Losing can breed disgust or apathy, and the Tokyo Apache have fallen on hard times in the bj-league's fifth season.
Dropping six straight games, they take a 5-13 record, worst in the Eastern Conference and tied for the lousiest record in the league, into a three-week layoff. Now, they know their season can regain a level of respectability with a dramatic turnaround, but the deck is stacked against them.
In their latest loss, the Apache blew a 25-point lead in Thursday's 70-65 defeat to the defending champion Ryukyu Golden Kings at Yoyogi National Gymnasium No. 2.