Basketball 11 Apr 2010 01:35 pm
The Real Beautiful Game
When I watch basketball, I wait for those moments that lift me out of my seat. I wait for those moments that amaze and surprise me to the point that the vision of that moment remains in my mind four or five plays later. I wait for that “wow” factor, as it is called. To me, a play is truly stunning if I have to call someone over, who had missed it, and tell them to stand in front of the TV and wait for the replay. The moment is that great that it just cannot be experienced alone. This is why I watch basketball.
I do not watch for the powerful dunk that gets most people out of their seats. I watch for the silky smooth reverse layup. I do not watch for the highlight reel swat out-of-bounds. I watch for the solid, deceiving defensive stance that leads to a turnover. I choose the fundamental over the freakish. Why? Because I can repeat that if I want to. I can relate to what Ray Allen does because he does not have that out-of-this-world athletic ability. I cannot say the same about LeBron James or Dwight Howard. Their dunks and blocked shots cannot be repeated or related to. It is this factor that makes me see the game differently.
Take this: I jumped out of my seat when Ray Allen took the ball on a two-on-one fastbreak against the Toronto Raptors last week, faked the pass to the wing by going around-the-back to trick the defender, and finished the layup. He also drew the foul and finished the three-point play at the foul line soon after. In this situation, Ray Allen “wowed” me. Now switch the players. Let’s say LeBron took the ball on a fastbreak, blew by two defenders, rose up and delivered a one-handed tomahawk jam right on one of the Raptor players. And, he drew the foul in the process. Now, I cannot deny that this would not be an amazing play, considering that he has done this numerous times and I have witnessed it (not to reference the corny Nike ad). But, the Ray Allen play stuck in mind because it was so beautiful, so silky smooth, so flawless. It made me want to do the same thing in the gym right after the game. This is the difference.
This is the definition of the “wow” effect. If a play gets you out of your seat, forces you to call someone over to watch it as well, and tempts you to imitate that play in the gym afterward, you were “wowed”. With this particular play as an example, a “wow” moment is why I watch the game. It is what gives basketball its grace and beauty.