#mystery. there's other things driving the stakes. plus he's more limited in power so even when he's the Best there's still narrative tension | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

kiseiakhun · 9 months

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Anyway, I think the worst thing Geoff Johns did to Hal's character is that he just made him boring. The fun thing about Hal is that he's the worst man to walk the earth. He's a trainwreck in the making. Every day he wakes up and thinks nothing and makes 20 awful decisions and messes up everything and goes to sleep content in a job well done and it's great. Hal is the Worst Man Ever™. He's a donkey in human form. By all means his personality and skillset makes him the perfect supervillain but he's a hero and he's imperfect and he claws himself back from the brink long after most people would've given up because that's who he is. That's at the core of his character. Even when he's below rock bottom, he never gives up, and god does he hit it, over and over again.

Johns just... erased all that complexity by making Hal the bestest greatest most precious lanterny lantern ever. Suddenly everyone loves him and treats parallax as just a 'hehe! Whoops!' and it sucks because if you take away the fact that Hal is a garbage human being he's just BORING. He's just a boring stereotypical stoic superhero. Who wants to read that! Who wants to read about Universe's Best Most Precious Greatest Man Gets Praised And Solves Every Problem And Is Never Wrong. Like at least when batman does it they try to give us a detective story. Usually it's not a good detective story but they at least try. Hal doesn't need to do detectiving. He can solve pretty much anything with the ring on his finger. He's invulnerable and powerful and perfect and let's be real, at this point he barely has a secret identity. There's nothing adding stakes to the story, not when Hal the best boy is here.

It's so fucking boring!! It's genuinely an injustice to his character. Hal's much more interesting when he makes every single bad decision, ever, and then has to dig himself out of the hole that he dug. That's someone I can root for. That's a character I can develop complex feelings about. If you just hand me the perfect being in creation I feel nothing. I'm already bored.

#in conclusion thank you Jeremy Adams for feeding me. that man is the worst man in existence. i want to put him in the juice presser #like you look at hal and you just know he never replaces his toothbrush #hal jordan #meta #i guess #this is also how i feel about ollie btw #men who are the worst 🤝#im more okay (though still annoyed) by Bruce being the best because the whole point of his stories is that he's so smart he can solve any #mystery. there's other things driving the stakes. plus he's more limited in power so even when he's the Best there's still narrative tension #hal is just too op for something like that to work #and for other characters like superman who are also op they thrive off of a nonpowered supporting cast #but Hal's supporting cast are all other lanterns. or like. superman.#like you don't need to be the Worst Man Alive to carry a narrative through the strength of your personality as Wally demonstrates #but you still need a PERSONALITY #you can't have a personality if you're the best at everything always

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greenhappyseed · 3 years

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BnHA Ch.327 - Review, parallels & comparisons

Not gonna lie, this chapter gave us lots of soft Shoto and ass shots. Both, as it turns out, are important.

In the spirit of “Rest,” I don’t really feel like going over the chapter scene by scene. Instead, let’s see how the “rest” theme plays out across our key characters, because some interesting things happen, especially on the heels of last week’s “Who are you really?” This chapter is not just about Izuku retiring “Dark Deku” — after a cleansing bath there are a few characters ready to lay old ideals and identities to rest, and assert new mission statements for who they want to be.

Ochako. We finally have Izuku thinking about Ochako (now only 3892 more times before it’s equal to how often All Might thinks about Inko). But Ochako is already exhausted and fast asleep. She didn’t hang around to see Izuku after the bath, and she didn’t try to be near him at any point; she just conked out. In other words, she didn’t force anything due to a crush. Smart, considering that relationships based on tense experiences never work.

Bakugo didn’t give his ego a rest, insisting to everyone that he’s gonna be #1. Because he is, and will remain, the image of perfect victory. BUT he signals that he’s trying to give the name “Deku” a rest and switch to “Izuku,” as befits childhood best friends. Of course Bakugo says this while he’s in the water with Izuku, with everything literally bare (and Izuku returns the “challenge” without missing a beat ETA: check out @hanashimas great post on why Izuku is only sassy in English). Oh Hori, you cheeky bastard.

