At the beginning of every season, every player, coach and fan has a goal they’d like to see their team achieve. They may not share it all the time — coaches often express different expectations to their players, like winning the next game on the schedule, rather than looking at the big picture — but the long-range hopes are there nonetheless. And I can imagine that when the season finally comes to a close, most often earlier than they all had hoped, there is an extended period of emptiness.
Mitchell: Even top teams fall in the playoffs
