The only thing I remember from preseason last year was that Jordan Crawford lit us up when we played Atlanta, never to be heard from again...until Ernie brought him home, of course. So when preseason games are lost, despite their value in that our guys get some court time against competition around the league, it doesn't really bother me much. But I love optimism, and today the crazy chunk of my brain finds it in video games.
Remember the old RTS (real time strategy) games like Command & Conquer? When assaulting a heavily fortified position in the campaign, you'd send a flood of cheap, expendable units, like minigunners, in to absorb fire while tanks and heavy infantry get into position. Those meat shields are called loss leaders, and sacrificing preseason games while both sides continue to crawl towards the Quickening brings the old video game term to mind.
I'm relieved we've come this far...at least the two sides are engaged; the pre-engagement build-up and light harassments that characterize both the early stages of RTS games and publicized negotations/legal battles are concluded. Once combat is well and truly joined, it's dangerous to halt your momentum. It's impossible to sustain tactical superiority with such a move, and just as unlikely you'll have the time to reap the strategic benefits of controlling the high ground. Once the ball is rolling, you've got to follow through.
While optimism is still harder to come by than a $2 gallon of gas, many fans are taking solace in the fact that the wheels are turning, regardless of rpm (that's rotations per month). And like the RTS, once the main forces engage the only thing certain is that the battle will be decided. Hopefully that happens before all our pre-season games/loss leaders are chewed up, and real games start being canceled, regardless of who 'wins' the battle. You know who the big loser is in that scenario.