I think a couple of things have fueled the rebirth of my basketball jones. Reading Bill Simmons certainly played a big role. He is undoubtedly my favorite sports writer, and the passion, wit, and intelligence with which he writes about basketball is super contagious. In fact, I could probably point to the day I started reading his Book of Basketball as the day I began to come home to hoops (this is a hindsight call- at the time, I didn't realize it fully). It was like 700 pages reminding me what I love about the game.
Actually, now that I think about it, Simmons is probably the whole reason that I came back to hoops. It certainly wasn't the NBA itself. Sure, last season was extremely compelling (with a sweet feeling at the end) but then they went into lockout mode and it looked like the season would be canceled (note: in sports labor disputes, I always root for seasons to be canceled- I just think it's good for perspective)...then the game came back and Simmons wrote a bajillion articles in a short period of time, and I was pretty much hooked. So thanks, Bill.
Really though, I don't think it was too much of a stretch to get back into it- the love was not buried in an unmarked grave, and so rekindling it from its hibernation was surprisingly simple. Indeed, as I wrote in my basketball eulogy-
Basketball has this beautiful cadence about it. The bouncing of the ball against the hard wood floor. The squeak of the tennis shoes. The swish of the net. And the eloquence of the motion- a crossover dribble, a behind the back pass, three pointers from the corner, a sweet pick-and-roll.
I think more than any other sport, basketball is woven into my DNA, and as much as I may try to, I'll never be completely rid of my need for it. It's like my own Ring of Power. Purchasing NBA 2k11 (probably the most realistic sports simulation EVER) pretty much sealed the deal- between Grantland.com and my PS3, I'll be able to maintain my basketball crush indefinitely.
Last nights Boston-Miami showdown also reinforced basketball as my sport du jour. And as unlikely as this may seem, LeBron James was the main protagonist. Not in a 'hahaha FAIL' way either- but by putting on a masterpiece of a performance in last nights Game 6 win against the Boston Celtics. I've never been a LeBron fan- in fact, I previously wrote this about the social enigma:
He's not the first (or only) athlete to think and act like he's bigger than the game...but gosh darn it does he annoy me. The whole macho-angry-scowl thing, the talcum powder toss, the Decision, the complaining during his rookie year when he wasn't named to the all-star team- it's ridiculous.
I suppose I'll always be a "hater", but I can also see that James is far and away the best player of this generation. Still, even with all of his accomplishments and accolades and statistical feats, I had never ever EVER seen anything from him (or any other player for that matter) like I witnessed last night. Mind=blown.
The stat line is certainly impressive- 45 points on 19-26 shooting (2-4 from beyond the arc), 15 rebounds, 5 assists, played the first 45 minutes straight- and the historical context makes it even more so- elimination game, on the road, against his previous personal dementor, the Celtics...but did you see it? LeBron was locked in like I've never seen him locked in before. The macho-act was gone, replaced by a stone-cold stoicism more often seen in the greatest killer the world has ever known.
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| Although with those wrist blades, I'll bet it's really hard to catch a bounce pass |
And there were some big shots, too. When I started watching the game, Boston was down 22-12, and that's pretty much where they stayed until the end- always hanging around that 8-12 point deficit, always threatening to make a move but never quite getting there- because of LeBron James. Whenever Boston started to put a couple buckets and stops together, James would come down and make some dagger shot Miami would go on another mini-run. It was unreal.
I will never be a Heat fan because of this (I'm confident that unless you're a Miami homer, you won't be either after you watch the video) but I am a fan of beauty, and the way LeBron James played last night was so logically beautiful, so unemotionally brilliant, that I not only have to tip my hat to him, but I have to say I really enjoyed watching him play. Rather, I got to see LeBron the basketball player play last night, and that is so much more awesome than watching LeBron the showman or LeBron the global icon.
I still don't think I'll ever "root" for LeBron, but I have gained a new appreciation for him as a competitor and someone who takes his craft (and not just himself) seriously. Congratulations LeBron- you've earned all the praise that comes your way for that performance.
But enough about my anti-crush. Let's talk Rajon Rondo. Last night was my first time seeing him play and I have to say I was quite impressed by him as well. Since I've only missed the bandwagon by about five years, I won't be covering anything that hasn't been covered before- but still, the dude is one heck of a floor general. He plays hard and seems to have total command of what's going on in the game at both ends of the floor. If James hadn't been in Seek-and-destroy mode, Rondo would have been the most phenomenal dude on the court.
He's an amazing passer- both in his understanding of angles and his execution of simple plays. Yes, he had 7 turnovers last night, but he made at least that many plays that made me say "wow"- either for their degree of difficulty or the ease of their simplicity. I loved how, after the Heat made a free throw (or any stoppage of play, really), he'd let the ball slowly roll up the court before touching it, giving the Celtics a fuller 24 second clock for their halfcourt offense as well as extending the game. I've always wondered why most teams wait until the end of close games before implementing such a strategy. After witnessing Rondo pull it off a handful of times, I'm convinced it's one of the smartest things you could ever do.
I think what impressed most about Rondo was his ability to convert a dribble immediately into a pass. Many basketball players can do this, but Rondo did this so seamlessly that it seemed like he must have the ball on a string.
And besides, he possibly has the coolest athlete name ever. Rajon has a very majestic-yet-silky texture that just sort of massages your tongue as it rolls over it, and his last name is even cooler:
PICS- Ezio- http://www.cosplayisland.co.uk/files/costumes/1671/54204/Ezio-Auditore-de-Firenze--Assassins-Creed-2-psd27127.png
Rambo- http://moviecarpet.com/iwave/images/14/o-rambo-5-will-be-his-last-stand-all-unforgiven-style.jpg
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