When I haven’t stepped on the court in a long time, from the moment I pickup a basketball, I am on fire. I cannot miss. Figuratively speaking that is. (My shooting percentage is not 100%). But I feel like I cannot miss.

After a long layoff, with little warm-up, I am in the flow of the game. The first few times this happened, I thought I had magically unlocked some untapped potential or corrected my shaky shooting form during my sabbatical.

However, each time, my fantasies were quickly dashed. A little later that day or the next time I picked up a ball, I was trash, over-thinking everything and playing horribly.

When my mind is clear, my body takes over. Years of playing takes over. I’m just playing, not thinking. Of course, it never lasts. I miss a couple shots and decide I need to tweak my form. I decide…