24-58

And I guess I really don't have to say too much more. The rest of the NBA is gearing up for the "second season," but the once-proud Celtics are all heading home. Haven't watched too much of their season this year anyway, although what little I've seen of these last few games has actually been fairly entertaining -- our young guys playing against the end of the bench of two Championship-caliber teams -- both groups essentially playing for their future in the league, and playing their hearts out, just like they were back on the playground where "winners" get to keep the court and the losers have to wait for "next."

My own season is starting to wind down too. Maybe six more games this spring, before I leave for a ten day "job audition" in Portland (ME not OR), and after that who knows how long my guys will continue to play into the summer. There are a couple of Sunday afternoon games I may check out between now and then, since I understand they play a little longer. But at best I have a month or so to play once I get back from Maine, before I have to starting thinking about the logistics of moving there permanently, and finding a new gym, and a new group of guys to play with.

And that's tough. Exciting, in the sense that they won't know me and I won't know them, and so I have another chance to surprise a few people by doing things that no one would think from looking at me that I'm capable of doing. And I'll need to remember to share the ball and play "D" and not look too much for my own shot...all the little things that good players appreciate, and the "less-good" players don't even see....

I've sometimes daydreamed about writing a book called "Pick-Up Basketball by the Numbers." A book for casual, recreational players like myself about knowing how to figure out whether you're the first option or the last option on a particular squad, and getting the ball into the hands of the guy who SHOULD be making things happen. About knowing whether you are a "big" or a "quick," someone who plays best in the post or out on the perimeter, whether you are a slasher or a spot-up shooter or someone who likes to play with his back to the basket, and (most importantly of all) HOW TO RECOGNIZE THE SKILLS OF YOUR TEAMMATES AND FIGURE OUT WHERE YOU FIT IN, SO THAT YOU CAN ALL PLAY TOGETHER RATHER THAN COMPETING WITH ONE ANOTHER TO GET "YOUR" SHOT. You know, little things like proper spacing and sharing the ball, when to trap and when to stay home, and how to rotate out of a trap to match-up again and prevent the wide-open lay-up when your opponents also figure out how to set screens and make the extra pass.

There's just so much...and even guys who played organized ball when they were younger often don't get it, since they typically were taught a specific system of play rather than the so-called FundaMENTALS of basketball itself. I'm talking about much more simple skills than knowing how to execute (and break) a 2-2-1 full-court zone press. Little things like BAFFLE (Balance the Floor, Attack the Basket, Fill Back to the Ball, Fake!, Look for the Open Teammate, Execute the Extra Pass to Earn an Easy Basket) and ROAR (Rebound the ball, Outlet Quickly, Attack down the middle, Run the Floor), or "Trap and Gap." How to communicate on both offense and defense, how to run (and defend) the pick-and-roll, the give-and-go, the curl, the back-door cut, and all the other subtle nuances of the Game...including of course John Wooden's classic "move quickly, but never hurry." Just the thing those of us still playing in our fifties really need to remember.

Anyway, last night's run was only semi-satisfying...lots of good players out, but only 15 total (which meant that nobody had to sit too long). But we never quite got the teams right, which meant a few pretty lopsided victories...I knocked down my only basket of the evening -- a three I needed to shout into the basket when it started to dance on the rim a bit -- to win one of those early lopsided games, and after that had to content myself with trying not to create too many turnovers, and doing my best to rebound and defend. Oh wait, I did get a wide-open run-out lay-up on a cherry-picking expedition...which did get a little exciting when the outlet pass was thrown behind me and I had to wait for it. Ended the night playing with four guys I all like very much, but who weren't sharing the ball very well at all...way too many attempts to create shots for themselves off the dribble, which meant that I didn't see that many touches, and we got our asses kicked pretty handily. But what the hell. Got my pulse rate up and didn't get hurt, so I guess it was a good night.

Was also playing in new shoes last night -- one of three (nearly) identical pairs of Nikes I picked up on sale at Sears for $32/pair. I say nearly identical because I bought both a white pair and a black pair in my usual size, and then another black pair a size and a half larger, because I wanted to see whether they would better accomodate my prescription orthotics, my ankle wraps, and the THREE pairs of socks I've been playing in lately. Those were the shoes I was wearing last night, and I actually got to the gym early just to try them out, and to see whether a little extra warm-up and stretching might help me play a little better than I feel like I've been playing lately. But the only difference I could see was that I also felt OK about leaving a little earlier too. Meanwhile, my old "game" shoes now become my practice shoes, and my old practice shoes are now my "playground" pair. Which also means (God forbid!) I now get to throw a pair out if I want to...