On The Court, Obama's Got Game   He's confident and competitive.
Superstitious and silly. Admits his mistakes. Shares credit.
Always in control. That's Barack Obama on the basketball court,
the hardwood hideaway that helped him adjust to a white world as
a racially mixed teenager - and now stands as a sweaty platform
for his Democratic presidential campaign.  Hillary may have
Bill. But Barack's got game.  For months, the Illinois senator
kept his "first love" under wraps, but suddenly basketball is
center court as a political strategy. It's no accident: Obama
needs something - anything - to deflect attention from the re-
emergence of Rev. Jeremiah Wright, his bombastic former pastor
whose racially charged opinions threaten to widen the disconnect
between the Illinois senator and white working-class voters.
More than that, Obama hopes his passion for basketball helps
soften his image as cool and aloof.  "I do think you can tell
something about people by the way they play basketball," he told
HBO's "Real Sports