It's about time you returned, Tuff Juice. We missed you. Thanks for coming back for at least one game.
Let's be honest: one win in February like this should not be enough to save this team. They've had their run, it was unsatisfactory, and now we need to rebuild like every team does. One need only look at the Detroit Pistons to see what happens when you try to rebuild while also remaining competitive.
That said, if this was the parting gift for this core, it was one hell of a parting gift. It's not easy to sit through rebuilding, but it's even harder to sit through the pre-rebuild. This has easily been the most difficult basketball-watching experience I've had in my life, and I'm sure that's also true for people much older than me. That said, we still watch for those times when we can cheer and be happy about the silly hobby we pour too many hours into. Tonight was one of those nights.
I hope I'll always remember this game as the last banner moment for the Arenas/Butler/Jamison/Haywood Wizards. For all the Wizards who participated in this moment tonight, thank you. Thank you for not giving up when you really should have. Thank you, Caron Butler, for going back to what you were, even if you should have gone back way earlier. Thank you to Randy Foye for making plays. Thank you to everyone who fought hard on defense. As a Wizards fan who has experienced this difficult year, thanks for at least giving me (and others) one happy moment this season.