Fast Break

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Fast Break
The most exciting play in basketball is the fast break. This poem outlines every detail of the fast break and does a great job using the words to create a fantastic visual for the reader. The title of the poem, “Fast Break,” is actually what the whole poem is describing. The visual that is created is one of the reasons this poem is so appealing. My love for the game of basketball, more specifically at the collegiate level is another reason why this poem catches my attention. The author, Edward Hirsch, is probably the speaker and also a coach or fan of the team that is playing. I would say that he was a player, but all five players of the team are outlined in the poem and it’s not written in the third person. The author might also be mistaken as the head coach of the team; however the poem is in memory of the late Dennis Turner, whom I believe to be the Head Coach. A fast break lasts approximately five seconds on the court and the poem outlines every motion of both the offense and defense. The author puts the fast break in slow motion for the reader so that they can understand and re-live the play in their imagination.
Each stanza of the poem explains each step of how a fast break is preformed. The first three stanzas begin the fast break which usually starts off from a missed shot by the other team and a defensive rebound. The tall and thin center grabs the rebound and recognizes to immediately get the ba...

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