bought to play like 20 minutes final night time!
– Look, I like Mamu and, within the curiosity of loving Mamu, I’m going to go forward and transfer previous his efficiency from final night time.
– Yeah, that’s perhaps for the most effective.
– There’s not a lot evaluation to be completed right here! That’s the factor. We will decide it aside all we would like, however this was principally not an actual staff on the market. They performed arduous in opposition to a Magic staff that’s powerful and gifted and a bit of bizarre. They held their very own for 3 quarters and they need to be applauded for that. I want I might crystallize that effort and squirrel it away someplace to take pleasure in later, as a result of every part that occurred within the 4th quarter simply let the air out of my balloon.
– The collapse from 11-point result in 14-point deficit wasn’t doing it for you?
– Secure to say.
– Properly, you prefer to get bizarre with it on right here. Why not faucet into some cool, new-age philosophy to take care of it? Possibly one thing about how the idea of experiencing time in a linear vogue is a assemble programmed into us by a corrupt society that’s forgotten what it’s like to actually dwell?
– Hey, reduce it out. I’m not within the temper.
– I simply assume you’re being too arduous on issues right here. This was nothing. You’ve spent the previous month waffling backwards and forwards on whether or not or to not care about wins and losses and efficiency metrics and all the remainder. I’ve sat right here and watched you declare that you just’re going to have a constructive perspective any longer and that this time it’s going to stay proper earlier than spiraling again into an existential disaster over… what? A no-stakes late season loss to the Magic? What are we doing right here?
– Doesn’t sound very cool if you lay it out like that.
– It’s NOT very cool. Nobody is having time with this little cycle. Both be happy-go-lucky or morose. Choose a lane.
– I perceive the frustration, I do. However I’m not going to choose a lane.
– sigh
– No, hear me out. I’m not going to choose a lane as a result of that’s not how this works. That’s not how being a fan of a sports activities staff works. You plug your self into this staff for a wide range of causes and then you definitely simply… expertise it. You reside it each single day. Generally you are feeling a bit of distant. Possibly you miss just a few video games and take a look at of the day-to-day. Generally you lock in and really feel like each sport, quarter, and possession is life or demise. I can’t simply resolve the best way to react to one thing—I can solely react. Generally the losses don’t harm, generally they do. My solely job is to maintain you apprised on the standing.
– So that you name ’em such as you see ’em.
– I assume so. Yeah.
– So… you’ve thrown quite a lot of stuff at us this morning, however let’s go forward and make a name. How did we really feel after this one?
– Bored. I felt bored. Which, actually, I believe that’s what’s led me to feeling dangerous. I’d moderately the sport simply made me really feel dangerous straight up! You realize?
– You are feeling dangerous…however wish to really feel a unique type of dangerous?
– Precisely! I wish to really feel one thing actual. I need a playoff loss on a last-second three. I need a devastating turnover down the stretch in a pivotal second of a sport that issues. I need an opponent dunking one in all our guys into subsequent week after which sneering at us within the crowd and all of us bristle and boo him. Get the blood pumping! I wish to LOCK THE HELL IN with this staff and get fired up about one thing! I’m bored with watching the Spurs and simply… feeling bored.
– It’s been a protracted season.
– A extremely lengthy season.
– You’ve completed two gimmick columns in a row now—the rest particular deliberate for the house stretch?
– A magician by no means reveals his secrets and techniques.
– You’re most likely simply going to be bizarre, yeah?
– Yeah.
