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A devastating loss all but crushes the Wolves playoff chances.
...Is a heart that beats.
As long as this team still has a heart beat, I refuse to give up. I won't change my stance. I won't stop believing.
Last night hurt. It hurt real bad. In fact, that was probably the most painful loss in the history of my following sports. Nine hours later, it's killing me just as bad as it did when Sam's three clanked off the rim. None of our eight playoff losses felt even as close to as bad as that one - A loss to the team I detest the most. A loss where we came back in the fourth quarter and squandered opportunity after opportunity to take control. A loss where unexcusable mental mistakes cost us in the upwards of thirty points. A loss that we just had to win.
I hadn't stopped believing the whole game. When they were down 6 with 1:08 to play, my head started talking to my heart. "Give it up. Accept it right now. Just let it go, because if you keep believing for this next 1:08, they're going to hurt you real bad." I couldn't give up. Even though I know it would hurt, I couldn't bail out on this team.
I still can't bail out on this team. My head is telling me to give it up. My head is saying that it's stupid to put myself through this for the next week and a half. My head says to quit. My head looks around and sees that I'm the only one left who hasn't. But my heart keeps beating.
Five Grizzlies losses. Five Rockets losses. It will take one of those to get the Timberwolves into the playoffs if they win out.
Five Grizzlies losses. Five Rockets losses. That's exactly what will happen if those two teams lose to the teams that are better than them.
Five Grizzlies losses. Five Rockets losses. My head says it's impossible. My heart says impossible is nothing.
I don't think I'm better than anyone who's chosen to call it quits. If anything, they're a lot smarter at this point than I am. But I gave my heart to this team and I'm not taking it back. It's theirs to break.
Until it stops beating... "Our Team. Our Time."
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