"If he wins and doesn’t play well, he’s happy"

The danger for the über-competitive president (known for trash-talking on the basketball court) comes in believing his own hype…

“He fancies himself as Mr. Drive-to-the-Hoop and almost always drips confidence — that’s the attitude he revels in,” said Tobe Berkovitz, a professor of communications at Boston University, who specializes in political communication. “And he has every right to feel confident especially after what the last two years have been like, but he has to be very careful not to come across as arrogant. That’s something he could easily step into and it could be problematic for him.

“If he squanders his likability, he’ll have a hard time running for reelection,” Berkovitz said…

“He has a high basketball IQ,” Decerega said. “He understands the nuance. He knows where to be and who should have the ball at all times.”