Basketball Is Life

This is not a sports post so Carrie and Michelle can continue reading, I promise. The whole Basketball is Life metaphor may have been done already (see One Tree Hill...I don't, I just heard about it from my sister and observe my wife's passing interest in it), but I thought I'd give my spin on this metaphor.

They say the NBA is a game of runs. One team may jump out to a big lead but you know that their opponent will make a spirited comeback at some point. The ability to counter that comeback determines whether that initial leads holds or not.

In addition, anyone who has played basketball for an extended period of time has noticed that they have days where anything they throw in the air goes through the hoop and then without explanation nothing goes in no matter how easy, open or close they are to the hoop. It is a great feeling to be in the zone as it is called and play with all the confidence in the world. On the flip side, it may be the most frustrating feeling to do everything right and still be unable to make one stinking shot.

Teams can experience the same phenomenon. They can "click" on all cylinders passing the ball crisply and accurately, getting easy shots and making them as well as grabbing every rebound on both ends of the court and staying in the face of their opponent every time they try to shoot. Their energy can seem to be at full power and unending. Then before that very same game is over, they find themselves sputtering and stagnant, unable to do what they want and are usually capable of doing. The very same team in the very same arena playing the very same opponent on the very same day.

Life is like this.

You have periods where you feel like you can do no wrong. Whatever you say or do and feel is right. Without even trying, you ace a test or you understand a concept you are learning in school. Maybe you accomplish a task at work with ease. You walk up to that girl or guy and say the perfect thing that attracts them and accurately demonstrates the awesome person you are. You feel good and do good things as a result. People shower you with praise and adulation. You feel like you can conquer the world! If only more people listened to you, the world would be a better place for all! You should write a book about how to live life.

Then without notice or anticipation, BAM! Nothing seems to go right. You stumble over yourself with that girl or guy you met only last week. You fail a test at school or just can't grasp the concept your teacher is presenting no matter how much you read, listen or study (Exhibit A: My attempt at a Math major and the immediate inability to make it through the last course of calculus). You screw up a major task at work and you let down your fellow workers and boss. You say things you regret to people you care about. You feel downright angry and pitiful. "How did this happen?" you wonder. I might be the worst person who every walked this planet. Everything goes wrong for me. And the pity party begins.

But most of the game is made up of a back and forth of buckets or missed shots on the offensive end and buckets or stops on the defensive end. Outside of a random dunk or blocked shot, a good day or bad day, most of the events go unnoticed soon after they occur. The runs are what stick in your head.

I would like to think that I haven't reached halftime of my game yet. I hope I am somewhere in the second quarter. So the outcome of my game is far from determined. There is a lot of game left to be played and I still can make some halftime adjustments.

I don't want to lose my game. I want to win.

Right now, I feel as though my opponent is going on one of those runs. I started out of the gate pretty quick. I took an early lead. My teammates set me up and I have been carrying my share for most of this quarter. But I am starting to have a hard time. I can't buy a bucket right now. Every rebound is bouncing their way. Each time I think I get a stop, I get called for a foul. I am trying to stick to the fundamentals and do what I was taught and what I learned on my own, but nothing seems to be working. I can't stop the other squad from scoring and they are getting easy points in the paint. They are out hustling me. They are just too physical for me right now.

I have tried to take my timeouts effectively, but even those are unable to stop the bleeding. Part of the reason may be the fact that I don't have a coach. I am getting lost out here. What has worked for me up until now isn't working. The coach I had didn't see eye to eye with me. I didn't feel as though I needed to conform to the coach but I needed to find a coach that would fall in line with me.

I am worried the deficit I am finding myself under is too much to overcome. But I do NOT want to lose. I am too damn competitive to lose this game. I must find a way to make a run of my own. If I can cut the deficit to single digits before halftime, I'll feel better. I just need some shots to start going. I need a rebound or two to bounce my way or my teammates' way. If I can get a second chance shot, I know I'll drill it. Or I'll get it to someone who will.

One thing I have learned from living life and watching basketball: The ball doesn't just bounce your way, you have to go get it.