On reasons to trash talk people while playing pickup basketball over at Grantland:
“I’m not that good at basketball”: That’s the best reason to trash-talk. Think about it like this: Let’s say you’re 5-foot-7 and kind of slow, and you’re stuck guarding someone 6-foot-1 and kind of fast. You’re gonna get roasted in that situation all day, right? Your only hope is to start calling him a “bitch” over and over again, and hope that he ends up playing four inches shorter than usual. That’s a little thing called game planning. That’s how Bruce Bowen was able to stay in the league for so long.