That losin' feeling

So yesterday the Blob explored what happens when you win and never lose, or even come close losing.

Today?

Here's what happens when you win a lot -- like, more than everyone around you -- and then suddenly lose a few games at the worst possible time.

You become the Toronto Raptors.

Who less than a month ago were the best team in the NBA Eastern Conference, having won 59 games to earn their conference's top seed. It looked like their year, finally. It looked like they finally had all the pieces around their two stars, Kyle Lowry and DeMar DeRozan, to make a deep run, maybe even get to the Finals.

Then LeBron James happened to them again.

The best player in the world, and the rest of the Cavaliers, narrowly avoided a first-round elimination against the fifth-seeded Indiana Pacers, who pushed them to seven games. Now they were in against the top seed. They looked like they could be had.

Instead, LeBron 'n' them swept the Raptors in four straight for the second straight year, winning by 35 in the fourth and final game. They've now beaten the Raptors in 10 straight playoff games.  And LeBron implanted himself even deeper in the Raptors' heads by winning Game 3 with a ridiculous dagger off glass at the horn.

And now?

Now, days after everyone was saying the Raptors finally had the all pieces in place, everyone is saying it's time to break 'em up. And their coach, Dwane Casey?

Two days after he was named the NBA's Coach of the Year, he was fired. All because of one bad week.

Timing, man. It really is everything.