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Basketball (The Office)

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"Basketball (The Office)"

"Basketball" is the fifth episode of the first season of U.S. television comedy The Office. It was written and directed by Greg Daniels. It first aired on April 19, 2005.

Synopsis

Michael comes in to work prepared to pit the office staff against the warehouse in a game of basketball, with the losers having to work on Saturday. Michael picks Jim, Ryan, Stanley (Michael's "secret weapon"), and, reluctantly, Dwight and Phyllis (as an alternate).

The game begins and Stanley, despite being seen as a great option for Michael's team (due to his race), is a horrible player. Furthermore, Michael cannot make a shot, nor is he a fan of passing or defending. During the game, Roy and Jim gradually become aggressive toward each other, with Pam looking on. Pam is once caught staring a sweaty Jim. At a crucial point in the game, Michael is accidentally hit in the face. Michael claims it is a "flagrant personal intentional foul". He pettily stops the game and declares the office winners since they were winning when the foul occurred. The warehouse finds the call unfair and Michael caves under pressure, conceding the victory to the warehouse staff. As everybody returns to work, Kevin demonstrates his excellent shooting skills.

Afterwards, Michael, in a rare moment of heart, tells the office that they don't have to come in on Saturday either. However, his justification does little to calm them: "Like coming in an extra day is going to prevent us from being downsized."

Notes

  • This episode was inspired by a cut interview with Michael from the "Pilot" episode where he brags about playing basketball in the warehouse.[1]
  • Jim's response to Michael's line to "try not to be too gay on the court" was genuine; the line was improvised by Steve Carell.[2]
  • In the opening scenes when everyone is holding up their gym bags Ryan's bag is actually an Apple Retail Store drawstring bag.
  • Dwight wears a mask similar to Detroit Pistons player Richard Hamilton.[3]
  • Darryl suggests the winner of the game gets treated to "dinner at Farley's", which is a real restaurant in Scranton, Pennsylvania. Steve Carell also quipped that if Farley's made a "Michael Scott Burger," he would personally fly to Scranton to "cut the ribbon."[4] Farley's does have a Michael Scott burger.[5]
  • David Denman's elbowing of John Krasinski in the lip was an accident. The blood on Jim's lip is real, and Krasinski missed a photo shoot the next day due to the swelling. Denman felt horrible.[2]
  • Although only a few made the final cut, Brian Baumgartner actually made fourteen shots in a row during the filming of Kevin's scene on the court after the game.[2]
  • According to her blog, this episode contains Jenna Fischer's favorite Pam line of all-time: "Please don't throw garbage at me."[6]
  • Jim wears a University of Scranton t-shirt.
  • Immediately after Jim shows Michael his basketball gear bag, a boom mic is seen at the top of the shot.
  • In the deleted scene when Michael makes a full court shot, Steve Carrell was supposed to miss that shot like Michael normally does, but accidentally made it in, to everyone's (including Carrell's) surprise.
  • When Phyllis asks to play, Michael responds "Blessed be those who sit and wait." On the episode commentary, B.J. Novak jokingly accuses episode writer Greg Daniels of creating a "fake proverb," and Daniels professes that the line was improvised by Steve Carell.

Deleted scenes

The Season One DVD contains a number of deleted scenes from this episode. Notable cut scenes include:

  • Pam compliments Michael on his new pants.
  • Michael scolds Dwight for looking at the camera.
  • Michael talks to the warehouse crew about the 76ers game.
  • Michael discusses his basketball nicknames.
  • Kevin asks Dwight for Saturday off for band rehearsal.
  • Michael calls Todd Packer to remind him about the game.
  • Dwight eats Angela's Tootsie Rolls as a form of blackmail.
  • Pam laments Roy's recent monetary decisions.
  • Dwight tries to protect his dry erase board schedule from Jim.
  • Michael shares more thoughts on basketball.
  • Stanley hurts his ankle and is replaced by Phyllis.
  • Michael makes a full-court shot, surprising everyone (including himself).

References

  1. ^ Daniels, Greg (Producer). 2005. "Basketball" [Commentary track], The Office Season One (US/NBC Version) [DVD], Los Angeles, CA: Universal.
  2. ^ a b c Krasinski, John (Actor). 2005. "Basketball" [Commentary track], The Office Season One (US/NBC Version) [DVD], Los Angeles, CA: Universal.
  3. ^ [1]
  4. ^ Carell, Steve (Actor). 2005. "Basketball" [Commentary track], The Office Season One (US/NBC Version) [DVD], Los Angeles, CA: Universal.
  5. ^ 'The Office' Reality Tour
  6. ^ Fischer, Jenna (May 11, 2006). "Supersize Office Finale, Supersize Blog!", TVGuide.com
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