ABL Game 4

The loss in our previous game placed our season against the ropes as another loss would mean elimination and a whole lot of garbage time up ahead. Game 4 came and we were again faced with a dangerous team and a dangerous player.

Big games usually mean small minutes for me and I've already embraced my role in the team. I can't run and I can't jump. Usually my shooting is my saving grace but I've been 0-3 so far for the season with 2 airballs and this doesn't include the 0-7 mess I made during the leveling games.

The game started well until Charlie picked up 2 quick fouls prompting them to put me in waaaaaaay ahead of time. I had to play forward, a position I've never placed since I was 12. I was surprisingly running fast in this game as I found myself running with the team during fast breaks. There were no knee pains as well. I guess my rehab sessions were paying off.

I muffed three rebounds - giving them up as offensive rebounds. I absolutely have little skill on rebounds and boxing out. Ugh, even a traffic cone would have gotten an offensive rebound off me.

I had fouls and all of them were hard, aggressive, playoff type fouls. The first was an illegal pick when I decked the opponent. This one I didn't understand since he rammed into me. The second pick was a hard hack in which I hoped I take out the guy's thumb and the third one was when their best player drove past by me and took a jumpshot behind me. He jumped up really high and I can't block it so I grabbed his forearms and brought him back down. Foul, fine but at he wasn't getting any three point plays off me.

Then came the funniest play of the game. Fred and I were the two guards in the game on defense. Fred got a steal and I sprinted to our basket. Fred threw me the ball and I found myself driving to the basket against their two defenders. I took the ball to the free throw line and was about to take a jump shot. I took one last dribble and elevated for the shot.

The ball slipped out of my hands as the ball just harmlessly went into the defender's hands.

I was charged with a turnover but Fred should have been fined for giving me the ball on a fast break.

The game also had my first true statistic. Fred got an offensive rebound and saw me behind the three point line. He passed the ball to me but I saw a wide open team mate on the wing. I shovel passed the ball to him and he casually drained a three pointer. He ran back and shouted "nice pass". Hmmm, that was one of the ugliest passes in the game (I don't think anyone passes the ball underhand anymore) and it was a no brainer pass since there was no defender. I thought about it and realized that "nice pass" actually meant "thanks for passing the ball instead of hoisting up another airball". The fact that the game went into overtime proved that he was right. Djigs had a very good fast break that led to a three point play.

Jong and Don took over in overtime and eventually we won the big game. My knees were fine but this time were thighs were so stiff. I was one full court sprint away from getting cramps. I was kneeling down on the bench and was grasping Jaye's arm as the pain just spread on the entire leg. I gulped down he rest of my Gatorade and a few minutes later I was well enough to walk.

I finished with 0 points, 1 assist, 0 rebounds and three fouls. I was 0-1 from the field (yes, they counted that free throw gaffe as an "attempt"). At least I was running harder and faster in this game. This was the first game as well where I didn't beg to be taken out due to exhaustion. There's another game in just a little over a week and there's a ton of preparations up ahead.