Okay, so I wanted to keep track of the player stats myself for that Golden State Warriors versus San Antonio Spurs game. I like doing this sometimes, gives you a different feel for the game than just watching passively.
First thing I did was get set up. Didn’t use anything fancy. Just grabbed a plain notebook and a pen that works well. Found a comfy spot on the couch where I could see the TV clearly. Needed space to actually write things down without knocking stuff over, you know?
Then, I tuned into the game broadcast. While it was warming up, I quickly jotted down the starting lineups for both teams. Warriors starters, Spurs starters. Just last names usually, quicker to write. Left plenty of space next to each name.
As the game started, I tried to follow the action and mark down the basics. Points are usually the easiest. Someone scores, find their name, add the points. Rebounds were a bit trickier – had to watch the scrum under the basket closely. Assists? Even harder sometimes, have to see who made the pass right before the score.
Keeping Track During Play
I wasn’t trying to capture every single stat like the official scorers do. That’s too much hassle. I focused on the main categories:
- Points (usually just tally marks, then sum them up during timeouts)
- Rebounds (same thing, tally marks)
- Assists (again, tallies)
- Sometimes I’d note down steals or blocks if they were really obvious or impactful plays.
Found myself mostly focusing on the key guys. For the Warriors, obviously paying attention to Steph Curry, Klay Thompson, maybe Draymond Green for his all-around stuff. For the Spurs, whoever seemed to be handling the ball most or taking the shots, maybe Keldon Johnson or Devin Vassell depending on who was playing.
It got messy fast. My handwriting isn’t the best when I’m trying to watch and write. Lots of scribbles, arrows, corrections. Especially during fast breaks or quick sequences. Sometimes the TV broadcast would show a player’s stats graphic, and I’d quickly double-check my counts against theirs. If mine were way off, I’d usually trust the graphic and adjust my tally.
End of Game Wrap-up
By the end of the game, my notebook page was pretty full. Looked like a mess, honestly. But then I took a few minutes during the post-game talk to tidy it up. Added up all the tally marks for each player I tracked. Wrote the final totals next to their names for points, rebounds, assists.
The final step was comparing my numbers to the official box score that usually pops up online right after the game. Pulled it up on my phone. Usually, my numbers are pretty close for the main players I focused on. Might be off by one or two here and there, maybe missed a rebound in traffic or credited an assist wrongly.
But yeah, that was the process. It wasn’t about getting perfect, official stats. It was more about engaging with the game on a deeper level, noticing who was doing what. Just my way of watching the game sometimes. Took a bit of effort, but felt satisfying to have my own record, messy as it was.
