CHICAGO - The speed of the game, the swift, free movement of plays and players, are just few of the many qualities that make basketball fan-friendly and popular.
In the NBA, the cherished tradition of pleasant continuity is ensured by imposing time restrictions during a game.
Every tick is precious.
Teams are only given five seconds to inbound the ball, ten to cross the half-court and no player can loiter the paint for more than three seconds. There is a 24-second shot clock and a quick, 20-second timeout.
Fun. Fun. Fun.
Watching the L.A. Lakers beat the Memphis Grizzlies last night was not.
It was unpleasant and uncontinuous, constantly interrupted by a cavalcade of free throws that killed the game to a slow.
Who wants to see Anthony Davis shoot 27 free throws in 31 minutes?
No one. None had a choice, either.
Michael Jordan once shot more than 26 free throws in a game in 1987, but it was the old, highly-physical NBA where Mike earned each free throw as multiple Knicks or Pistons gang-tackled him to prevent a flight.
In the course of 470 regular season games, per BasketballReference.com, A.D. attempted only seven free throws per. Which means he attempted 20 more than normal against the Grizzlies.
Why?
I don't know. All I know is that 27 free throws, 14 of which were made in a 27-2 run and 10 to end the third quarter, blunts the taste of entertainment.
The Grizzlies fielded 23 players who logged in a combined 239 minutes. As a team they attempted a total of 23 free throws, four less than Davis.
Why?
All I know is that Davis is an All-Star, who to his credit, was super aggressive and played with an extra rough edge against Memphis.
Still, 27 free throws is a lot of whistle. Much, much.
Even Kobe Bryant, who attacked the rim with the same appetite as a fat guy raiding the seafood buffet, only attempted 7.4 free throws in 1,346 regular season games.
But hey, kudos to Davis for scoring 40 points and hauling 20 rebounds in the Lakers' 120-91 victory, their third in four starts.
More importantly, thanks to his 40-20, he made LeBron James an afterthought.
And that, perhaps, is a bigger deal than shooting 27 free throws inside three quarters.
TAB ANOTHER TITLE FOR BALDWIN. I have covered hundreds of NBA games in the regular season, playoffs and Finals.
I was at Staples Center when Kobe dropped 81 on the Raptors on January 22, 2006. I drove to L.A. from Vegas where Manny Pacquiao KO'd Erik Morales at the Thomas and Mack Center the night before.
I saw LeBron's first game at the United Center in 2003, a game that Michael Jordan came to see. And I was at the visitor's locker room when the Warriors won the NBA title in Cleveland in 2015.
So many great memories in various NBA arenas.
But it is a fondest wish to watch in person the current Ateneo team that had just ripped through the UAAP and poised for a 3-peat, What a team.
The Blue Eagles don't have the razzle and dazzle of Paras and Rivero but based on results, they are an unstoppable force.
Now I know why Tab Baldwin's name always surfaces when a coaching vacancy appears.
Clearly, he is a great coach.
Tab Baldwin no longer deserves to be in the UAAP. Not in the PBA or NBA, either.
The man belongs in a museum.
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