Later, Bakugo doesn’t go near Izuku in the common room and he’s not visible when All Might is around because it would be awkward to talk to him, but Bakugo is there when the “strongest in the class” is nurturing and gentle to Izuku. And Bakugo finally got to see that people DO care about Shoto and his family as Shoto speaks plainly about who he really is and who he wants to be.

Shoto is in the shlubbiest outfit I can recall him wearing, and initially seems a touch off brand even if he's still handsome (although he’s not shown engaging in any of the bath shenanigans, which is very on brand for him). The baggy tshirt and shorts are a great visual signal showing how he’s like his peers while he talks openly about how he’s different from his family. These dorms and these people are HIS safe space too. Notice that Shoto had EVERY reason to be furious at Izuku, especially because his father was with Izuku the whole time. Izuku distracted Endeavor from his promises to Shoto about finding Toya together.

But Shoto doesn’t hold on to any anger and moves straight to caring for his tired friend. This is who Shoto really is now. He sees Izuku alone on the couch and goes to talk to him. If Shoto hadn’t done that, would anyone have felt comfortable just hanging out with Izuku rather than slamming him with OFA questions? (Bakugo is on the other couch between Kirishima and Kaminari.) In return, Izuku confides to Shoto about being a jerk to All Might, and how guilty he feels. After not confessing any of his OFA or All Might-related worries to Shoto before, it’s a nice restart to their relationship. And apparently, the moment was powerful enough to conjure All Might to the Heights Alliance window like Slender Man. Shoto also watches (but doesn’t say anything) as All Might speaks with Izuku, while Bakugo doesn’t appear to get off the couch. I’m curious what Shoto thinks about All Might bowing to Izuku and apologizing compared to Endeavor’s efforts to atone.

All Might. Last chapter, All Might was clearly exhausted mentally and physically. He’s been following Izuku around for weeks — even after being ditched he tracked Izuku to Kamino and UA before going back to Kamino for Stain before returning to UA for Izuku. (And there’s no sign Hercules is a self-driving car.) But now All Might is exceptionally All Might-y and is NOT resting. He seems more energetic and determined than ever. He’s even using his “I am here” catchphrase and speaking a bit more formally (“I must depart!”). There’s no real emotion when he apologizes to Izuku and then the class (good on you, Mina, for making him address 1A!!!) His apology to Izuku is also very lacking in specifics; like he still hasn’t told the kid he made the right decision to spend time with friends and rest.

This chapter makes it sound like All Might is legitimately trying to merge his identities and find a way to be as “All Might” as possible without powers. He says in front of the kids that his body limits how much he can contribute AND he has classic “old man” posture when he bows — it looks like he has a hard time bending forward without rounding his back and bending his knees, and he’s slow to stand back up. (See, I said ass shots would be important.) Remember, he also fell down and dropped the bento chasing after Izuku.

BUT AT THE SAME TIME, this arc has gone out of its way to remind us that All Might isn’t as fragile as fanfic would have you believe. Not to linger on an ass shot, but, uh, the man doesn’t look skeletal. Plus, All Might still has razor sharp instincts, and he athletically leapt from a moving car, rolled across a highway and defeated assassins without any coughing/splorting. All Might has backup too — he’s got Hercules, that mystery suitcase, and the anniversary artwork depicted mecha All Might (plus there’s the old steampunk artwork showing him suited up that someone called out the other day but I can’t find the link).

All Might also references Second’s statement that what Izuku needs is people who can match pace with him. People like Iida, who represents the class and, conveniently, is right there with Izuku and All Might. And Izuku’s “together” echoes Shoto’s.

Now we know the “real” All Might is determined to fight — or at least be an “active player on the board.” He’s not going to sit on the sidelines like he did during the war. And I think he’ll do more than deliver bentos (although I suspect he’d be willing to do that too). Once again, kids have pushed him to do better. The question is HOW he’ll pull this off and how physical his fight will be. “Bad Things” will happen if he gets reckless and jumps into a fight without adequate backup or precautions. But All Might's head could be in a good place judging by how he thinks about following and joining and not bearing the burden alone; about crawling prostrate through mud for the kids (plural) and getting filthy like a hero. He’s thinking about what he has to live for, rather than what he would die for.

That said, All Might is joining Endeavor, which is concerning and means death flags are still around for our “old guard” heroes. Let’s see how the All Might/Izuku and Endy/Shoto “together” pairings work out. We know Hawks is ghosting Tokoyami, so there’s no togetherness there.

