OK, you're 5-foot-3 in your Air Jordans and you couldn't dunk if you were sitting on top of the backboard. But you can still be the hero of the NBA.
How? No, this isn't a column about secret growth methods of the stars. It's about video games - and Electronic Arts has a good one for your PlayStation in NBA Live '97.The great thing about an EA game is access to the real teams and the real players, not some fantasy teams and made-up jocks. So if you're a fan of the Utah Jazz or Chicago Bulls, you can call them up and have them stomp any other team in the league - just like in real life.
And you get a wonderful collection of options. You can play an exhibition game to get your shot back, play a 28-, 56- or 82-game season or move directly to the playoffs with any teams you want.
You can play arcade-style, in which the players never get tired. Or hurt. Or foul out. If you prefer realism, choose simulation, which requires that you come up with substitutions and otherwise deal with the realities of big-time hoops.
You can select from three difficulty levels. You can fiddle with the sound and controls. And you can even juggle rosters and build your own players.
There are dozens of offensive and defensive plays to choose from, and seemingly a million camera angles. Mitch Richmond, the fine Sacramento Kings guard, provided the moves on which much of the action is based.
Graphics are excellent, with fabulous players. Stats are available by the ton, and you can keep track of just about anything meaningful in the world of basketball. Sound also is good; and control, while not perfect, is certainly acceptable in this venue. If you like to hear a running commentary, you'll feel shortchanged - I usually shut down the voices and background music, so I don't care that comments are in short supply.
And you sometimes want to poke the players with a cattle prod - they don't move as fast as they might.
But all in all, if you like hoops, you'll like NBA Live '97. Slamming on Shaq from the comfort of your living room is a treat. NBA Live '97 is rated K-A, for all ages.