Let’s say you’ve got a great Christopher Walken impression. You do it once during a work Zoom meeting, get a good laugh. Do it a couple times at a holiday party — hey, all in fun. But if you break that thing out too often, suddenly you’ve gone past a cool little quirk and you’ve full-on become “the guy with the Christopher Walken impression.” Next time you’re at a function, you’ve got 12 different people dragging you around asking you to do it for their friends. There’s just no going back.
The same is true for losing. Some is expected and tolerable but, if you consider yourself a contender, you have to be careful how much you allow it to creep in. Otherwise, sooner or later, you just become a loser.
The Philadelphia 76ers are going through this battle right now. As they’ve waited for health and a return to form for their stars, they find themselves at 2-12 — the WORST record in the NBA — and land in the penultimate spot in this week’s Power Rankings. How far is too far gone? The Sixers are on perilous, shaky ground, particularly with the news that Paul George re-injured the same leg he hurt in the preseason. On paper, should they be at the bottom of the NBA ledger? Of course not. But here they are, and things have to turn around fast.
Speaking of losing, the Cleveland Cavaliers finally got a taste of what that feels like, dropping their first game of the season to the Boston Celtics after tying for the second-best start in NBA history. Our memory isn’t that short, however, so they maintain their No. 1 ranking despite the loss. But Boston certainly sent a message, and is breathing down Cleveland’s neck for the top spot.
Enough about losing — how about some winners? The Los Angeles Lakers and New York Knicks find themselves just outside the top five after winning streaks of six and four games, respectively. They’re right behind the Houston Rockets, who have been one of the most impressive and surprising (OK, not to Rockets fans who absolutely lambasted me for ranking them 12th in the West in the preseason Power Rankings) teams in the NBA.