i love this game.

 In time for the NBA finals.

I love basketball. Do you? Almost all of us do. But why?  There is a thousand and one reasons to love the game, what is yours? Here are mine.

(1)Family favorite. My dad plays basketball so it follows that my four brothers play the game as well. Their early morning games are part of our breakfasts. This is where dad’s favorite line “jumpshot-i ko pa lagi ah” became famous in the house. My brothers have played with each other and against each other. Often my dad would coach for them. My sisters and I would be by the bleachers cheering for them. My mom doesn’t want to see them get hurt, so she stays at home and just listens to our stories. They would go to neighboring barangays to play. They are adik like that.

(2)Competitive Spirit. High school intramurals and interschool competitions made us love basketball. During intramurals, it would always be the highlight. The trophies would sometimes be of the same size as the over-all champion’s trophy. It is the most-anticipated, the most-watched event. We cheer for our team with all our hearts. An interschool competition in our place is so intense that the cheers help a lot. We once had an opposing team that brought drums to the gymnasium, and we only had chants and screams on our side.

(3)By Force. It is easy to love basketball if you are rooting for the people you know. So for me, PBA and NBA was a tough one to even like. With the number of teams and players, it was hard to recognize the names to the faces. My love for it came in late. The men in the family influenced me. Not the inspiring-influence kind. My eldest sister works in Manila, the second attends college summer classes, so I am left with the boys. We only have 1 TV at home, so everytime there is a game it would always mean wrestling with the boys for the remote. 3 vs 1. So, yes! I had to watch with them. To irritate them, I would cheer on any team against them. I do evil laugh if I win and endure their teasing if I lost or watch Kuya do tumbling to celebrate a won in his team courtesy of a 3-pt shot in split seconds. After a game, they would discuss the hits and misses. There I learned triple-double, double-double, fastbreak, lay-up, assist, fade away, alley-op, best of three, twice to beat and all other terms. Then, eventually I started looking forward to playoffs and all-star games especially.

(4)Idols. Of course, we all loved his airness Michael Jordan. The legendaries: Larry Bird, Magic Johnson, Charles Barkley. Chicago Bull’s Dennis Rodman and Tony Kukoc were unforgettable as well. Those were Betamax days. Hahaha! Fast forward. Kobe Bryant plays good but I don’t know why I never had a single nerve in my body like him. Dikembee Motumbo however has something that is loveable, humility maybe. T-Mac lovin’ started with that 1-on-1 slam dunk finale with Vince Carter. After that, I started rooting for Raptors, then Magic, then Rockets. Then, he faded with an injury. Then I turned to any team against Lakers. Celtics and now Oklahoma. I, however, want LeBron James to get his first ring because he deserves it. So, we’ll see!

And those are the reasons I love this game. What is yours?