Jirou and the Culture Festival Band. I can’t imagine we are heading for a parent/child festival arc. But I love the concept of heroes using their quirks for amusement and fun. A nice rest from the fighting and the high stakes.

Who else is resting? Shigaraki.

Who else is NOT resting? Hawks’s mouth. Holy exposition dump. I can’t stop giggling that Hawks, an extreme Endeavor stan, is so dismissive about Stain’s “deranged love letter” to All Might (which is also a gigantic “fuck you” to Endy). The letter really is a thing of poetic beauty (“Now, more than ever, the masses cry out for that unshakeable sense of justice he embodies…The Symbol of Peace must stand at the vanguard and lead us all to a more just society”):

Jokes aside, I loved ending the chapter on this Endy panel, because if anyone needs to learn that villains can become allies, and maybe even redeemed, it’s Endeavor and his zealot, Hawks:

Finally, note that AFO isn’t resting either. AFO wants OFA before Shigaraki awakens and transcends humanity. Interesting -- we thought AFO needed Shigaraki as his tool to take OFA. I wonder if it’s a control thing? To try and ensure Shigaraki doesn’t take the power for himself and act against AFO’s will??? Is it a sign this master and successor pair won't fight together??

#bnha spoilers #mha spoilers #bnha 327 #mha 327 #all might #yagi toshinori #midoriya izuku #todoroki shouto #afo #bnha meta #mha meta

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ginnyzero · 4 years

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Booktober 2020 Wk 3: Creatures

Hello my lovelies, it’s week 3 of Booktober. The month we talk about books, books, books! Or in this case, I’m talking about horror and paranormal books. Anyone is welcome to join in, I have put up prompts on my twitter and tumblr! If you decide to join in and use the tag booktober, at me, ginnyzero, on social media and I’ll try to reblog your posts.

This week, I am talking about creatures! What books do creatures in interesting ways? Creatures are a huge part of horror and paranormal culture, ghosts and cyptids and people who can use magical forces for good or for ill.

I’m going to start with my favorite creature, the werewolf. Of course, you can say, “Ginny that’s not fair, your favorite werewolves are the ones you write.” Yes. Yes. They are. My favorite werewolves are my werewolves in the Heathens because I love cozy werewolf drama family stuff with action sequences and explosions. Write what you love. My werewolves are based on a couple of things, old folktales where werewolves are actually benevolent creatures rather than out of control monsters, modern wolf science where wolves are families with siblings that squabble instead of a strict hierarchy of stranger wolves (wolves in zoos) and a bit of ‘science’ like the first werewolf movie put out by Universal; Werewolf of London. (It was a bit of a Dr. Jekyll, Mr. Hyde thing where they became a werewolf through the power of science.) But those are my tastes and may not be your tastes.

I think the most diverse werewolves in a book would be in Jim Butcher’s Fool Moon. Fool Moon uses a bunch of different werewolf types to drive the plot and conflict of the case Harry is working on. Harry has to figure out and work through the different werewolves in question to solve the mystery. He goes up against a gang of Beserkers, who are men who take on the spirit of wolves to be faster and stronger. There is a loup garou, the French and Cajun cryptid of an out of control wolf monster who rampages on the full moon. There are some werewolves who have made a pact with a ‘demon’ and use wolf belts in order to change into wolf monsters. There’s a group of DnD larpers who have figured out how to turn into wolves who are more benevolent and in control. And lastly, there is a wolf who has learned to change into a human.

It was really neat to see all the different types of wolves. I think all that was missing was the excommunicated/cursed by a priest wolf, and the ‘born werewolf.’ Unfortunately, outside of this case. These werewolves haven’t been hugely important to the story since. Other than the DnD group who Harry plays with on Friday nights. It really can get you thinking about the types of werewolves and how you can use them in a story.

