First Talk, Then T - A Basketball Ref's Diary

Preview, Saturday, March 18

Coming next ... another game on a big stage. This will be my third game on that level. There are three games left in the regular season for every team, which means that teams are fighting for a better position in the play-offs race or for the right to stay in the league (In our system two teams from the 2nd division go up to 1st every year, and the last two from 1st div. have to go down to the 2nd tier).

Team B (visitors) tries to gain homecourt advantage for the first round of the play-offs, but has been plagued by a series of injuries, lately. Team A battles to stay in the league. They'll play at home in front of a sell out crowd, and try everything to get that W. Team B won the first matchup between the two by three.

My crew: Once again, two vetereans with me. They are very good, but not in the top-five as my partners in my first two games there, which doesn't make that much of a difference for me. It just gives you an idea of who I am working with (while the others were somewhat untouchable, these are of the same flesh and blood as you and me). The league's assignor will be there to evaluate us. I think, so far, he doesn't regret that he gave me games in his league ;-)

My goals:

• I don't want to stand out! In the first two games I managed to call (almost) the same things my partners called, event though my inner voice yelled "foul" way more often than I actually blew the whistle. I know this is part of the adjustment process on a new level. And it is another sport here ...
• Be calm, don't get caught up in the heated atmosphere (5000 people can be hard to ignore).
• Do what I do best, get in a good position, make the right calls (it's all about angles), and sell them ... no matter what.
• Let my partners handle everything else ... I know that I am still not good enough to deal with coaches, players or the scorers table, because I have to focus on the game 100%. It is so fast that I can't let my attention slip away from the play ...
  

posted by BBallRef @ 3/17/2006 11:51:00 AM