Phoenix Suns‘ wing, Mikal Bridges, has a simple yet smooth approach to his game, not unlike Otis Redding’s rendition of Merry Christmas Baby.
Known mostly for Sittin’ On the Dock of the Bay, his melancholy soul-cry on hard luck and loneliness, Otis Redding’s Merry Christmas Baby is a surprisingly joyful light romp through the holiday season. The kind of song that, when it hits on the playlist, your hips start swaying in rhythm from left to right without you even knowing it. By the time he’s saying,
I feel might fine, y’all
I’ve got good music on my radio
Now your head is in it, and you start to twist a bit, looking from one shoulder to the next, elbow bent as your hands raise, still in the rhythm, surrendering to it as he says,
Feel mighty fine, girl
I’ve got good music on my radio, oh, oh, oh
I feel like I’m going to kiss you
Standing beneath the mistletoe
Watching Mikal Bridges is a lot like experiencing this gradual takeover.