Basketball Diary

[Rake2204]

Showed up for our playoff game last night, won, then found out we had to play a second game an hour later... against Lindsey Hunter's team again. Had a five-point lead on them at halftime but lost again. I think they're going to run the table.

I was technically a guest in this league, joining a team midway through. I think the worst thing that could have happened was dropping 33 my first week, for I spent much of the rest of the games chasing those numbers, often at the expense of other aspects of my game.

Finally, last night, I went out of my way not to score (unless super clearly presented) and tried to right the ship in all the other aspects of my game. Unfortunately, I probably hurt us by being a little too unaggressive, but I think maybe I'm setting myself up to find a better balance moving forward. Played tougher defense, passed mostly well (except for an overpass here or there), rebounded way better on the defensive glass (still need to get back to offensive boards), and played totally under control.

The next step will be ramping the scoring back up while continuing to keep all those other areas in check.

Some rec. league vets here may find this humorous, I don't know: I drew four charges in our first game last night, haha. I also committed one myself. Official said he'd never called so many charges in a rec. game in his life (other players drew some too). Opponent ran out of players due to fouls, had to finish four-on-five.

[L3B120N J4M35]

guys I'm having a lot of trouble bringing the ball up the floor on the break. I always lose it bringing it up

[Lebron23]

guys I'm having a lot of trouble bringing the ball up the floor on the break. I always lose it bringing it up

Use some pro grip. You can buy it at some Sports Stores.

[Rake2204]

Put things all together during last rec. game. Played hard in many realms, re-implemented sizable scoring attack, won handily. Felt good.

[NBAplayoffs2001]

Saw a guy pull a couple Kobe post moves and deep threes in game today. He swished all of them. It was nice

[NBAplayoffs2001]

3/8 7 points (1 3, 2 close-mid shots) in a 24-22 loss. 3-4 rebounds. Few blown assignments despite 2 steals. Didn't look for my shot nearly as much. Took way too many 3s.

[NBAplayoffs2001]

Speed Kills. My greatest assets is my speed. I am really good at the Open Court.

I wish I still had my speed . My knees went to sh*t in recent years.

[Lebron23]

I wish I still had my speed . My knees went to sh*t in recent years.

Drink some milk, or eat any dairy products.

[Lebron23]

Only scored 9 points ( 1 points shot, 3 tear drop layup) in 8 minutes. We won the score is 76-42. First time I played full court basketball since I injured my ankle ( Grade II Ankle Sprain.)

[Rake2204]

Welp, my basketball experiences have come full circle in the last month. I went from playing against former pro's in my rec league to a day last week when I played 3-on-3 against a group of players that included two middle schoolers. They were really impressed with my ability to make a standard reverse layup.

[Rake2204]

Last night I weaved past a defender, had an unstable takeoff, and finished with a rattle/rimgrab/layup hybrid. It was by no means a dunk, but considering my drop-off on in-game dunks since I turned 30, and my confidence drop due to wondering if those days were done, that finish was a good sign. With a good takeoff - maybe in the open floor - I might feel better about attempting to truly dunk again.

[Underballer]

Last night I weaved past a defender, had an unstable takeoff, and finished with a rattle/rimgrab/layup hybrid. It was by no means a dunk, but considering my drop-off on in-game dunks since I turned 30, and my confidence drop due to wondering if those days were done, that finish was a good sign. With a good takeoff - maybe in the open floor - I might feel better about attempting to truly dunk again.

30 is nothing for the average joe, even one that plays every day. 30 in the NBA is still somewhat young, but keep in mind, they play 82 games a season, have practices, go through injuries, fly all the time, and have other stuff like national teams and random games to top it off

[Rake2204]

30 is nothing for the average joe, even one that plays every day. 30 in the NBA is still somewhat young, but keep in mind, they play 82 games a season, have practices, go through injuries, fly all the time, and have other stuff like national teams and random games to top it off

Yeah, the psychology of turning 30 (now 31) messes with my head a bit.

Even if it doesn't mean I'll see a big drop off, it does probably mean my athletic peak may be a few years behind me, in terms of leaping ability anyway. So there's kind of the wonder of "Is today the day where, regardless of my strength and shape, I just can't explode quite like I used to?"

For comparison, LeBron James is close to me in age. And while he still has many moments where he looks like the same LeBron we've always known, in terms of elevation and explosion (like his windmill against Boston in the first round), he doesn't seem to get to that point quite as often as he used to.

Obviously, James is on a different planet from me, but it's a similar notion. I feel my athleticism is still mostly all there, just I can't hit my peak explosion as often as I used to.

[Lebron23]

Just practiced shooting the ball after the game.

[Lebron23]

Just scored 21 points. Our team losses because only 5 players played for our team.