It’s often said that a National Basketball Association Playoff series does not actually start until the road team gets a win. For all the demerits of the reductive statement, it, if nothing else, underscores the importance of home-court advantage. After all, if the protagonists are able to emerge triumphant in familiar territory every time out, the higher seeds would inevitably advance. Which was why the setbacks suffered by the Sixers and Lakers yester-day hurt them far more than the bottom line indicated.
It wasn’t simply that victory was denied the Sixers and Lakers yesterday. It was that they appeared to be in control, only for fate to intervene in the end. True, a loss is a loss regardless of the final score. On the other hand, the close ones invariably linger because of the countless What Ifs the vanquished are thereafter compelled to ask over and over again. What if the ball went one way instead of the other? What if the rebound was corralled? What if the shot was blocked? And the queries go on and on, and multiply to the point of demoralization.
For the Sixers, cruel twists intervened in the last quarter-minute of Game Two. Up by five and seemingly in the clear even with Joel Embiid hobbled by injury, they found themselves grasping for air after surrendering a three by Jalen Brunson — to that juncture an atrocious seven of 28 from the field — that looked short and yet somehow bounced forward into the rim. They then turned the ball over after a poor inbounds pass and allowed Donte DiVin-cenco two open tries from behind the arc. The second was good, all but ensuring the outcome.
For the Lakers, evident fatigue creeped in after the halftime break. The Nuggets, down by as high as 20 early in the third period, made full use of the mile-high altitude at the Ball Arena to mount a comeback that ultimately re-sulted in a last-second game winner from otherwise-misfiring Jamal Murray. The bowed heads of the purple and gold as they left the court and trekked to the locker room told the tale; they played well enough to cast moist eyes on a series tie, only to falter amid the self-assured gait of their longtime foils. The turn of events will, no doubt, weigh heavily on them as they prepare to host the defending champions at Crypto.com Arena. At 10 straight losses and counting, they are hard-pressed to come up with something — anything — to have the higher number in a final score.
Considering the razor-thin margins by which the Sixers and Lakers lost, it’s no wonder they lamented the state of the officiating in the aftermath; already with their hands full, the last thing they want is an iffy whistle. Unfortu-nately, hindsight provides no respite from the Sisyphean nature of the task at hand. And, certainly, they need to stay focused on their imperatives. They cannot keep on looking back with regret. There are still challenges left to overcome, and though their work is much harder now than it was when the first round began, they also know that success becomes sweeter the harder it is to carve.
Anthony L. Cuaycong has been writing Courtside since BusinessWorld introduced a Sports section in 1994. He is a consultant on strategic planning, operations and human resources management, corporate communications, and business development.
