I'm So Nasty at Basketball

...against 13-year-old kids.

Recently, my friends and I have started playing basketball at a nearby playground. We normally play Ultimate (Frisbee) on Saturday mornings but with the Celtics still competing in the NBA Finals, excitement for basketball has peaked and we've been playing basketball instead. So this past Saturday, my friends and I started by shooting around for a bit. We then played a game of "Free" where basically it's every man for himself. Only four of us played but the scores remained close throughout so it was really fun.

Here were some observations from our game:
1. I shot free-throws like Shaq. No wait, I shot way worse than that. I shot free-throws like Rondo.
2. I can't hit a jump-shot to save my life. I could build a house with all of those bricks.
3. Apparently I run in slow motion and elevate like I have 10 lbs weights strapped to my ankles.
4. I am an expert at dribbling...off my own leg.
5. I have the conditioning of a nose tackle in football.

After the game of "Free", one of my friends had to leave to work on some wedding planning. The three of us who remained were then challenged to a game of 3-on-3 by some local youths, probably in their early teens. We accepted their challenge as a drizzle started to fall.

I was a little nervous. The kids had the edge in quickness and energy. They chased down several loose balls and were unafraid to make cuts to the basket. They seemed undaunted by the slick playing surface. Their tallest player was able to hit on a few outside shots.

Meanwhile, I am old and was pretty winded from our previous game. What I obviously lacked in energy, hustle, and skills, I had to make up for with my savvy veteran craftiness. I repeatedly abused my old-man's move to back down my defender until he was directly underneath the hoop to score. I also got lucky and hit a few jumpers as well. The rest of my teammates moved well without the basketball so I was able to find them for some easy layups.

After watching the C's, I've learned a few things about help-defense. So on one play, one of our opponents was able to get past my teammate and was about to score on an uncontested layup. *SMACK* It was so much fun swatting the ball out of play, though it was probably a bit excessive against someone half my age (and possibly half my size). I suppose it could have been worse if I also yelled out, "Get that weak stuff outta here!"

My friends and I eventually won the game. Our egos will remain intact for at least another week. The final score was something like 15 to 11. It sure feels good to play basketball again. It feels even better that we won a game. And lastly, it feels good knowing that I still have some gas left in the tank.