Basketbawful

Thursday, May 11, 2006

gamesmanshit (gamz'-muhn-shit') noun. The skill of using dirty tricks and cheap shots to gain an advantage over another player or team.

Usage example: There was a lot of gamesmanshit going on between Raja Bell and Kobe Bryant in that Suns/Lakers series.

Word History: The late Wilt Chamberlain coined this term in his 1991 autobiography A View From Above. He said that cheating is perfectly acceptable...as long as you don't get caught. He then (quite gleefully) described several of the little tricks he used to cheat at everything from basketball to poker (due to his prodigious height, he could peak over someone's hands and see what cards they were holding). At least he acknowledged that these shady tactics are generally looked down upon, at least by the victims, which is why he called it "gamesmanshit" instead of "gamesmanship." We've seen plenty of gamesmanshit in the 2006 NBA playoffs, from Kobe's "Macho Man-esque" elbow smashes, to Raja Bell's clotheline, to the now infamous Reggie Evans nut-mugging of Chris Kaman. It should be noted, however, that Reggie Evans isn't the first NBA player to wreak havok on the opposition's genitals. Let's not forget that Karl Malone would, from time to time, make a special delivery to someone's package courtesy of his kick-out jumpers. My all-time favorite example of this is when he gave it to good old Big Shot Bob. That's Crunch City, baby.

That crunching, nut-mashing pain you feel?That's just gamesmanshit, Rob.

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