Chris Palmer is following NYC playground legend Rafer Alston through the Bucks-Magic series. Check back and get a feel for life behind the scenes. Here's the first installment.

Rafer Alston has got the Bucks offense singing ... finally. The third-year point guard is running the show like he always knew he could. He finds Ray Allen along the baseline for a 10-footer, then Big Dog in the corner for three. He then pops his third pull-up J in a row from the foul line. "See how nice my jumper is? I thought I 'couldn't shoot'?" he says to me, emphatically pumping his fist in the air. Exhuasted, he plops down on his black leather couch.

By the way, we're nowhere near the Bradley Center. We're at Rafer's two-story townhouse in suburban Milwaukee, playing on his Sony PlayStation.

Forget the NBA playoffs. It's all about NBA Live tonight. You're probably thinking that when Rafer controls his video-game likeness, he racks up huge numbers and 360 flushes. "Nah, I keep it real," he says. "I just do what I can do in real life. I don't even start myself."

Video games are one of the ways Rafer "Skip" Alston spends his off nights during the playoffs. Sometimes it's bowling, other times it's Monopoly. But tonight, in a possible Finals preview, Alston's going Bucks-Lakers.

Skip checks himself back in early in the third quarter but isn't exactly feeling it. It's after midnight and his concentration is waning. He drives the lane and loses the ball out of bounds. On the next possesion he is plucked by Ron Harper. "Damn, I don't be gettin' stripped like that in the real game," he says in disgust.

He checks himself out and goes with the Big Three (Big Dog, Ray and Sam I Am) down the stretch. And as usual, on-screen or on-court, the Big Three can't miss. "We're the most dangerous outside shooting team in the league!" he yells.

But in the end Darvin Ham blows a layup at the buzzer and the Bucks fall 74-73. He drops the controller and buries his head in his hands. Hey, guys take losses really hard this time of year.

Chris Palmer covers The NBA Life for ESPN The Magazine. E-mail him at christopher.palmer@espnmag.com.