BALL TODAY
a captured text constructed by NICHOLAS KNIGHT
new york 2010
APRIL
Bill: Good pass, Ray. Four-three. Dave: Yeah, Flash… Rob: Oh wait, wait, right here right here! Flash: Got that? Da’shawn: I know you got that. Flash: Got that? Da’shawn: D’you get that?
Bill: That’s OUT! Ray: that’s out Dave: No it’s not! Bill: The ball bounced out! The ball bounced out— Dave: Bill, Bill, Bill, Bill— Bill: The ball bounced out. Dave: Bill, we right here, look— Bill: The ball bounced out, man. Dave: the ball didn’t bounce out Bill: I never miss that, nah man. Never! I’m too experienced to miss that shit, let’s go. Dave: Flash! That’s a double dribble and you traveled, after you double dribbled. You picked the ball, stopped, then went again?
Dave: Don’t do that Bill! Paul: What are you doing, you monkeyface? If I wouldna, I coulda fuckin’ flushed that sh—…I was wide open! If I wouldna—I coulda flushed that shit. Are you serious? Dave: He’s pushin’ me and everything. Let me get outta the way. No, no, no, no, let me get outta here. I don’t wanna be no part of whatever just happens. Uh oh. Junior: ah, OH! Bill: Ray let him go, man.
MAY
Chris: Watch your right, Da’shawn. Dave: Alright, I gotta sit down. Still playin! I’m still playin’, I just gotta take a rest. Da’shawn: Gimme the ball yo!
Dave: This shit used to be so EASY, man. Used to be so easy for me. Bigger, faster guys, too. Hate the feelin’... ...fightin’ the ghost
Still playin’!
Ray: You lefty, june? Junior: Nah. Ray: Nah? Junior: I shoot lefty. Ray: You shoot lefty? Junior: But I’m a righty. Ray: You can’t shoot righty? Nick: That’s—that’s why he’s so hard to guard, man. Junior: If that makes sense, I don’t know. Ray: You shoot lefty, but you a righty? Junior: yeah Ray: How? Junior: Nick said I’m hard to guard, here, Ray. Ray: I don’t understand that.
JUNE
Derek: good defense Rich: good shit, nick— Nick: three – one Dave M: Show ‘em the sweet science! Chris: watch your left Chris: pick right Johnny: Right! Steven: Go, go! Derek: Behind you! Walt: Step up, Rich! Dave M: Good shit, June. Fitz: Same! Paul: Ah, Steve!
Chris: One more! Ray: Fuck outta here, nigga! GET OUTTA HERE! Steven: Stay here, stay here— Dave: Save! Joi: <laughing> Czap: D’you get that one? Joi: Yep! Czap: way off Stretch: Point game! Steven: Fuck man, stop leavin’ these niggas open! Charlie: Way back from the beginning, man! Walt: Good shit, guys. Joi: D’you win? Nick: No.
Derek: Yo, this is not fair. Height-wise, it’s not fair. Rob: Who is it? Derek: Who you think? It looks like— Rob: Chris? Derek: No, DJ Dave, man Derek: Yo, this is hilarious! Nick: Ittn’t that good? Rob: Which one? Derek: You’re missin’ this one, a hundred percent. Walt: I don’t think so. That’s a rebound. Derek: I like the beveled edge. Walt: I mean…that’s not, that’s not even me. Derek: Yeah, OK.
Walt: It’s not. Look. Nick: That’s Paul. Walt: Yeah, that’s Paul. What’s wrong with you? Derek: This one’s Paul? Bill: <laughing> Derek: <laughing> Incredible Hulk! Bill: Rob and Ray. This is a good picture. Rob: The vein popping out…everywhere! The neck too! Derek: That’s good—good hustle. Bill: That’s a good picture, Nick. Nick: yeah, thanks Derek: That’s good hustle, man. That’s hard—hard defense right there.
Ariel: Yeah, that’s one I like a lot. Derek: The action photo—Nick is usually part of the winning team, so he doesn’t take all these— Right, Nick? Like, we lose at the end, that’s when you take out the camera and stuff. Nick: yeah Derek: We win like five in a row, then…we’re all tired after that.
Derek: Where you parked was kinda iffy. Johnny: I know, I’m a little nervous. Ray: you got help Alex: Alright, eight – three. Chris: Eight – three! Dan: Eight – three? Ray: my bad, chris Derek: It is a nice view. Dave M: yeah Derek: That’s a hot picture right now. The shadows…you don’t need photoshop.
JULY
Johnny: Good look. Good look! Ray: Right, right! Johnny: Hold check, match up. Junior: I’m next. Johnny: I can be fair, you see? Johnny: Let’s go, Da’shawn. Junior: Anybody got next? Johnny: Let’s go. You alright, Bill? Bill: Tied up. Paul: Help him fix his doo-rag. Greg: Did you put me before the other guys? Derek: Watch it! Greg: Johnny—
Johnny: Roll, roll! Ray: C’mon, Bill! Derek: Watch it! WATCH IT! Da’shawn: C’mon roll!
