The Spurs and Raptors had to play a game on Sunday afternoon as news about the death of Kobe Bryant and eight other people trickled its way into the AT&T Center, which was as awful as it sounds. Toronto won 110-106, but it hardly matters.
There won’t be many days that expose how meaningless basketball can be as clearly as this one. The mood at the start of the game could only be described as surreal, since it’s hard to think of a less suitable environment to grieve and process a loss than an NBA arena, with its manufactured excitement designed to overload the senses.