NBA players put in lots of work and endure difficult travel schedules, but one of their great rewards is a life of relative luxury. They fly on chartered jets. They stay in nice hotels. They get a reasonable per-diem to use as they please. They have food provided for them when they don’t get a chance to go out. And, of course, they get hot water for their showers.

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OK, so the last one isn’t exactly emblematic of the high life in a multi-billion-dollar business. But the Chicago Bulls certainly missed the joy of a hot shower in the aftermath of Wednesday night’s 108-97 Game 5 loss to the Boston Celtics at TD Garden. According to Dwyane Wade, they were without that luxury after the game:

TD Garden opened in 1995, so there’s a non-zero chance the hot water malfunction was a coincidence. However, those who remember the peculiarities of the old Boston Garden might be forgiven for thinking there’s something else at play. ESPN’s Rachel Nichols tweeted out a helpful reminder:

As such things go, not having hot water after a pivotal playoff loss is probably more “annoying bummer” than “nefarious act of the opposition designed to throw you off your game.” But small differences can often have big impacts in close series.

Oh, and we now have an explanation for why Fred Hoibert abruptly left his press conference on Wednesday night. He didn’t dislike the question about Isaiah Thomas’s alleged carrying — he just wanted to make sure he got back to the hotel in time for a comfortable rinse. Coaches need them, too!

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Eric Freeman is a writer for Ball Don’t Lie on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at efreeman_ysports@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter!

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