Three Beautiful Things 05-27-2024: Bill Walton Electrified Me, Ed and I On the Patio, Debbie's Superb Stir Fry Dinner

1. In the springs of 1970 and 1977, I was young, eager to be fired up, in love with the National Basketball Association, deeply impressionable, and full of enthusiasm. It might be that all of this enthusiasm and love makes my evaluation of the 69-70 New York Knicks and the 76-77 Portland Trailblazers unreliable. If so, so be it. But here I go: I thought those two teams played a style of team basketball that was as close to basketball perfection as was possible. 

The hub around which the perfection of the 76-77 Trailblazers turned was Bill Walton with his peerless court vision, absolute selflessness, uncanny ability to make pinpoint passes out of the pivot, ability to score in the key as needed, and his dedication to defense and rebounding, often leading to dynamic outlet passes, triggering the Blazers' blinding fast break. 

I've been replaying Bill Walton performances all day today, saddened by the news that he died of cancer, and relishing my memories of watching him, when healthy, play all facets of basketball at a superior level, a level that more than entertained me, it moved me. 

I'm not at all into discussions of trying to determine who was the greatest of all time in any sport. 

I don't care if Bill Walton was, for an electrifying stretch of time between 1976 and 1978, the greatest center of all time or not. 

His play moved me, gave me chills, goosebumps, rushes of adrenaline, joy, moments of disbelief, and the pleasure of seeing the game I loved played as well as I could imagine it. 

It's a grievous loss that he's gone, somehow only made bearable by the joy I've experienced today remembering his best days as a player. 

2. Ed swung by today and we sat out on the patio and yakked it up for a while. He's the first person outside of family and medical personnel I've visited with since May 11th. I enjoyed his visit a lot and was happy to know that things are going well for him and that he could see that I'm feeling good, looking healthy, and healing up a little bit more every day. 

3. Debbie made a remarkable chicken stir fry for our dinner tonight. She used wheat noodles she'd picked up at Trader Joe's and seasoned the chicken, vegetables, and noodles with a perfect measure of chili garlic sauce. She also made some extra chicken pieces and put them in a container, knowing that I've been wanting to add protein to my daily salads and now I can do just that!