Chris: watch the pick, watch the pick there Johnny: help Da’shawn: damn Johnny: Take it! Nate! Da’shawn: run it down Johnny: Nate! Nate: help…aw! you’re kidding me…AAWWW! Johnny: Same! Fuck. Nate: That’s good. Johnny: Dammit. Derek: Man. Damn, D— Nate: point – eight Johnny: point – eight
Johnny: switch Da’shawn: aaahh Derek: get that out Junior: stay here Nate: Good help. Johnny: Good help, D. Johnny: Oh take that. Take it! Chris: right Jesse: switch Nate: same Johnny: Watch Chris! Dave C: Down low, down low! Junior: It’s good! Chris: Yes. Nate: wow Johnny: wow
Nate: daaahhh Derek: Yo Chris, why ya askin’ who got next? Why ya askin’ who got next? Chris: We woulda went— Derek: I know, thought you gonna lose. You got no faith in your team. Chris: Nah I wanna go to sixteen. Jesse: Anyone playing again? Chris: It was point – point. Johnny: Alex, how many you need? Derek: Johnny, you playin? Johnny: yeah Nate: You still playing?
Bill: No, you not on now. Zyad: Dude, are we playing now? Bill: Nah, yâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;all on next.
Mike: Since I wasn’t around while I was, like, fatter, you don’t have any, like, fat pictures to compare me to. Nick: That’s true. No fat Mike. No Cannonball. Mike: Cannonball! Now it’s like, more like a, uh, bocce ball. Nick: Flash, man...
Chris: I woulda wore somethin’ nicer, ‘f I knew— Nick: I know, I— Chris: —it was gonna be a photoshoot— Nick: Yeah, the whole, the thing is you’re nev— never s’pposed to know— Dave: That’s Sports Illustrated— Nick: That’s why you just act natural— Chris: Shit, I woulda wore a— Nick: This guy here’s a professional, he can take— Chris: —woulda wore a nicer outfit if I knew I was gonna be on video. Nick: Somethin’ that wattn’t sweaty? Daniel: ha, yeah <laughter>
Ray: I’m telling you, Nick, yesterday, they were like, “Well what do you, what do you have to have in your closet for this fall?” He was like, “A fresh pair of sneakers!” I’m like, “Stop playin!” Like, what do I gotta have? Two pairs of Timbs in my shit! You ask me, a pair of black ones, and a pair of constructs. Yellow. Timbs. Always, Nick, I swear to God, I go through like four pairs a year.
AUGUST
Derek: Yo, curls? Tarriek: You got a picture of that, Nick? Ricky: Did you get a shot of me? Nick: Yeah, I got a lot, man, I got some—I got some of you dunkin’, too. Dave: <laughing> That shit looks fierce, right? AAAAHHH! Dave: Heh heh, right. Pull that. Here, use this to push it down. Through the top, right. And pull it over. Greg: O-ho, Dave! Dave: You gotta jump hard now! Greg: Oh! Dave: Yeah, see?
Dave: Come back. AAH! Fuck man, that’s my fault. That’s my fault, man. Derek: …reverse psychology… Walt: “There’s a good game over there! Let’s go—” Ray: “Yeah, let’s go play over there!”
Nate: squeeze Ray: <laughing> Oh! Derek: That was on camera. You shoulda done somethin’ nice. Derek: Oh! Stay stay stay… Dave: My ball! Jordan: Give me a break! That’s bullshit. Dave: So that’s not a foul? Jordan: Absolutely not. Dave: That IS a foul. Dave: My ball— Jordan: That’s a foul. That’s a foul. Dave M: Hop it, there you go! Group: OOOHH! Dave: Come guard me again!
Johnny M: Keep your hands up, Dre, keep your hands up! Dave: I ain’t breakin’ anything up, cuz they know better. Dre: Oh, that’s even worse! Dave: Why you standin’ straight? Like that’s the easiest way to get hit. The first real good clock in the face, and the fun gonna be over. Dre: Son I woulda ate you like this! Sonny: WHAT!? Johnny M: Not quick enough…
Nick: Why’d you pick today for a day off?
SEPTEMBER
Bill: You cannot get up and take another dribble!! Ray: Your man was fightin’ for the ball! Bill: You can’t get up! You cannot go with it, man! Ray: I stole it from your man! Bill: You was dribblin’ the ball! YOU was dribblin’ the ball! Ray: You’re mad cuz I’m scorin’ on you, Bill. Derek: Perfect! Ray: You’re mad cuz I’m bustin’ your ass! Bill: You weren’t supposed to dribble the ball! Ray: You’re mad cuz I’m bustin’ your ass, Bill.
Dave: So that’s eight! Derek: That’s seven right now, it was six. Dave: No one didn’t score? Derek: No one had the ball— Dave: At all? Since we were six? Derek: No! No…No.
Dave M: Yes, he is. Look at it. Walt: Yeah, I know, but I don’t remember you takin’ the ball— Derek: Aye yeah! That was against D, too! Dan F: They said it was a boot. I’m supposed to sleep in it. But I can’t sleep in it.
Bill: You act like— Ray: He lost the ball! I stole the ball! Dave M: Ray Ray Ray! Ray. Ray: I stole the ball. Dave M: Ray. Ray: I stole the fuckin’ ball. Dave: That’s seven then. Cuz we were six for a long time, and then that’s a tap to him to make seven. So that’s eight! Ray: This nigga’s sittin’ arguin’ like he’s fuckin’ Judge Judy and shit, man. Group: <laughter> Bill: <laughter>
Elijah: “…So I’ll be ready, whenever you need me…”