I’ll be sitting there on a random Wednesday night in February, playing Charlotte or something, and it’s like, why am I feeling frustrated right now? It’s a made up — reality TV is what we’re watching. And yet, it’s not.
If you haven’t read Iain Reid’s novels, it’s likely you’ve heard of — or watched — their film adaptations. I’m Thinking of Ending Things was adapted and directed by Charlie Kaufman, Foe by Garth Davis and Reid, and We Spread is currently in development. I haven’t seen all the movies but Iain’s writing is a lot about the connections between people: where relationships unravel, how they can grow tenuous, how we understand the world and ourselves through other people. I had a hunch he might see basketball through the same prism of people.
We talked about what playing basketball is to his writing — when it shifts from passive to active, from procrastination to inspiration — and how his appreciation for playing has changed over time, identifying as “bad athletes” (and who in the NBA feels relatable in this way), growing up with a dad who was a college basketball coach, and being part of the scrimmage team for the Queen’s University women’s basketball team.
We also talked about his Raptors fandom, where it started and how it’s evolved; how fandom asks for a certain suspension or resistance to logic, the appeal to watching teams with low to no stakes, and current intriguing NBA relationships.
Plus: Teaching, the Fab Five, when teams feel like living entities, cheap and meddling front offices, the hierarchy of officiating calls, American media bias vs. Canadian teams, a new punishment proposal for flopping, and deep Dillon Brooks appreciation.
