Crafty can trump athletic

Phoenix Suns guard Steve Nash says it's his "old white guy at the YMCA" move. He slithered between Los Angeles Clippers defenders and threw up a left-handed scoop shot in the lane the big guys couldn't block. There was nothing extremely athletic about the move. One foot barely left the ground. But it was effective, and recognizable by almost anyone who has played pickup Basketball as an example of what Nash says is the old-guy-at-the-Y move. Against defenders of all ages and sizes -- some even more athletic and talented -- the old guy at the Y can go to his move and score. Consistently. They can be found at places other than the Y. Maybe at a pickup game outdoors. Maybe it's a 42-year-old professor done with his 9 a.m. political science class, giving players half his age a lesson in the shrewdness of the midlife hoopster on an intramural court. "Most guys playing pickup Basketball just want to get a nice run in and get a couple of shots up," TNT analyst and former NBA star Reggie Miller says. "When you're going against that guy at the Y, at the end of the day, they're the guys who hit game-winners and stay on the court." Nash was trying to be quotable with his YMCA comment, but the essence of what he says is true. And those players exist in the NBA. "Those guys have that crafty, skillful game that doesn't rely on speed," Nash says. He could have been talking about himself. Nash is clever, but not necessarily fancy, with the Basketball. He astounds with the simplicity of his passes. Who has the best old-guy-at-the-Y game in the NBA? Cleveland Cavaliers forward LeBron James says it's someone such as teammate Delonte West, who can pick up a Basketball after not playing for a while and make every shot. ESPN analyst and former NBA guard Mark Jackson says it's someone who uses the angles, such as San Antonio Spurs forward Tim Duncan and his array of shots off the backboard. There's the player who does nothing but rebound, focus on defense and makes one shot a game, such as Detroit Pistons center Ben Wallace. Then there is the accurate shooter. Miller didn't hesitate with his choice: Boston Celtics guard Ray Allen and his picture-perfect jump shot. "If I need a three-pointer," Miller says, "I'm going to set a series of screens for my man Jesus Shuttlesworth," the character Allen played in the movie He Got Game. One name popping up is Washington Wizards forward Antawn Jamison and his striking combination of traditional moves and unconventional hook shots and scoop shots with either hand, fade-aways and up-and-under post moves. James loves Jamison's game. At 6-9, 235, Jamison has the game that is difficult to defend no matter who is guarding him. "He has the most unorthodox, efficient offensive game in the league," Miami Heat coach Erik Spoelstra says. "What he does you can't teach. You don't see any other players doing it. ... He has an incredible touch and knack for making difficult shots look very easy. He's made a career of it." Indeed. Jamison, a 12-year veteran and two-time All-Star, is averaging 21.9 points and 9.6 rebounds this season. He knows his reputation around the NBA. "I don't know where the shots are coming from. I surprise myself sometimes, too," he says. When Jamison got to college at North Carolina, he realized "guys were a little bit stronger, a little bit taller." He developed a game that was tough to stop with strength or size. "It was just me trying to get the shot off before they get into defensive position. It just came natural," Jamison says. "As long as I can get you 20 (points) and 10 (rebounds), I'm going to continue to do it."