Did you see where Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN has reported that the NBA and ESPN are working on televising a H-O-R-S-E competition involving some high-profile players? The details of the competition are still being finalized but, according to the report, the players involved would shoot in isolation, presumably in a home gym.
Personally, I am so starved for any kind of live competition that I’d love to see this happen. If the NBA can get some of the big stars to play, like LeBron, James Harden, the “Greek Freat” etc., I think it would be great fun to watch.
I’ve always loved playing “Horse” myself, and have several trick shots in my arsenal that I can pull out. When I was a kid Larry Costello was on the 76ers and he was deadly with an old school two-handed set shot from around 20 feet. I used to practice that shot and got pretty good at it.
Another one I liked was the “George McGinnis Jump Shot.” McGinnis, a star in the ABA before joining the NBA in the mid-70s, has big hands and he used to shoot the ball off the dribble with one hand. He didn’t shoot a great percentage, and that’s probably why he was traded for Bobby Jones, but it looked good.
I don’t have the big hands like Big George, but I practiced that shot and got to where I could get off a decent shot without putting my left hand on the ball at all, and that was a shot I always used during my peak “Horse” days.
Other shots in my arsenal included the “Rick Barry Foul Shot,” the Kareem Abdul-Jabbar “Sky Hook,” although you can take the “Sky” out of it when I shot, and a shot where I’d slam it off the court and try to bank it in off the bounce. That’s a killer if you make it.
It would be fun to see what kinds of the shots the NBA players would bring out. Can you imagine the stuff Zion Williamson can do. I would hope it wouldn’t turn into another dunk contest, because you want to keep the smaller guys in the game.
You older fans might remember the McDonald’s commercial where Larry Bird and Michael Jordan played a game of Horse. It aired in 1993 and one memorable line was when Bird, then 36 years old, stipulated “No Dunking.”
The commercial was hilarious. It started off with some normal Horse shots, like behind the backboard and shooting from one knee. Then it progressed to where Bird was high in the seats, banking one off the scoreboard. They ended up outside the gym, putting a shot through the window. And, of course, everything went in the bucket.
I hope ESPN can work something out, because I’m dying for some live sports action and I’d watch every round.
IT’S DAY 28 AG (after Gobert)
Today, April 8th, is the 28th day without sports as we know it.
It was three weeks ago Wednesday that Rudy Gobert of the Utah Jazz was tested positive for coronavirus, stopping the sports world cold. In rapid succession the NCAA basketball men’s and women’s tournaments were cancelled along with all professional sports. Only professional wrestling has continued, without fans, and I don’t really count that.
It’s now been a month, but it seems like a year. I’ve read every magazine in the house, watched all seven episodes of “Tiger King”, went for at least one walk every day and shot basketball with my wife on the court behind our house. On the one hand it’s boring as can be but, on the other hand, it’s somewhat relaxing.
You see, during normal times I have very little “down time.” This is an area where people love their sports and there’s always something going on. My two slowest times are Christmas and the middle of summer, but even then we have basketball tournaments over the holiday break and things like swim meets and recreation baseball and softball in the summer, and I love that stuff.
If I’m not attending everything I can I feel like I’m slacking. But, I equate this virus pandemic to a long series of snow days. When it snows and everything is off, I don’t feel guilty about staying home because there’s nowhere to go. This is much the same thing, only warmer and without sports to watch on TV. And, that’s a big difference if you haven’t noticed.
I try to look on the bright side, even though that’s hard to do with people dying and the map of virus action creeping toward us here in southwest Virginia. Still, here a few ways to look at things, good and bad, as we try to get through this difficult time in our lives.
GOOD- If you’re a Yankee fan, it gives Aaron Judge and Giancarlo Staunton more time to get better.
BAD- If you’re NOT a Yankee fan, it gives Aaron Judge and Giancarlo Staunton more time to get better.
GOOD- The University of Virginia will be the reigning NCAA basketball champs for another year.
BAD- There are no NCAA basketball games to watch until November(hopefully).
GOOD- Gas has dropped to under $2 a gallon.
BAD- There’s nowhere to go.
GOOD- Haven’t lost any money betting on games.
BAD- Haven’t won any money betting on games.
GOOD- Plenty of time to work on the yard.
BAD- No baseball games being played at “The Yard”
GOOD- There’s still no crying in baseball
BAD- There’s crying because there’s no baseball
GOOD- Finally will have time to go to the pool.
BAD- Pool’s closed