I don’t like how when you go play pickup at a gym or outdoor court and you’re the tallest guy around, you’ve got to play inside by default. I mean yeah, the mentality is correct, but when I’m 5’11 and weigh 130 pounds I don’t really have that much height advantage over anyone, and I stand no chance guarding post-up players that’s not underweight according to the BMI. I feel so awkward when I have to be in the paint at all times that it throws my game off, and since I got no post game I resort to playing like Vlade Divac and pass the rock to cutters.
Also from the last couple times from playing pickup at my campus, I’ve noticed my team usually looks like this:
Me playing inside
White/Brown guy that’s more buff than me but prefers to play wing, but got skills
Brown dude that plays like a black hole, in rare cases it’ll be a black dude that ballhogs also
Nerdy looking Asian that likes camping at the corner to shoot the 3
Midget that likes driving in and laying it up, then flop like D-Wade
^^^^ Feel ya on the height portion; though I am a bit taller and weigh a lot more, the guys I match up with are either taller than me or weigh 200+ and move me like a piece of paper in the wind. Dunked a couple of weeks ago and people started to leave the gym…don’t know what that was about, but the other team looked like I ripped their hearts out coming back down court. LOL
When you’re defending someone new and you’re not sure what is their strong side you play them centered and not too close. Once you figure out their preference…thats when you should attempt to cut off their strong side. But, even then thats not something thats recommended unless you’re playing one-handed scrubs. Anyone who plays regularly can drive and at the very least bring it up/lay-up with their weak hand.
Also the best defense to put on one handed people is crossover defense…bc they will ALWAYS lead you to their weak side then try to crossover back to their strong hand quickly. Since you will already have a hand down between their legs…its a free rip whenever they try.
Unless their name is Manu Ginobli because he will go back to his strong hand and still somehow pass you when everyone in the building knows what he going to do.
True…but to be honest those type of players don’t beat you off the dribble in the first place. They beat you with their first step. If you have a good first step…you will blow past your opponent once they get down to low defensively or they commit to a reach/get too close.
I think (right now) Manu, T. Parker, Wade and a few others have the best first steps in the league. But thats another argument all together.
@Epi, eh i always play people to their left until they prove that they can go that way just for the fact most people are right-handed and don’t feel comfortable doing so…hell i know some lefties that can’t really go left. i’m not the fastest dude, but i’m generally quick enough to cut off a side without getting beat horribly to the other; the only time i don’t play that way is when i know for a fact that i don’t have any help behind me.
This is why I think fancier dribbling has become that much less important for anyone who isn’t a point guard or just a small dude. Notice that outside of Wade (adding in my own preferences of Lebron, Kobe, Duncan, Kevin Martin, etc.), the majority of players whose game is almost exclusively face-up, they don’t rely on dribbling nearly as much as a quick first step and a scorer’s mentality…
yeah like i said before, unless you’re on a playground playing 1v1, super fly moves aren’t that important. personally i’d gladly take away some points from “handles” attribute and add them to my jumper lol
speaking of jumpers, mine has definitely declined lately, and I always start trying (as a lefty) to keep everything centered and be the best right-handed wannabe I can be, but that usually only lasts until I regress to shooting a left-heavy shot that looks like every other lefty (which I hate, and it’s only moderately successful). I need to get back to shooting straight up (figuratively) and not trying to guide my shot so much; when I just use a natural, quick release I almost always catch fire and my range gets ridiculous (even as a 6’4" guy, which around here is a center).
I love playing basketball but i never play seriously ever… I might from time to time but i don’t play to win unless i really want to. It’s so sastifying blocking people… lol one time i blocked this dude he thought he got easy layup and i swatted that shit… lmao it felt so good. My friend tried to layup and BAM he got rejected lmao then another dude put it in his face hehe. I love playing ball cause you get to run up and down the court get cardio going.
Today i was playing with 2 little kids/parents/older gentlemen… I almost died laughing cause the parents said “what if we were playing with basketball shoes”… i was like uhh i would blocked all of your attempts lmao… Then i grabbed rim and hanged on it. I dont think i can dunk yet never really passed it too myself good but ally oop maybe.