Another popular creature and one I was fascinated with for a while are vampires. Okay, my favorite vampire is still The Count from Sesame Street but we are talking books. So, the most interesting take on vampires I’ve seen in a book is in Angela Knight’s Mageverse series. The Vampires in the Mageverse series are warriors who were originally turned by Merlin and Nimue in order to protect the Earth from alien invaders. Yes, Merlin and Nimue were powerful aliens. So, these vampires are all male, they drink blood of female ‘witches,’ they’re powerful warriors, and they can turn into wolves. (Yes. I know. But there are actual werewolves in this ‘verse too who are there to make sure the vampires don’t go nuts, but they aren’t as interesting.) If the vampires don’t feed off the witches, the witches get too high blood pressure and die. It’s paranormal romance so, there’s a lot of sex involved. The concept of “we’re the ancient round table of Arthur turned into magical vampires by the alien wizard Merlin’ was just so interesting to me.

Now, for demons, I really have to go to Christian literature. Because if you’re going to do demons, no one really doesn’t like the Christians do. Christian literature was the first place I was exposed to the supernatural. (Really, Christianity is metal and gothic, especially Catholicism. Catholicism is probably the most ‘mystical’ of the different groups.) To young me, Stephen R. Lawhead’s This Present Darkness and Piercing the Darkness were fascinating. He built this world where demons and angels were fighting over the mundane souls. They had personalities and jobs. So, you had two or three layers of story going on where the actions of the mundane characters gave power to the angels or the demons. Lawhead is a decent writer. The books are very, very protestant Christian making the concept of spiritual warfare very real but not trivialized like the way Left Behind did. And I haven’t seen anyone else do it precisely that way since.

Ghosts are difficult. I have seen books with ghosts that have really good concepts and poor execution. My favorite book with a ghost protagonist is Haunted by Kelly Armstrong. It’s part of her Women of the Otherworld series. In Haunted, the main female character is set a task to discover how another ghost is possessing people in the mundane world and causing murders. Kelly sets up rules for the ghosts. There are limitations to what the main character to do and this puts obstacles in her path as she has to navigate the realm of the living with these rules, different sections of the realms of the dead, prison realms, and make deals with demons. She ends up having a personal stake as well, when the other ghost targets her daughter! So, thrilling adventures.

So, what type of witch am I? I am a Cosmic Witch. I enjoy astrology, horoscopes, and all types of zodiac signs. I have looked into the Eastern Zodiac, Celtic Tree Calendar, blood types, the 12 moons of the year. I just enjoy delving deep into how different times of the year can affect your personality, whether or not you believe it’s real or not. If emotional energy is celestial energy, then I’m all about it. I also know some green witchery like herbalism and essential oils, but um, only for if you’re really sick. I mean it folks. It’s medicine. And like all medicine, it reacts differently with your body. I’m something of a night owl. So, being a cosmic witch makes a lot of sense. (Maybe I’m a Cosmic Werewolf Witch. Hmm.)

Now about books with witches! The most interesting books about witches to me were Rachel Caine’s Weather Witch series. Yes, it also involved fast cars and fashion. I really enjoyed the concept that there were different types of witches that could control different parts of the earth and the weather. So, like, fire witches could do forest fires and volcanos. While Weather Witches did storms and everything to do with the atmosphere. And Earth witches were mudslides and earthquakes and that sort of thing. Their powers also involved the Djinn. The main character was a female weather witch. She discovered corruption going on in the witch and wizard organization and abuse of the Djinn and yeah, lots of trouble. The witch craft that was shown was pretty scientific too the way it was described. It made things feel real.

Now for real old school horror, we need to talk about the fae. I’m not talking about the way fae are now portrayed in most paranormal romance and urban fantasy books. Because, the fae are just very, very powerful, and scary, so much so if you live in a world where they are still active, you don’t talk about them and you don’t try to gain their attention because they are capricious at best.

It’s really difficult for me to find a portrayal of the fae to take seriously. Maybe it’s too much Tolkien, maybe it’s DnD. I dunno. The best portrayal of the fae I’ve encountered was in the Lark and the Wren by Mercedes Lackey. Which is the first book of her Bardic Voices trilogy. Lark and Wren are in the middle of nowhere, when the fae kidnap Wren and Lark has to use her skills with the fiddle to get him back. (Kind of like a Devil Went Down to Georgia thing.) The fae are portrayed as capricious, deadly, and powerful. The books otherwise don’t have much to do with them. I’d really love to see a fae oriented book where the fae are portrayed this way.

