![]() ![]() ![]() Erving sees more than anyone else on the court, recognizing that the basket is “an iron hole drawn in space,/and therefore implies a window/though the key makes it also a door.” Even in a small space packed with “trees” (big men), Erving sees possibilities everywhere. To describe the greatness of some athletes, David Foster Wallace said, you need to resort to metaphysics since “we’re talking about those rare, preternatural athletes who appear to be exempt…from certain physical laws.” In Be Holding, a masterful, book-length poem written in stream-of-consciousness couplets, Ross Gay wants his readers to know that Julius Erving – aka Doctor J – was one of those athletes.Įarly on, Gay seems to be writing an extended ode to “The Doctor,” but the poet takes advantage of Erving’s super-human body control and hang-time while finishing The Lay-Up (hoops’ fans love these designations: Michael Jordan gave us The Shot LeBron gave us The Block) – a truly amazing move during the 1980 playoffs that would have made Isaac Newton doubt the rational laws of the universe – to contextualize Erving’s greatness. ![]()
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