Alright, so I wanted to really get into the nuts and bolts of the Pistons vs Warriors game the other night. Not just watch it, you know? I decided I’d track the player stats myself, just to see how things flowed from my own perspective.
Getting Started
First thing, I grabbed a notepad and a pen. Nothing fancy. I thought about using a spreadsheet on my tablet, but sometimes old school feels better, lets me focus on the game more. I decided I wasn’t going to track everything under the sun. Too complicated and I’d miss the actual game. I settled on the basics:
- Points
- Rebounds (just total, not splitting offensive/defensive)
- Assists
- Maybe steals and blocks if I could catch ’em easily.
I listed the key players I expected to see significant minutes from for both teams down one side of the page. Left plenty of space.
During the Game – The Process
Okay, game on. I had the TV going. The first quarter was a bit messy, trying to keep up. You know how it is, quick passes, fast breaks. Someone scores, and I’m quickly jotting down “+2” or “+3” next to their name. Rebounds were tougher, especially under the basket with bodies flying everywhere. I mostly relied on the commentators or quick replay shots to confirm who grabbed the board.
Keeping track wasn’t always easy. Sometimes I’d mark down an assist, then realize it was maybe a bit of a loose interpretation. But hey, this was my log, my rules. If a pass led to a score pretty directly, I marked it. Steals and blocks were definitely the hardest – they happen fast. I caught some, definitely missed others. I put a little ‘S’ or ‘B’ mark for those.
I had to pause my recording sometimes, especially during commercial breaks, just to tally things up quickly or make sure my scribbles were readable. Halftime was crucial. I took those 15 minutes to make totals for the first half for each player I was tracking. It helped reset and organize things before the second half started.
Observations and Wrapping Up
Doing this manually really makes you watch differently. You notice who’s handling the ball more, who’s active on the glass, even if they aren’t scoring tons. You see the flow beyond just the scoreboard. For instance, I could see which Warriors player was getting hot or which Piston was really crashing the boards hard, just by looking at my own tallies building up.
By the end of the game, my sheet was pretty full. Lots of tick marks and numbers. It wasn’t official box score perfect, I’m sure I missed stuff or maybe even double-counted once or twice in the heat of the moment. But it didn’t matter.
I added up the final numbers for the players I tracked. It gave me a solid, personal snapshot of the game. It wasn’t about creating a perfect stat sheet to publish, it was about the process. Watching the game actively, engaging with it on a different level. Pretty satisfying, actually. Might do it again for the next big matchup.
