Playing the Game
Basketball is my favorite sport of all time. But it's more than just a sport. It's a dance, really. Just you and your man. Your mission (should you choose to play the game) is to find a way to dance around him to get to the basket. If you can do this going both to your right and your left you have a nice leg up on the competition. Being ambidextrous in the sport I have that advantage. The ability to use both hands is a fun thing to boast, but it does come with a price.
In every activity I do other than playing my favorite sport I use my right as my dominant hand, but when I shoot using my left just feels natural. In fact I've been doing it for so long that I can now look back and realize when I was learning the game I didn't even understand the importance of using my weaker hand. The only problem for me is that I've got all my touch in my right hand, so when I shoot one handed, drive, or spin away I do so better using my right side. The further I am from the basket, the less that right hand can play a part in my shot and the less accuracy I have, limiting me to be an 18-foot-and-in player. Sad story, huh? If you've read anything I've written before or know me at all you'll be able to sniff out the sarcasm. But seriously for someone who loves the game as much as I do and the hours I've put in practicing my shot, it is a shame that God didn't give me the gift of being able to shoot with my natural hand. Practicing lefty has been like banging my head against the wall of progress.
What else though?
Like everyone else I play better and enjoy the game more when I'm looser. When I'm nervous (usually in bigger games) I shy away from the ball on offense which causes me to pause midway through the game with the question, "Why am I even playing?" At this point I start to feel like that old man who's lost almost all of his ability and mobility and just plays the game because it brings back those warm old feelings, poor play and all. What I have to do more of is take reference from my memory rolodex of Steve "Snapper" Jones' voice saying "No matter what the circumstances, you play better when you're not worried about messin' up." That quote hasn't quite made the cut yet, but maybe after this blog it'll stick.
I'm tall for streetball — 6'2". I've got long arms, which can piss off any offensive player when I choose to play good defense. I like to jump into the passing lanes (ala Jason Kidd) and snag the ball. I've got a below average first step on offense and defense, while making up for that by finding interesting ways to either get to the basket or back to my man defensively.
I play against girls and guys but we always say "that's my man."
Watching the Game
Only when I've been balling a lot recently can I watch a game on T.V. and envision being out on the court with the players. I'll pick out a guy
who makes a play I like and watch him for a while exclusively. When hearing about how good the defense is
that Jason Kidd brings to Team U.S.A, during a pre-olympic game I'll start to focus on every move of Kidd's and see what he does that I don't. Maybe today he'll show me how to move my feet better and not get beat off the dribble. Watching during this special time gives me ideas on how to improve my game.
On offense you don't need to focus your eyes on the ball the entire time like most people do. Watching Rip Hamilton or Reggie Miller run his defender from one side of the floor to the other, through screen after screen and seeing how that defender goes about ducking around those guys while making his own route to the shooter can be as entertaining as anything the game has to offer.
It's like that thing you always hear from young NBA stars when they're interviewed and they say they learned the game by watching Michael Jordan. Another example that will be talked about endlessly during the Olympics is how the Dream Team in the '92 Barcelona games inspired children across Europe to put down the soccer balls and pick up a basketball. Watching the game can carry over to how you play the game, and as I have found it works both ways.
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