The NBA basketball season is a long slog and requires elite levels of concentration, fitness, and willpower. With 82 matches for each team in the regular season, there are bound to be peaks and troughs throughout the seven-month regular season as teams attempt to make the playoffs, or even better, win their conference.
Some geniuses even said they were the latest example of how over-innovation can ruin baseball (no idea who wrote that zinger). Well, so far that's looking like the kneejerk reaction of the season, or maybe several seasons.
The Cubs are trying to avoid stumbling into the All-Star break. Their National League Central lead dwindled to 1½ games after dropping a second straight to the Minnesota Twins, who go for a series sweep Thursday afternoon.