A Machine with a Halo

Team España’s two most recent Eurobasket matches may be of heightened interest to passersby. Today, we enjoyed a spirited but surprisingly easy victory over Linus Kleiza and his Lithuanian mates. And previously, we vanquished Sasha Vujacic and Slovenia.

Matching against Sasha is always of interest, particularly since his mantle of European flair was passed to me this season.

At the “Official Website of ‘the Machine’”, a Sasha Vujacic enthusiast writes of his take on the Spain/Slovenia match: “On every possession, each team attempts to run to the other side of the court before their opponents can get there.”

Indeed! What this commentator leaves unsaid is the following crucial plot development: In such an eventuality, the possessors of the basketball attempt to insert it in a downward trajectory through the hoop itself.

I will confess to a fascination with this account. Por ejemplo, note the fashion in which the writer sidles up to how Sasha is a primary ball-handler: “Sasha’s team number is the number six; a multiple of the number 18 and the same number Ricky Rubio wore for Team Spain. Watching the game, it appeared Sasha played the position of point guard.”

I think most readers will agree that the most seamless segue-ways are the ones that do not employ prime numbers.

Another portion of Sasha’s site pays devotions to his various headbandings. To wit:

It is material like this which is to enjoy it very much!