eruthros

Title: Fire Under My Feet
Fandom: Connecticut Suns
Song: Fire Under My Feet by Leona Lewis
Summary: A tribute to the players on the 2022 Connecticut Sun

Download: Fire Under My Feet on mediafire
Subtitles: Fire Under My Feet subtitles on mediafire

( Streaming Version )

( Lyrics )

... but I just have to make this point.

These are the Eastern Conference standings right now. (The number is games below the leader in the conference.)

1. Boston --
2. Detroit 6.0
3. Orlando 11.0
4. Cleveland17.0
5. Washington19.0
6. Toronto 20.0
7. Philadelphia 20.5
8. Atlanta 25.0
9. New Jersey 26.5

These are the Western Conference standings right now. The top eight guys go to the play-offs.

1. NewOrleans --
2. San Antonio --
3. LA Lakers 0.5
5. Houston 0.5
6. Phoenix 1.5
4. Utah 2.5
7. Dallas 4.5
8. Golden State 5.0
9. Denver 5.5

You guys, the Western Conference is already doing the playoffs. When Phoenix plays Dallas, it is a huge deal; if Dallas wins, it makes a big difference. When Golden State plays Denver, as they do this weekend, it's a huge deal; if Denver wins, they're eighth seed, and if the Warriors win, there put some space between them. There are ten to twelve games left to play in the season, and fuck it, you guys, the playoffs are not going to be half as intense. Because, see, the Eastern and Western conferences don't meet until the finals -- so we're going to have Boston 0) vs Atlanta down 25), and I sense a four-game series there. And over here -- who knows? Who plays whom? We have no idea, because the West plays the West a lot in the next ten games. What happens if Dallas beats New Orleans? If Golden State beats New Orleans? If Utah beats New Orleans? If the Lakers beat New Orleans? Because all of those games are happening in the next two weeks. It is nervewracking liek whoah.

I know y'all are not fannish about sports, but seriously, this is amazing and these are awesome games and I hate it. (My team is the GS Warriors, currently eighth. I also dig the Phoenix Suns, currently sixth. I want to see both of 'em make the playoffs! So I hate it! Except for how it's awesome!)

So I am up late a lot, because my teams play on the 7:30 pm PST schedule fairly frequently. Also, if you IM me most days, you may get a bit of "OMG the Lakers are down at Memphis even though Kobe's already scored 50 points!" and "so there was the worst call EVER in the Warriors-Lakers game last night" and whatever. Just ... think of it as another fandom, and be kind.

Or hey, who knows, I might sucker you in too! I've got some pimping episodes all set up, classic games and some top-ten moments. I've even got a great songvid about Steve Nash and Dirk Nowitzki for you! They loved each other but then Nash had to leave! No for reals you guys I have that songvid. It's to a Kelly Clarkson song.

So I know none of you care, but: last nights' Warriors-Mavs game? Was a thing of beauty.

Andris Biedrins made a shot look so easy that you couldn't believe anyone could stop him. Richardson hit threes like nobody's business. Baron Davis made this incredible switch-handed layup that pulled a foul and turned into a three point play. J-Rich got caught with his back to the hoop and made this awesome around-the-back shot.

(If you want to see any of those omg fabulous shots, here're the game highlights. It's all of two minutes, and you can go "oh my god REALLY?" with me.)

The fan energy was incredible -- jumping! Standing ovations! Cheering! Signs! The We believe guy!

Here is the thing about Warriors fans: Thirteen years since the last playoff. High hopes time and time again, and hopes crushed. Warriors fans are Warriors fans regardless of the team's performance; they critique and moan, they root for the Suns in the playoffs 'cause the Warriors aren't in it (or at least I used to!), but they are some of the most dedicated fans in the league. They stuck it out through bad draft choices -- Todd Fuller, fergodsakes, drafted ahead of Steve Nash and Kobe Bryant that year, and Vonteego Cummings, the name no-one knows, and Steve Logan who never actually played in an NBA game. And they're still fans. As Nelson said: "If we give the crowds something to cheer for and we play well, they'll be with us. And if we don't play well, I know they'll still be with us. But we've got to give them a reason to be there."

I mention this, because I was scoping the Mavs blog last night -- it's updated faster than most of the Warriors blogs -- and half the comments said "I can't believe Avery Johnson's lost another game! He's the worst coach ever!" and "I'll never be a fan again!" and, dude. Two losses? Admittedly, first-seed team losing to eighth-seed, but: dude. Two losses. Two losses and you're bailing, talking about firing coaches and half the players, encouraging Mark Cuban to sell the team, saying you'll never ever watch a game again? Christ, what is that?

Warriors fans, like I said, critique a lot -- there's a lot of sofa-GMing -- but abandon a team after two losses? We didn't abandon a team after Latrell Sprewell strangled the coach and had to be traded away (to the Knicks, who actually liked him even after that. ugh.). We didn't abandon the team after Todd Fuller, the high hopes of the league, our way to get back in, managed to score an average of, like, five points a game. Warriors fans still call for Adonal Foyle -- a defensive player who scores maybe four points a game -- to come on at the end, because he's been our man for ten years, even though he's known more for his politics than his playing these days. We think he should get to play a minute or two in a playoff game; it's only fair.

So, yeah. I get the Mavs' fans disgust. But it's hard to take the "omg we can't be fans of a losing team I'm never watching them again!" Not when the team they're playing is playing their first playoff game at home in thirteen years, to the biggest crowd of fans to ever pack into a basketball arena in California.

I think I'm going to cry. MAN. Thirteen years, y'all.

That marks the end of what was the longest current playoff drought in the league. And it means J-Rich and Foyle finally, finally get to play in the playoffs.

And, you know, the sports commentators are muttering about it: they can't beat the Mavs, they say. I dunno; their season record is only 42-40, but they've beaten the Mavs every single time they've met this season -- in fact, all of the last five times they've met up, counting last year and last year's crappy Warriors team. Now, an eighth seed has only beaten the first seed once in NBA history, and the Warriors are tired and the Mavs aren't -- but still, I think the Warriors are gonna push the Mavs hard. Who knows? Stranger things have happened.

1. Over the course of the day, the national weather service report went from "9-11 inches snow accumulation in the next 24 hours" to "little or no snow accumulation expected" to "8-14 inches of snow accumulation possible." Weird.

2. Writing a recipe in my language class. It has to be "a complicated one" -- I'm not allowed to do a three-ingredient recipe like my pumpkin soup. This is surprisingly difficult, because cooking involves all sorts of specialized vocabulary, most of which I don't have. (I can say "remove from heat" but I don't have an "until" construction, so I don't know how to say "simmer over low heat until thick." Also, I have to continually look up words like simmer.)

3. The Warriors beat the Timberwolves and the fucking Sacramento Kings took the LA Clippers. Which means that the Warriors are currently in the eight playoff spot in the West... and will hold onto it if they beat the Mavs (or if the Clippers lose to the Phoenix Suns. Again.). Now, the Mavs are the top-ranked team in the entire NBA. BUT. The barely-eighth-seed Warriors have thumped them repeatedly. Oh my GOD, y'all. The Warriors haven't been the playoffs in twelve years. They hold the active record for longest playoff drought in the league. I had all but given up hope. Oh my GOD.