Practice concluded, and their moment in the sun fading rapidly in their rear-view mirror, Nate McMillan gathered his players at the close of practice Thursday. But rather than forming a disjointed circle around him, as is the custom, they were instructed to face the other side of the gym, where nine media members - only two of whom were not team employees – were waiting to talk with them.
His message was simple: this is your reality. All those reporters and photographers who had showed up a couple of days ago to advance and cover their game with Oklahoma City on Wednesday had moved on to the next set of bright lights.