Opportunity is usually disguised as adversity. I remember after Game 4 listening to this piece of the postgame conference: “Do you still think this group really cares?” Just two games ago, we were up at half thinking we had a hold on this series. And only a week later staring down the end of our season. Down 3–1. Without a couple key players. And with so many narratives we never expected to hear about a championship-level team. And like so many other times this season, I’m thrusted into the chaos. Starting in a win-or-go-home game, with one of the toughest defensive assignments of the night. That’s how quickly things change. Momentum in the playoffs isn’t something you hold, but it’s something you navigate. It can feel solid one minute, then slip just as fast the next. A couple possessions go the wrong way, energy dips, focus wavers for a second… and suddenly everything feels like it’s tilted against you. We felt that. But like narratives, momentum is fragile and it’s reversible. That’s the playoffs.  Every possession carries weight; every moment can shift the story; but, the same way momentum can leave, it can come back. That’s what Game 5 was. Not some perfect performance, nor some clean, scripted turnaround. Just a group that stayed with it long enough for things to tilt back. And with our backs against the wall, I will forever remember being a part of that push. Game 6 is Thursday. the story isn’t written yet.

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