In the current world of pick-up basketball, a long shot counts twice as much as a lay-up or dunk. A close in field goal counts as 1 point and a long shot counts as 2 points. Hence the name of this game is ‘Two Ball’. The normal way of playing pick-up basketball is all field goals count as 1 point.

So how did Two Ball get invented and who invented it? Back in the days before the three point line was painted on outdoor pick-up basketball courts, there were nerd players who just wanted to shoot long shots. They were not good defenders or rebounders and did not like to get physical. The way to win in those days was to get close in shots and rebound and defend. These nerds usually were not very athletic and would not get picked to play. This typical nerd nobody wanted on their team and would turn the ball over to lose the game.

This nerd player realized that making the long shot worth two times what a dunk counted would make the best players less valuable and might allow him to actually get picked for the game. Now everybody will take bad shots and teamwork will be less valuable and so everybody is close to the same. It is flabbergasting to realize a contested dunk in a completive Two Ball game is worth less than a 5′ 7″ nerd making a long shot.

The nerds are now running basketball and players who dominated are now less than they should be. Basketball is not baseball. It is not an individual sport where you stand by yourself and it is all up to you. Basketball is 5 people and individually they don’t have to be the best one on one players. As a team they need to work together the best to defend, rebound and score. It is not simple math like baseball. Every movement of every player and ball changes the situation and therefore the calculation. Even the score and the time on the clock change the calculation. There is a ‘winning time’ in basketball. All good players and teams know when that is and play differently. When that winning time comes, they turn up the intensity and concentration and make defensive stops and make good offensive decisions and shots. So once again the math changes and there is no way a nerd can figure out the math for this teamwork.

How do we fix this? Don’t allow two ball. Be vocal. All field goals count the same. You will get severe pushback. The nerds now control basketball and you will be hurting them. It will be a fight but one worth winning. Playing pick-up basketball with teamwork and camaraderie is a great experience. When your team plays all night with defense and rebounding and passing, nothing beats that feeling. Watching nerds take bad shots is just not fun no matter how many games you win.