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| Source: http://www.ballerstatus.com |
As a Filipino, basketball is part of my life.
I grew up with basketball on radio and TV, basketball in school, basketball in plaza, basketball inside the classroom with crumpled paper balls and a thrash can or chalk and blackboard plank, basketball inside the house and room with laundry clothes and bin. I grew up putting things inside a container; toys, school stuff inside my bag, water into a jar of clay.
I learned to put things in. I learned that that is the way to organize things. I learned that that is the way things should be, inside.
And basketball is simply like that. Getting the ball inside the hoop sounds easy, but there are five people who will stop you from doing that. Good to know that there are also four people who will also help you succeed to do so.
The Philippines has the oldest professional basketball league in Asia - Philippine Basketball Association (PBA). I missed the era of Crispa-Toyota rivalry, but I grew up in the Alaska dynasty in the 1990s. I survived the taunting of die-hard Ginebra fans who were dismayed by Alaska exploits and achievements. After Paul Alvarez ( where by the way I got my nickname Paul), Jojo Lastimosa, and Johnny Abarientos retired, I drifted to other things. Besides, my height did not help in pursuing the sports.
But damn, I was good at it. I would not be called Paul Abanes for nothing! Ha ha ha.. (Thanks to my high school classmates, they saw me play and they afforded me appropriate alias for that).
After PBA, I got interested with the US-based National Basketball Association (NBA). The high-flying dunks fascinated me. But I was more awed by dishing out the alley-ops, no-look passes, and tight bound passes that found the receivers who easily put the ball inside the hoop.
Jason Kidd of the New Jersey Nets in the early 2000s captivated my imagination of a well-rounded basketball player and a point guard at that. His lob passes to K-Mart and RJ while on the fast break were a thing to behold. Then, Vinsanity came to the Nets and the unselfish plays of JKidd continued.
It was satisfying to see him finally have a championship ring last year. And the way he has evolved himself to fit into the half-court offense and zone defense of the Dallas Mavericks is worth watching the NBA.
And then, the NBA lock-out almost killed my basketball sense. I was questioning the love for basketball of these guys in the negotiating table for the NBA players and team owners. More than them, the fans lost the most in the lock-out (especially the Mavs fans who believe that a repeat is possible even with the departure of key players).
The NBA games opened on Christmas day. Huhhmm, huuhmmm.. (The mavs lost to their rival miami heat). The compressed schedule of back-to back-to back NBA games has caused injuries to star players.
On the local scene with PBA, the cinderella quest of Powerade team lost steam in the finals in the Philippine Cup. The Smart-Gilas vying for a slot in the London Olympics lost in the semifinal match against Jordan. And then lost again to South Korea for a qualifying match to a wildcard entry to London olympics.
My basketball high is getting low.
And then, Jeremy Lin of New York Knicks blew some wind to my basketball senses. In the beginning, I was skeptical. No way, he could keep up with the hype. And then, each game he slowly wiped off my skepticism. I became a fan when he drilled that winning 3-point shot against the Raptors, leading his team to six game-winning streak. He recorded his career high 13-assists and 10 points for a double-double against the Kings, in spite of playing only 26 minutes. Seven games of spectacular basketball plays.
I was so Lin-pressed by Linsanity that I posted on my Facebook wall about him. My first time to post something about basketball.
Linsanity means many things for me. It means an incredible story of a player who believes in himself. It means hardwork opening up possibilities. It means greatness in each one of us. It means being humble with success. It means appreciating one's identity. It means winning. It means life's chances and being ready to take them.
It is not about the man; it is about his story which is inspiring and meaningful to those who play and enjoy basketball, to those who understand hardwork, to those who are waiting for their chances, to those who are close to giving up, to those who are content to be average, and yet hold greatness in their hearts and minds.
Linsanity, thank you. Keep up the show! I am watching and enjoying it, from a distant shore, - Asia.