I know Laurell K Hamilton did her Merry Gentry series, and yes, there are lots of horrifying parts to it (and not for the reason I think they were supposed to be horrifying.) But um, they’re erotica and for erotica they can be decent erotica. But for a fae story, they just don’t 100% hit it for me. Plus, she never finished them and it went to a really dark place (and I mean, like I thought she’d hit as dark as she could, but nooo.)

Now for the most out of the box creature book I’ve read is Terra Harmony’s the Rising. It involves mermaids and werewolves. Which, at first glance, don’t seem to have anything at all in common, but Terra works a way to give them something in common. The solution to the story is a bit horrifying, but I’m not sure I’d classify them as outright horror or even paranormal romance. Like Angela Knight’s the Mageverse series, the idea was very interesting to me. Plus, the mermaids are really well done.

I haven’t really seen books with gargoyles, mummies, djinn, actual sirens (sirens are birds, not fish) or secular books with demons in them. I don’t do zombies. Zombies are a hard no from me. So, here are some more interesting books for me books about creatures and witches.

Next week, I’ll be discussing classical horror and myths! Including some actual ghost stories and crypids. Once again, anyone is welcome to join in Booktober! Here is a handy image for next week’s prompt. (You don’t have to use it unless you want to do so.)

#booktober #writing tumblr #writrtumblr #amreading #amblogging #creatures #books #book #paranormal books #horror books #fantasy books #paranormal romance #urban fantasy books

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medproish · 6 years

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Ten years down the road, you couldn’t be blamed for wondering if this contest took place in 2008.

If you’re watching a replay of the Miami Heat’s 113-103 victory over the Philadelphia 76ers, you might be so blown away by Dwyane Wade‘s performance that you’re wholly convinced this was a showing taking place right in the heart of his prime.

Ben Simmons’ presence on the court should be a giveaway that you’re wrong. But let’s pretend you don’t notice the talented rookie and spend all 48 minutes either watching Wade cook or breathlessly waiting for him to strip off the warmups and get onto the hardwood.

How could you not think this was anything but a vintage display?

The 36-year-old shooting guard wound up recording 28 points, seven rebounds, three assists and two steals while shooting 11-of-16 from the field and 6-of-8 from the charity stripe. He was locked in on defense, bodied up against younger adversaries and constantly jumped into passing lanes on the perimeter. Wade even recorded a plus-16 when he was on the floor.

Now, the series is tied up at a game apiece. But can the Heat count on more heroics from their unexpected veteran savior?

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Especially in the wake of a resounding defeat to open the 2018 playoffs, the Heat did so much right during their Game 2 victory over the 76ers.

Josh Richardson, James Johnson and Justise Winslow hounded Simmons throughout the contest by throwing him off his game with full-court physicality and a determination to shut down passing lanes in favor of forcing him into a scoring role. Goran Dragic quietly racked up some nice offensive plays while Wayne Ellington put on a shotmaking display with an off-the-charts degree of difficulty. We can’t overlook Kelly Olynyk’s two-way contributions, either.

But Wade was still the star of the night, and that’s not a sentence we expected to write at this stage of the 2017-18 calendar.

His first half was a throwback masterpiece, as he recorded 21 points. The Sixers were subjected to an endless barrage of mid-range jumpers and crafty plays within the half-court set, helpless while he made the most of his patented pump fake and slashing skills. Without Wade, Philadelphia might’ve been able to stay somewhat close on a rough offensive night, rather than spending the entire third and fourth quarters attempting to engage in a furious rally that fell just short after, at one point, closing the margin to two points.

Allow yourself to get sentimental. Think about all the vintage showings from Wade we’ve seen in previous postseasons, before Father Time sapped some of his athleticism and prevented him from making so many explosive plays in a quick stretch. Monday night should remind you of the version that’s a veritable lock to make the Hall of Fame on the initial ballot.

Sure, Wade didn’t make much of an impact for lengthy stretches of the second half. But thanks to his first two quarters, he’d already put his teammates in a position to succeed. Playing with a double-digit advantage is a nice luxury for a deep team filled with veterans and an elite coach patrolling the sidelines.

Of course, that should also serve as a stark warning: Fun as Wade’s outing may have been, Miami can’t rely on him to bail out any lackluster performances at later dates in this series. He may have some magical possessions left in the tank, but counting on continued excellence is a massive ask.

