Fear and Trembling

The Despair arising from a losing streak stems from a place of helplessness. Kierkegaard referred to the opposite of love not being hate, but despair. He framed it as such, because with hate there is still an aspect of care and a subsequent emotional reaction. Despair is an empty nihilism. Giving up. This is exactly what I have been tempted to do as of late. With the second seed a half game’s reach away, possibly a full one after tonight, it is beginning to feel like that top shelf just inches from your grasp. It might as well be a mile high.

During the last three games, the only positive occurrence has been the return of Ty Lawson in the third quarter of the Boston game. He looked physically ready to go and his defense on Nate Robinson sparked the Nuggets to a J.R. Smith fast break dunk and a small run that culminated in a buzzer beating Swish three pointer. Besides, this small turn of momentum, it has seemed the bad habits of taking off quarters and deferring too much to Carmelo and Chauncey is finally catching up with the Nuggets at the wrong time.

Yet, despair is a harsh overreaction. There is still time to bring Denver back into the battle for the second seed. With games in Toronto, Orlando, and Dallas, respectively, there is still ample opportunity for the Nuggets to show what they are truly made of at their best. Redemption is a funny thing. At its core, there really ought to be no opportunity for it if one is performing their duties and holding themselves equally accountable. Still, making up amply for one’s mistakes can actually create an experience more valuable than never having faltered in the first place. It presents the chance to learn about one’s self and become stronger in conviction. I’ve never liked the saying, “Whatever doesn’t kill you makes you stronger.” It is not universally true. For some, a traumatic event can cause a break down and an irrevocable recovery. Losing an entire appendage won’t make it stronger, it’s just lost. It is up to the person involved to take it for what it is and react accordingly. Whatever doesn’t kill you could make you stronger.

In closing, it is entirely up to the Nuggets to do with this current situation what they will. There are plenty of excuses for them if they choose to use them. Kenyon Martin, their defensive backbone and purveyor of “bad-ass-itude”, is still suffering on the bench. George Karl, the voice of reason and concern, is still in the fight for his life. The Nuggets were given the most difficult schedule in the NBA and are ending the most precarious stretch of it. All these things may be, but no one else cares. There aren’t any pity points in National Basketball Association. Some people work very hard, but still they never get it right and I’m beginning to see the light. It’s about who wants it more. I know Jason Kidd and Dirk Nowitzki want it. They have both been to the finals and lost. Maybe it takes multiple failures for some to reach the highest pinnacles. Nothing is deserved in sports it is taken, in the words of Charlton Heston, “from my cold, dead hands,” (not mine, maybe Larry Obrien’s). So the question is; who wants it more? I won’t begrudge the Mavericks the second seed if they play well enough to earn it. Home court advantage is only that, an advantage. If you’re willing to work hard enough for it, there’s a good chance it will pay off in the end. It is up to Denver to decide if they owe it to themselves, George Karl, and the fans to put themselves in that position. GO WINNERS!