It is a truth universally acknowledged, that the most difficult shot in basketball is a wide open lay-up.

The problem is that the instincts that got you out in the open fail you as you approach the basket. You start thinking and trying to count steps and then you take the shot and it bounces off the rim, goes over the basket, or bounces off the bottom of the backboard. I suspect this is why the dunk was invented. Don’t do a lay-up, just jump and drop the ball in the hoop.

As for me, most of my problems in basketball came from not thinking. Or, more specifically, thinking too much in the wrong direction.

When we lived in Hayden, Colorado, for reasons I don’t remember (probably my request) we put a basketball hoop and backboard on our house. I still couldn’t do a lay-up and that inspired me to improvise.

I stood on something (the bumper of my dad’s pick up?) and decided to attempt a dunk.

The first part went  well as I managed to dunk the ball. However, for reasons I don’t remember, I decided to try hanging on the rim.

The entire basket and backboard ripped out of the wall and we both fell to the ground. I somehow managed to remain uninjured, but the backstop got an impressive scrape.

After that, the basket got put back in place, but I never liked that it had a scrape, even though I caused it.