Smiles (Warriors 98, Bucks 107)

Happy New Year, everyone! I spent a very busy and hectic holiday in Chennai, and as such was only peripherally following the Warriors as they went on a season-long four-game winning streak (highlighted by a wholly unexpected Christmas Day victory over the poor Houston Rockets, who spent the next 24 hours getting dragged on Twitter). I also got sick and suffered from terrible jet lag after I got back stateside, which prevented me from watching any basketball until Wednesday night. I tuned into the Dubs-Bucks contest towards the end of the first quarter. From that point forward through the end of the game, I saw a perfect microcosm of the Warriors season – flashes of potential ultimately undermined by discontinuity, inexperience, and overall talent disparity. The Bucks are the best team in the NBA (although it’d be tough to convince anyone of that fact after watching them clang away for the better part of 3 quarters), and there is no shame in losing to superior competition. But just once, I’d like to see, with my own eyes, the Warriors actually close out the upset and earn an unexpected victory.

…