This is a beautiful study of Giannis's words. Awesome reflection on his sentiments. But I don't believe him. Maybe I'm heart-hardened but even a meager basketball player like me is still tortured by the two free throws I missed 39 years ago with 2 seconds left in a big high school game. We would've beaten the best team in the state after coming back from 16 down in the fourth quarter. Was that a failure? Absolutely! And look at me, four decades later, STILL WRITING ABOUT IT. I still dream about it. But maybe I should amend. Based on his words, Giannis is far more of a basketball poet than basketball maniac. But are these the kind of sentiments that would be expressed by Jordan, LeBron, or any of the other maniacs? I don't think so. And I'd bet that Giannis spends plenty of time thinking about certain missed shots, turnovers, and too-slow defensive rotations.
Excellent piece. The NBA is sort of like a small town with the number of residents posted on a sign at the border and where everyone knows each other. Teams are literally passed from parent to child, players are coached by their fathers. This continuity is easy to forget but I think is one reason it is so easy to hold on to certain grudges and keep fandom going in many of the ways you so beautifully captured. Regardless of what happens between now and the first match-up against the Heat next season, and despite Giannis’s post-loss take, that game is going to be worth watching.
This is a beautiful study of Giannis's words. Awesome reflection on his sentiments. But I don't believe him. Maybe I'm heart-hardened but even a meager basketball player like me is still tortured by the two free throws I missed 39 years ago with 2 seconds left in a big high school game. We would've beaten the best team in the state after coming back from 16 down in the fourth quarter. Was that a failure? Absolutely! And look at me, four decades later, STILL WRITING ABOUT IT. I still dream about it. But maybe I should amend. Based on his words, Giannis is far more of a basketball poet than basketball maniac. But are these the kind of sentiments that would be expressed by Jordan, LeBron, or any of the other maniacs? I don't think so. And I'd bet that Giannis spends plenty of time thinking about certain missed shots, turnovers, and too-slow defensive rotations.
Thanks as always Katie. Keep it up!
Excellent piece. The NBA is sort of like a small town with the number of residents posted on a sign at the border and where everyone knows each other. Teams are literally passed from parent to child, players are coached by their fathers. This continuity is easy to forget but I think is one reason it is so easy to hold on to certain grudges and keep fandom going in many of the ways you so beautifully captured. Regardless of what happens between now and the first match-up against the Heat next season, and despite Giannis’s post-loss take, that game is going to be worth watching.
Just when I think people were done writing how great this moment was, here comes Katie.