Oh yea i find if you just play with your weak hand first it helps… just drive weak hand first thing you do and do those fingetips back and forth with basketball… it works
I remember playing in a summer league at the YMCA as a 15 yr old in a 13-15 age league, and I for real averaged about 8 BPG. It was stupid. Everyone seemed so little (I was about 6’2"), and we made a living off of my tossing people’s stuff clear out of the gym. I blocked my first shot off a backboard that year, blocked kids from behind, Lebron-style several times, and sent shit into walls, the stands, anywhere I could throw it after I knew I had a block. No one was safe; one dude thought he had a breakaway jumper with me trailing, and he pulls up from about halfway out to the 3 pt line along the baseline, and I skyrocketed about a foot out from the rim and just barely fingertipped his shit right back at him; that was prob the highest I’ve ever jumped. He told my brother after the game that shit made him want to quit basketball altogether…
I don’t get people hanging on the rim/trying to see if they can dunk when they aren’t in the game. Kids (under 30) always try to see how high they can get and for the most part aren’t anywhere near to dunking. Sure, they can get their hand above the rim, but they never account that the ball has to get up over it as well. Not only that, but when they hang on the rim, they think there actually doing something of some significant.
Played this past wednesday and friday morning, I have to say I hate with a passion people who are shoot first, pass second. Had two guys on my team who could shoot but they would pull when others were trying to get open for a better % shot. No lie, I touched the ball probably less than 5% of the time I was on the court. Had open cuts to the basket, no pass; just a pull up brick that was on the opposite side of the rim I was on. So, of course when you down with 2 minutes left they are pulling every time they touch and bricking SO HORD!
Friday morning was good besides getting my thumb nail ripped back…Shots going in and was a good work out
People want to try and see if they can jumper higher… duh… and it makes you look good so you get higher priorty picked first… rebounding is important and blocking shots as well
That’s why i don’t like playing pickup games with stranges… if you play with people you play with regularly more team work is involed… Anybody can get like 6-10 points if you shoot 10-20 shots…
Everybody wants to showboat and whatnot but i’d rather pass first then hog the ball that’s why i rarely drive in the paint cause i don’t need
I took like 5-6 shots we got 16 pts and went up to 20.
I used to play alot of basketball when I was in school. Not touched a basketball in literally about 4 or 5 years now but I’d really like to start playing again. I was like 15 when I used to play and was around 5"10 and could touch the rim. I’m about 6"2 or 6"3 now so I suppose I could probably dunk if I worked on it.
Problem is I don’t really know anyone who plays anymore and shooting baskets on my own is pretty boring.
Trying to start some season-type thing with friends so far. Trying to get at least 4 teams to start it off and work it like a Mario Kart circuit, where you get X amount for 1st place, Y amount for 2nd and so on.
3 on 3, 1-2 subs and 16-20 players is what it’s looking like so far, planning to up it to 4 on 4 or even 5 on 5 with subs if I can get more people to get in on this. Trying to start small though, as its better to get a good idea of how it works and fix whatever was broken before I add more teams/players.
Has anyone else here tried something similar or even played in something similar? Need some feedback on how things like this could be run. Exams are almost done here, so I wanted to try setting this up around May.
Why don’t you just join an already establish league? Or is there none in your area? (I noticed your location is Canada, so I’m going to safely assume you guys have a lot more hockey leagues.)
Haha yeah, there are some leagues but they are pretty hard to track down. This is more of a way to get more people into the sport so pick up games happen more frequently.
I do try getting in some pick up games at community centres/gyms but I’m trying to bring more than 2-3 people with me when I go. Pick up is fun but its hard/frustrating trying to set up positions when you only know 2 players on your team.
I broke my foot a little over a month ago playing basketball. I went up for a shot and came down on the side and when it rolled, it cracked the bone on top. Fortunately, the bone didn’t actually displace. This happen to any of you before? The reason I ask is because I was wondering how long it would take until I can get back on the court.