Lest we forget, Wade averaged just 12.0 points, 3.4 rebounds and 3.1 assists while shooting 40.9 percent from the field, 22.0 percent from downtown and 74.5 percent at the stripe after his midseason return to the Heat. The advanced stats aren’t particularly pretty, either. He finished the year ranked No. 344 in ESPN.com’s real plus/minus and No. 495 in win shares per 48 minutes—numbers not exactly indicative of a reliable playoff hero.

But don’t view this as a Debbie-downer attempt. We’re not trying to spoil the fun, because recognizing the unsustainability of Wade-as-hero and acknowledging the entertainment of his throwback aren’t mutually exclusive.

He was excellent on Monday night. The Heat are going to need other players to step up as they try to take control of this series. Both can be true.

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Focusing on Simmons and Joel Embiid is easy. Each hyper-marketable star is arguably a top-20 talent, but these 76ers have still become so much more than a two-man show—or a one-man wrecking ball with Embiid still recovering from his facial fracture.

Before the All-Star break, Philadelphia didn’t get much out of its bench. The second unit was outscored by 3.2 points per 100 possessions during that early stretch, which left it ranked No. 22 throughout the Association. But that narrative has flipped 180 degrees after some key midseason additions, to the point that the bench’s net rating skyrocketed to 6.3—No. 2 in the league, trailing only the Detroit Pistons (7.5)—during the 15 games heading into the postseason.

Those key cogs were on full display Monday night, despite the losing efforts.

Ersan Ilyasova, who tortured Hassan Whiteside and rendered the stud center virtually unplayable in Game 1, continued strutting his stuff in the starting lineup—a role change made necessary by Embiid’s absence. The power forward finished with 14 points and 11 rebounds on 7-of-10 shooting, and his energy on the offensive boards kept Philadelphia alive in the first half when no shots seemed destined to find nylon. Amir Johnson filled a similar role, while Marco Belinelli continued drilling off-balance shots.

And that’s saying nothing of the other typical starters who don’t fall into the Embiid/Simmons category.

Hot shooting from Dario Saric nearly closed the gap during the second half, as he continued to look the part of a Most Improved Player candidate. His growth as a defender, distributor and efficient tertiary scorer doesn’t garner nearly as much interest as stories about the superstars, but it’s been vital to Philadelphia’s quick ascent up the Eastern Conference hierarchy.

Ditto for JJ Redick and Robert Covington, though their combined 2-of-16 showing from beyond the arc was a key culprit for the Game 2 loss. One of those makes even came in garbage time.

Don’t be surprised when these guys prove the difference-makers in a series now guaranteed to go at least five games.

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The Heat executed their plan brilliantly by slowing down the proceedings against the 76ers and gumming up the half-court set from start to finish. They were physical against Simmons by forced him to become more of a scorer than a distributor, which goes against all his natural inclinations.

That’s exactly how you beat the current Philadelphia iteration, even if no one else had been able to do so during the Sixers’ 17-game winning streak that ended Monday.

But that plan might not work so well once Embiid is back on the floor, recovered from his orbital fracture enough that he can at least enter the fray and start making an impact. Not only does his defensive prowess help prevent driving lanes from the Heat, but his offensive game is just what the hosts were missing.

As Philadelphia head coach Brett Brown explained after the game, per Kyle Neubeck of Philly Voice, “You need Joel Embiid. … I felt tonight it was a really strong example of how you wished you had him.”

When games slow down and points become hard to come by, you need a go-to scorer who can create for himself on a consistent basis. Talented as Simmons and his supporting cast are, that’s the one thing they’re missing without the superstar center. Granted, a standout game from Markelle Fultz might’ve changed this, but the rookie point guard logged only five minutes and missed all three of his shots.

Embiid can function as that go-to scorer. He’s comfortable commandeering possessions and knocking down shots out of the post, and Miami’s only recourse when he gets hot would involve throwing a second defender at him and opening either a slashing lane or shooting opportunity.

During the regular season, just three members of the Philly roster took even three field-goal attempts per game after holding the ball for between two and six seconds. Fultz (in limited showings, given the mysterious shoulder ailment) took 3.6 and made 41.2 percent. Simmons checked in at 5.5 and 52.5 percent, though many of those were line drives knifing through transition defenses.

