Every Possession Counts

It was only one possession,

Why must my coach scream?

My poor defense caused a basket,

But what can one hoop mean?

As the pass comes my direction,

And I fumble it into the stands,

My coach’s voice rings loud and clear,

“Catch with your eyes and hands!”

C’mon coach, its one possession,

Our team will be OK,

It’s just the first two minutes,

I mean damn, we’ve got all day!

In the beginning of the 2nd quarter,

Their center is strong and stout,

He gets a put back for two, quite simply due,

From my failure to block out.

It was only one possession,

I didn’t commit a crime,

My team is ahead and I’m playing well,

And there’s still plenty of time!

As the halftime buzzer sounds,

I watch the ball bank in,

I know I will hear it from my coach,

Asking why I didn’t defend.

But it was only one possession,

Coach – don’t have a heart attack,

We’re only down one and we’re having fun,

I know we’ll come back!

The 2^nd half is much the same,

So it is really no big deal,

That my lazy pass on the perimeter,

Results in an easy steal.

I quickly sink a jumper,

I’m greeted by high fives and slaps,

But the next time down, I give up a lay-up,

While suffering a mental lapse.

It’s only one possession,

C’mon coach just chill out!

It’s crazy to see you so mad,

As you consistently scream and shout:

“Victory favors the team,

Making the fewest mistakes.

Single possessions are the key,

And will cut down their fast breaks.”

I step to the line for a one and one,

The game is in my hands,

I can’t believe I missed it short,

And hear cheers from opposing fans.

After the game I sat at my locker,

Wondering what more I could have done,

Only to realize the value of one possession,

What a shame we lost by one.