After a huge win vs. the Denver Nuggets in late January, things have been more of a grind lately. There were a pair of inverse-style wins, going up big over the Cleveland Cavaliers and nearly squandering a 28-point lead, but hanging on. Then there was a furious comeback against the Memphis Grizzlies. The outcome is great in each case, but the vibes really hit different, don’t they?
But there was the blown 20 point leads to teams like the Orlando Magic and the pre-Josh Hart Knicks, the team’s predilection for deploying most of their reserves, (and not even their best reserves) at the same time costing them winnable and important games, apparently costing Tyrese Maxey some confidence, and inevitably, like last season, costing Joel Embiid some MVP votes; these nationally televised showdown battles always swing our odds, discourse, and polls more than they probably should.