Embiid was at 7.5 attempts, converting them at a 54 percent clip. Throw him into the mix, and the complexion of this series may well change yet again. We certainly know he’s motivated, given the NSFW message he shared, per Neubeck, in a since-deleted Instagram post after the game.

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Hats off to the San Antonio Spurs for their valiant effort in Game 2. A 116-101 loss is nothing to be ashamed of, particularly because they held a lead for so much of the proceedings and gave themselves some semblance of hope for a future victory. LaMarcus Aldridge was a phenomenal offensive presence, dueling as best he could with 34 points and 12 boards on 11-of-21 shooting from the field and a perfect 12-of-12 showing at the stripe.

But the Spurs’ greatest achievement is one with which they won’t be particularly happy. Thanks to their inspired play on both ends of the floor, they managed something precious few teams have been capable of doing since the All-Star break.

They awoke the beast.

Golden State finally faced significant adversity during a game with real stakes—”punched in the mouth,” as head coach Steve Kerr said during an in-game interview on the TNT broadcast—and responded to said adversity as you might expect from a group of defending champions.

From the third quarter through the end of the contest, the Dubs showcased that explosive spurtability the basketball-watching world has come to expect.

Kevin Durant, who finished with 32 points, six rebounds and six assists, heated up, draining pull-up threes and getting to his spots so easily you could see the outlines of flames rising up from his jersey. The defense looked fully engaged, switching on screens and rotating seamlessly to contest perimeter jumpers after doubling down on LaMarcus Aldridge in the post.

After Durant went on his 13-point tear during the third quarter, Klay Thompson took over with his spot-up prowess to drop 16 in the fourth. You know, because you might as well use all the weapons in that deep arsenal.

A 22-10 run against a Gregg Popovich-coached team is always special, especially because it came while Stephen Curry was watching from the sidelines and excitedly cheering for his comrades—sometimes before the shot swished through the net. It’s just the latest evidence these Warriors still have that extra gear only available to special squads.

Need a big stop? It could come from anywhere. Need buckets? Plenty of stars can go nuclear, and the deadliest of them is waiting to make his postseason debut until the second round.

A locked-in version of Golden State remains terrifying, particularly to a Spurs squad devoid of the same levels of upper-tier talent.

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If you don’t think Kyle Anderson has become a high-quality basketball player, you need to start paying attention to more than just the points-per-game statistic. All season long, the UCLA product has been a defensive stalwart for the Spurs, using his knack for positioning, cerebral acuity and lanky arms to wreak havoc within the half-court set.

But as was the case for lengthy stretches of the Spurs’ 116-101 loss to the Warriors in Game 2 of their first-round series, that doesn’t mean he’s impervious to matchups. Popovich benched him in favor of Rudy Gay to start the contest, and Anderson’s minutes were sporadic after an ugly airball on a corner three late in the first quarter sent him back to the pine.

Anderson re-entered the fray near the end of the third quarter, but only once Durant had caught fire and willed the Golden State offense back toward its regular-season level. That speaks volumes, since the slow-moving forward has been one of the few defenders capable of slowing the Warriors star throughout the 2017-18 campaign.

But that ability doesn’t change the problem that originally diminished Anderson’s playing time.

He remains an offensive liability who struggles with his shooting motion and can often be left unguarded when he goes cold. That’s been the case throughout this first-round series, as he’s now followed up an 0-of-2 showing in 11 Game 1 minutes with another goose egg from the field.

Anderson, who checked in as the No. 45 player entering the postseason in my joint rankings with Dan Favale, is at his best when operating as a primary pick-and-roll ball-handler, but that strategy simply doesn’t work against a quick, athletic and stifling Golden State defense with length in the paint and at the point of attack. And when he’s forced into a spot-up role, he can be left in the corner while double-teams are sent in Aldridge’s direction.

The 24-year-old is a good player, typically proficient enough from the corners to avoid becoming this much of an offensive anchor. He’ll deserve a significant payday when he enters restricted free agency this offseason. But that doesn’t make him an ideal fit in a matchup against the Warriors, who figure to remain near or at the top of the Western Conference throughout the foreseeable future.

That alone means his future under Popovich could be in doubt.

Adam Fromal covers the NBA for Bleacher Report. Follow him on Twitter: @fromal09.

Unless otherwise indicated, all stats from Basketball Reference, NBA.com, NBA Math or ESPN.com.

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