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  1. When Cade gets back, this is the team that’s going to come out of the East. Tough gritty defense and surprising finesse. Best team we’ve played so far during this streak and missing Cade.

    Game we could have won but one that still showed our tenacity and toughness. Couldn’t count how many times we fought hard and came back. Couple of bounces and we could have won.

    • Tom, thank you for the post!

      Nine straight wins in this league is no joke, and tonight you could feel the miles on our guys. Back‑to‑back road games against tough teams will drain anybody, and the Lakers looked like a group running on fumes. No Marcus Smart, no Rui, LeBron scoreless in the first half — that’s a lot of firepower and leadership missing early. The body language told the story: heavy legs, slow closeouts, just a half‑step behind on the 50/50 balls.

      And yet… they fought. They absolutely fought.

      Luka still put up 32/7/6 and kept us in striking distance possession after possession. Austin Reaves played like he had a Harlem Globetrotter mixtape running in his veins — 24 points, 5 assists, big shot after big shot. And Jaxson Hayes? That man came off the bench like he was plugged into a power outlet. Eleven points, perfect from the field, and four blocks, two steals. Instant impact is right.

      This wasn’t a team that quit. This was a team that was exhausted, undermanned, and still clawed back to make it a one‑possession game in the final seconds. That says something about their character. That says something about their togetherness. That says something about why they ripped off nine straight in the first place.

      An 82‑game season will humble every contender. You’re going to have nights where the legs aren’t there, where the shots fall short, where the rotations are patchwork. Tonight was one of those nights. But losing by three on the road, on tired legs, without key contributors? I tip my hat to this group.

      The streak ends at nine — but the belief doesn’t. The fight doesn’t. The ceiling doesn’t.

      On to the next one.

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