We are all very lucky that we got to see this. Not just as Spurs fans either. I’m talking like basketball fans. As sports fans. In the form of a human being. We are seeing something great happening before our eyes. It’s like watching the Grand Canyon take shape in real time. This isn’t the first time this baby has left me at a loss for words and I’m sure it won’t be the last.
Most of the conversation surrounding Victor at the moment has, frankly, very little to do with him. It’s all about the supporting cast. The people who are there now and the people who aren’t. People who will be there in the future and people who won’t be there in the future. I am as guilty of this as anyone. I can’t stop thinking about how to build around that and what kind of pieces they need to get. The actual basketball in front of my face often seems secondary to the fantasy sports coming down the pike.
The best thing about Victor is that he doesn’t care. Sure, he may have plans, dreams, and hopes for the future, but it feels like he’s stuck in the present. He is mad. He is excited. He doesn’t care about context or the big picture, only about the game in front of him. He wants to take that game and bring it into submission. He doesn’t want to win in the future, he wants to win now.
From a narrative perspective, you can see how this could be misinterpreted as impatience. Spurs need to accelerate their timeline. Spurs can’t wait. I listen to it and I get it. But I don’t think this is it. Victor is so smart that he keeps two thoughts in his mind. He can walk and chew gum at the same time. He can be aware of the bigger picture without sacrificing the competitive fire that is driving him to become great in the first place.
Last night’s game against the Nuggets really clarified this for me. The season is basically over. Victor has accomplished everything he set out to do this year. He’s competing against the reigning NBA champion and the best player in the world. His two best running backs were placed on ice for the remainder of the year. This game was nothing. This game was destined to be forgotten by history. If Victor had come out, gone through the motions, and kept moving toward his impossibly bright future, no one would have batted an eye.
But he didn’t want that. He didn’t care that guys like Malachi Branham and Devante Graham were stuck with him. He didn’t care that the odds were impossibly stacked against him. None of this mattered. Victor looked at his companions and said, “Let’s ride.” He fought and he struggled and he boosted the morale of everyone there. He made the game easy for them. He did everything in his power to get this charming crew to the finish line and he was really surprised that he couldn’t get them there. Nobody asked him to do this. No one needed him to do this. It’s just the way he’s wired.
It seems that Victor is well aware that the only thing he can truly control is himself. Its His Effort, His talent, and His attitude. He rules those things and everything else is chaos. He is also well aware that these things are extremely powerful when it comes to success on the court. So he’ll push it and he’ll test the limits and he’ll go all out every time he steps on the floor.
we’re lucky. We’re incredibly lucky that he’s here and that we’re here and that we all get to go through this together. Sometimes it’s hard to wake up with a smile after a loss, but it’s hard to feel like the Spurs are doing anything other than winning at the moment.
conclusion:
- Several times last night the cameras caught Nikola Jokic shrugging his shoulders and smiling while Victor was there working some of his magic. Then he’ll come down the court and dominate like he always does, regardless. He seems impossibly likable in a way I wouldn’t have thought he could be just a few years ago. He’s so nice and he’s so calm and he’s so…irresistible? I don’t know why it’s so beloved because in the wrong hands his whole deal can definitely be annoying. still. I like to see him.
- Whatever basketball gods you believe in, pray that we’ll see some great playoff showdowns between these two teams in the future. It seems like this is one of those things that the universe needs to provide for the well-being of humanity…I don’t know, humanity?
- What a fun performance from Malachi Branham. 24 points and generally looking like he’s been in the starting lineup doing stuff like this all year. It would be easy for some of these guys like Malachi and Julian Champaign and Devonte Graham to feel intimidated when asked to step up in a spot like this and it’s fun to see them go out and play with a lot of confidence.
- Trey Jones is good. he is nice! I’m a believer! I know a lot of Spurs fans have come around to the idea of ​​keeping Trey as a piece in the future, but I want to keep shouting it from the rooftops. he is nice. he is nice! I would have been very disappointed if he wasn’t part of the picture going forward. he is nice!
wwl post game press conference
, Well, we’re getting close to the end of the season here. Do you feel like there’s something you need to get off your chest?
– I do not think so? This year the chest is feeling quite clear. A lot of takes came out of the oven. Felt a lot of emotions. A lot of ideas were pushed out into the world. Yeah, I think we covered a lot.
– Do you regret anything?
– I have never regretted anything I have said and never will.
– This seems like a bold choice.
-Happiness is the wisdom of knowing that you can’t be right all the time unless you really believe it doesn’t matter.
– What?
– Okay, maybe I regret that.
