An instagram from our experience last night watching Bobbito Garcia's new documentary 'Doin' It In The Park'

Last nite, we were in for a treat. Rather than watching Game 4 of The Finals, Julian, Maks, and I all attended a screening for a documentary on NYC streetball called 'Doin It In The Park'. It's a film by Bobbito Garcia and Kevin Couliau, with Bobbito likely a familiar name to you for his involvement in the NYC basketball scene, legendary voiceover work for NBA Street Vol. 2 & 3 (I played this game ad nauseum back in the day), and his sneaker with Nike.

Nike put on this screening — one of many to take place across the globe — to further promote the great culture Bobbitto & Couliau were able to capture. We all came away impressed and with more knowledge about the whole NYC basketball scene, which is long regarded as the mecca of basketball. I myself knew of much of the names and background, but there were a lot of new revelations as well (like the culture of prison ball, which is not like the 'myths' we hear about, and the history of all the famous parks). Interviews with former NBAers Kenny "The Jet" Smith, Kenny Anderson, Smush Parker, and fellow NYC streetball legends like Pee Wee Kirkland, Homicide, Fly, and none other than Dr. J Julius Erving all lend a first-hand perspective to the ins and outs of pickup basketball in New York City. Job well-done by Bobbito & Couliau, who were fielding some questions and comments in the Q&A afterward. It seemed like everyone in the theatre enjoyed the documentary and for those not in attendance, you can watch it online at doinitinthepark.com. Shouts to Nike Chicago and Ron and his crew at Mid C Media.

In brief: 'Doin It In The Park' captured the essence, history, and culture of NYC pick-up basketball. By the end, we fully understood just how magnetic the game of basketball really is. And that's an amazing thing for one orange ball and two round hoops.

Get a glimpse of what I summarized above with the documentary's dope trailer below. And if you happen to catch this at posting time in Chicago, head on over to Villa where Bobbito Garcia is with Sir Michael Rocks & Save Money til 10pm, also previewing new Nike & Jordan gear.

The Doctor. Dr. J, Julius Erving. For me, and many others out there, we didn't get a chance to see Dr. J perform at the peak of his powers, or, at any point in his career. But as any NBA fan of the past couple decades (and more) can attest, the mark he's left on the game is still seen today, and his career: one of legendary status.

But it's still one thing to have experienced Dr. J at a time when he wasn't even televised as the face of the ABA. The documentary by NBA TV that aired last night told generations who knew the encylopedia facts and a story or two... Dr. J's entire story. It emphasized that experience of seeing Dr. J — a jaw-dropping one if you saw him in person and one you otherwise heard about through word of mouth until he started winning MVPs in the NBA (since news consumption is nowhere near what it is now in the digital age).

Amidst some frank and stoic words from Dr. J himself, we also heard stories from Hall-of-Famers and those who grew up watching or covering Julius Erving. The documentary chronicled Dr. J's entire life: the personal triumph of being the best player that ever was at the famous Rucker Park and the ABA to the elusive NBA Championship he finally attained in 1983, and the personal tragedies of losing his brother at age 19, and his son, also at age 19. We got to see the human side of Dr. J as he emotionally expressed what it was like to go through that pain. Needless to say, this was an amazing hour and a half trip through Dr. J's personal life and professional career that many of us didn't have a seat for. Hooked from the very first scene with Magic and Isiah. And now it's hard to find one scene or section that I felt more intriguing than another. It all was, and now you can watch the whole documentary ICYMI above! (shouts to Yardie)

Dr. J was all class, the coolest superstar, and the consummate teammate. Not only does the documentary illustrate that, but also this piece by the one and only Scoop Jackson that's a must-read before or after you watch The Doctor.

Spoiler alert! Dr. J dunks at age 63 to end the documentary. Whoa!

I, among many other sports documentary enthusiasts, am of the highest of excitement for the return of ESPN's 30 For 30 series. (Sidebar: Kuda & I watch about one a week at the office, hah.) The second documentary slated for release this October (the 9th to be exact) is '9.79*' - the story of Ben Johnson's world record 100m race at the '88 Olympic Games, only to be asterisked after he tested positive for anabolic steroids just days later. The trailer above was released today and it's already, as expected, riveting. (Full synopsis below).

ESPN's 30 For 30 returns on October 2nd, making it a trifecta for sports-loving hip hop fans everywhere. If you're keeping track at home, that's 30 For 30, NBA 2K13, and Kendrick Lamar's Good Kid, m.A.A.d. city. Ladies, plan for a ladies night.

The 100-meter men’s final at the 1988 Seoul Games was the fastest and perhaps most thrilling sprint in Olympic history. But within 48 hours, gold medalist Ben Johnson had tested positive for anabolic steroids, and scandal reigned. This one race still haunts the eight men who took part. But what brought them to the starting line? And what happened to them since?