I’ll admit it. I was entertained despite myself.

I don’t watch basketball on television. Or in person for that matter. Haven’t since the 1970s.

The sport has always struck me as a good way for football players to keep in shape. The actual games are rather silly – they are almost always decided in the last minute. Why watch the rest of the game? For that matter, why play the rest of the game? Why not just have minute-long games. I suggest they would be more exciting.

Still, when a friend invited me to take in the Ottawa Blackjacks of the Canadian Elite Basketball League Thursday night, I accepted. The league uses something called the Elam ending. I had read about it, but was curious to see it in action.

There are variations, and I won’t go into minutiae, but essentially at a predetermined point in the fourth quarter the clock is turned off. A target score is set – and the first team to hit that mark wins the game.

There is an advantage to the team leading at that moment, but you never know in advance just how big that lead will be. Or the teams could be tied. I found it added extra excitement to the game.

Was it enough to get me to return to following basketball like I did 50 years ago? probably not.

I would go to another game though. It was fun.