From the gamethread, taking a throwaway one-liner way more seriously than it deserves to be:
I mean, obviously tonight wasn't the worst, but... what WERE the worst losses of the year? For me, I think you have to start with the 6 games where we had (close to) everyone available, more or less tried our hardest, and still lost in a way that might make us doubt our ability to come through when it matters.
1. DEN at home. No altitude, no short rest, home crowd, all of our big 6 playing, had the lead with 4 minutes left, missed some shots, lost. Maybe Denver's our kryptonite! I was pretty bummed out, obviously in the moment but also on reflection. Plus it was our first home loss of the year.
2. LAC at home. By 19. Against one of the 3 teams you can argue have what it takes to be a real threat to us. Yes, it was our first game home after a road trip (though we had decent rest and not too many miles on that trip), yes they owed us one after we blew them out in LA a few weeks prior, yes we had no Porzingis. But this is one of the games we needed to measure ourselves by, and it wasn't a close loss, it was a blowout. Just lost focus, gonna have a few of these, sure - but against a top-tier contender like the Clippers? Oof.
3. LAL at home. Because they should never leave the Garden in anything but a state of disarray, preferably pursued by a bear*. Plus we had everyone available. I've seen this one excused a couple different ways, but excuses shouldn't come into play against the Lakers. I guess the players don't take the rivalry as seriously as we do, but this one bugged me, as it did everyone here.
4. @ OKC. Really well-fought well-played game for four quarters that was constant back-and-forth action. We had everyone available, had a brief lead towards the end of the 2nd, got down by as many as 18 in the 4th, then fought our way back to make it a one-possession game, where if KP's foot hadn't been on the 3 point line, we might well have tied it. No moral victories, though - that was a young team we should've taught a lesson to, and instead we were the ones looking tired and old by the end.
5. @ Cleveland, the Dean Wade game. Had everyone available, had a 22 point lead, lost it (and kinda lost our composure, too).
6. Tonight, @ ATL. Inferior team, had 30-point lead, but were missing Jrue and White. It would rank lower, frankly, but for what you can argue it says about our offensive execution when we start getting nervous, reverting to shitty habits instead of continuing to run the offense.
Also receiving votes from the voices in my head:
- @ Philly early in the season, had everyone available, up by 11 early, lost by 3. Rallied from 14 down in the 4th to make it respectable.
- @ Denver a few weeks ago. Everyone available. Followed the Dean Wade game, so we should've been sore about that. Could've taken it late, but didn't.
- @ Minnesota early in the season, in OT. Was missing White. We didn't know at the time they're one of the teams we should be measuring ourselves by, but we just looked lost offensively late.
- @ Indiana for the in-season tournament QFs. Missing Porzingis. Lost by 10 and it wasn't that close, kinda got run out of the building.
Losses I didn't give a shit about then, and still kinda don't (5): @ ORL for the IST (lost focus in the 2nd half, got blown out, whatever). @ MIL, the 33-point loss on a back to back. @ Charlotte, in OT, minus White and Horford. @ Indiana in January, was missing Tatum, lost by 2. @ GSW in Overtime, kinda a crazy game of missing shots and a long flight out there, was annoying but it happens.
*
he gets the night off when the Cs play at home, obviously.
).
