This would have been an especially nice win for Carnival. We went 0-6 in the preseason. The last time we went 0-6 we finished 15-67 and Pat Riley retired from coaching. 

Spo made his dream of a fast-paced team come true in training camp with new personnel and a run and gun offense; but we went ohfer; Okay! That was the preseason, tonight was the season; on the road, a heavy (-8.5) dog to a young, talented team; a brutal early schedule; a dub here would have been validating; we got a great performance from Norman Powell; shot well, defended pretty well, outrebounded them...But we play positionless. We have no true point guard. We have no true center. The difference between teams in the Association is miniscule, you know? 

It's the same in soccer. You can do so much right and still miss the playoffs or be relegated. A striker left unmarked for a second in soccer, a bungled midfield pass or reception--Que Gerard, Gerard, you passed it to Demba Ba, you fell on your bloody arse, que Gerard, Gerard. Poof! There goes the game, there goes the season.

What separates teams is so fine but so clear. Nineteen turnovers, twenty-five points conceded off them tonight--how many turnovers if we had Goran Dragic, our last true point guard?; if his designated successor Kyle Lowry had worked out?; if his designated successor Terry Rozier had worked out? If we had a true center, would we have collected that crucial rebound off a Disney miss in the final seconds? You look up and the game is lost and at the end of a season and one team finishes 15-67 or is relegated and the other is winning the league. 

But for a shoe the horse was lost and but for the horse the battle was lost.