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San Antonio 115, New York 128  //  29-5  //  1st in the West

Don’t let the relative closeness of this game fool you: we got plain ol’ blown out tonight. Perhaps it’s a testament to how good we truly are that we could play so crappy against a team playing so well and still be within striking distance with three minutes to go. At that time, Pop pulled the regulars from the floor in disgust. Good for him. I was begging for some Splitter and Quinn and Udoka long before that, even while the game was “still in hand.” In a game like this, I’d rather take a loss and get some teaching moments than eke out a truly undeserved win. Let the team stew; let the putrid and pride-less performance fester overnight.

It doesn’t get any easier tomorrow night, as we head into Boston. That’s what makes tonight’s effort even more frustrating. The first game of a back-to-back is usually the easier of the two to win, for obvious reasons. Now we have to go play a better team with less rest and less preparation. Let’s hope the silver lining from tonight’s game is a tremendous rebound in energy and attention to detail for Wednesday’s game against Boston.