Location: Westhaven
Personnel: Me, KT, GD, GG
T-shirt: Headband Klay

Unsurprisingly, I enjoy writing about the victories more than the defeats. Winning is more fun than losing. Everybody loves Champagne and confetti.

But losing teaches you things about yourself. Do you lose your composure and start pointing fingers and citing conspiracies? Or do you accept what’s happened and your role in it, and try to do better next time?

I am willing to take the blame for this one because I wore a t-shirt that had previously been worn for a loss — in part to try to disabuse myself of the idea that my shirt choices affect the outcome of the games. But I guess they do. In my defense, Headband Klay had an excellent track record before this year — 4–0 in last year’s Finals — but apparently has lost his mojo.

I am also guilty of putting into type the idea that we were going to win, although I think I qualified it pretty well. But I did use the word [redacted], which may have been enough to anger the basketball gods.

Our host tried to take the onus on himself because he had put Champagne on ice, which is maybe not necessary for a first-round series. But I’m not going to hold it against him.

Why do we act this way? Maybe because it’s crazy to put so much emotional weight on something over which you have absolutely no control. It may seem logical to blame the players for Game 6, which was a miserable display of turnovers, poor shot selection, missed free throws, defensive lapses, and general sloppiness; but as a longtime fan one feels obligated to accept a measure of responsibility.

Game 7 tips off in about 4 hours. I will be ready to do my part. Hopefully the other guys in short pants will be too.