The Greatest Game… …Ever

The goal of the game is to put a ball which has a 9 inch diameter into a hoop that has an 18 inch diameter.

It seems pretty easy.

But then you realize that the hoop is 10 feet high. Also, there are some problematic elements that make it harder to put the ball into the hoop.

Mainly, these boil down to the fact that there is a person who is 2 inches taller than you who is dedicated to doing whatever is necessary to stop you from putting this ball into that hoop.

That person is even willing to slap you on the arm which you are attempting to use for this purpose.

Nevertheless, you keep playing the game. You keep playing because since you were 11 years old and you saw a man named Michael Jordan on TV and you realized that there was something special about this game and if you played it, it would give you much joy.

And so you kept on playing it. And despite the fact that that 2 inch taller guy kept getting in your way, and despite the fact that the hoop was 10 feet hight, you figured out a way to get that 9 inch ball into that 18 inch hoop.

Sometimes you did it from 19 feet away from the hoop; sometimes you did it from 4 feet away and used a large piece of glass to make it happen.

And every time that 9 inch ball went into that 18 inch hoop, you felt a little piece of joy that was unlike any joy you had ever felt.

You never got tired of it. It never got boring. And 20 years later you find yourself still trying to get it done.

And if you ever thought, even for a second, that you should think of doing something else for fun, along came a man named Lebron who reminded you that this goal of putting that ball into that hoop is worth continuing to strive for.

Because this is the best sport in the world. It is the best sport, and maybe the only sport, that was ever created. And it is called Basketball.

And I love this game.

dan

p.s. Go Cavs! You have my cheers against the spurs this year.