Halfway Down and Out: A Series About Ball and Life
Halfway Down and Out is a new series that I will be publishing here and on Medium.
This is the first time that I’ve written in the first person on this site, because this one is personal.
In this series, I will be taking a look at some of the most memorable NBA games and moments that I have ever witnessed, specifically through the lens of my life at the time and how that particular game had an impact on me.
You might be thinking, “Wow, it’s just basketball, that’s overdramatic.” And while I would agree with you to a point, I would also point out that for me and for so many others: We have been watching sports our entire lives. It is a huge part of who we are and what we do.
From the beginning, I didn’t view sports as an escape from life. I viewed sports as life itself.
I woke up in morning and watched SportsCenter every day before school, shouting “Boo-Yah!” with the late legend Stuart Scott. At school, I daydreamed about sports. After school, I went to practice. After practice, I watched whatever game was on TV that evening. After the live games ended, I played sports video games.
Sports, sports and more sports. I lived it. I breathed it.
Repeat all that for some 12 years growing up and you definitely get a strong feeling of Ball is Life — because you have known no other way.
Sure, that old routine has swayed as I’ve gotten older (for starters, I am thankfully no longer in school), but the fact remains: sports, mostly basketball and specifically the NBA, has and always will be an integral part of my every day life.
I am perfectly fine with that. In fact, I insist on it. (Precisely why I started this here blog.)
Needless to say, I have seen some games during my 25+ years of watching The Association.
And now it’s time to take a trip down memory lane, looking back at some of my favorites and seeing what they meant to me at the time and what they mean to me now.
Welcome to Halfway Down and Out.
