Time, as a wiser man than I once said, is the author of authors. No matter how fast we run in the hope of outpacing it, it always catches up with us. This is because it is attached to our heels with elastic. And it always has the last word, just as it does the first.Cricket also has an elastic view of time, packing its excitement into barely a quarter of the actual minutes available. In Test match cricket, each ball bowled is in motion for between six and 12 seconds, with the important bit, from hand to bat, taking up barely an entire second. A typical hours play, containing, say, 13 overs, thus involves barely 15 minutes of action, of which around two minutes are ball to bat to field. They also serve, as Milton would say.And yet, within this game of contradictions built on dichotomy, this game that challenges us on every level, forcing us into unnatural positions, demanding fluidity when for the greater part of every match the entire field is almost entirely still, within this game the great players appear to manufacture their own time. Time is the umpire of umpires, if you like.Its no wonder that when we are struggling with our personal game we explain it in temporal terms: we cant time the ball; the rhythm in our run-up has gone. It even works for keepers: a mistimed take bounces out of rather than buries itself into the glove.I was once at a milonga, an organised event where you dance the tango, where tradition has it that the women choose their partner for each dance. I noticed one gentleman, maybe in his late fifties, who was in high demand. He danced a simple dance, little more than the basic walk of tango, but he was obviously preferred over the younger and flashier leaders, all leg flicks and twirls. I asked one of his partners why he was so popular (even though I thought I had it nailed), and the response was that he just felt better. Id been watching his feet, however. The reason he felt better was because he knew where the beat was. This meant that his dancing partners could predict when his feet were aiming at, which made for a dance in which coordination was total, where two dancers merged into one. The others were merely there or thereabouts.But cricket revolves around the ball, and specifically getting the ball to bend to our will rather than somebody elses. And to do that we need as much information about it as possible. In fact, we need to predict where its going to be at any given time in its trajectory. Only in this way can it be propelled to just the right length, hit with just the right amount of force into just the right gap, clasped at just the right moment. This is exactly what happens when playing music, only the ball is the groove.When you play music (by which I mean contemporary popular music; classical music, with a conductor, is a different kettle of fish), the living and breathing heart of the music is the drummer, for they define the groove, they create the contingent time in which the music exists. For the ensemble to work, each instrument must find its place within that time, as asserted on the drum kit. The bass, for example, will find its home in the kick drum, not played at the same time, but inside the drumbeat. The bass must make the kick drum play a note. In similar fashion, the guitar must make the hi-hat or snare play a chord. For a drummer to play at their best, they must be balanced, relaxed and confident in every stroke. They must feel themselves inside the beat and avoid second-guessing their instincts. The best drummers produce a groove so big, so fat, that each beat acts as though it has its own gravity, with the default placement of a note being in the exact centre of each beat.It is this knowledge of the beats precise centre that allows the ensemble player freedom to make a rhythm that is irresistible, a rhythm so simple, so beyond mere precision that it enters the realms of inevitability. From this place, the note can be placed a little in front of the beat, a little behind, on top, underneath... the player controls the note, and thus the music.And so it is in cricket.When a bowlers run-up goes, the suggested fix is invariably technical, but what is needed is for them to tap into how it felt when all was dandy. They must feel like the drummer - relaxed, balanced, confident. They must feel that the ball is part of them, on a string, as is said of Jimmy Anderson when hes in the groove. The game is not the time to practise but just to kick back and play.For the batsman, the process is the same. As you wait for the bowler to deliver the ball, so you tap into the feel of the game, allow your body to connect with it, and as the ball traces its arc towards you, your instinct knows where the centre of the ball is. Then control is yours. Play it early, play it late, play it spot on. Close the face, open the face, show the makers name. Whichever you choose, the ball will obey.Cricket is all about timing, and timing is not technique, its feel. Perhaps, just perhaps, if we learn to feel differently, to trust our instincts to place the ball, bat or gloves just so, it might just help us to slot back into the groove. Chris Iannetta Jersey . One game after a miserable showing in Oklahoma City, Gay tied a career high with 41 points and the Sacramento Kings cruised to a 114-97 victory at the New Orleans Pelicans on Tuesday night. 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DURHAM, N.C. -- This isnt the Duke team that was picked No. 1 in the preseason.Thats no slight to these current Blue Devils, who in their present composition have been plenty strong enough to win seven of eight, take down Michigan State and earn a No. 5 ranking.But beneath the surface, one question lingers: How much better will this team be once three injured freshman big men -- Harry Giles, Marques Bolden and Jayson Tatum -- are finally healthy enough to play?Coach Mike Krzyzewski says its still not quite time to find out.Were getting there, but itll be a while, Krzyzewski said after the 78-69 victory over the Spartans on Tuesday night. We just have to keep playing our butts off and keep trying to win. Every teams season is a little bit different. We just have to run our race the way were running it, and eventually, hopefully, well get all those guys.Those three were major reasons why Duke (7-1) was the favorite to win the Atlantic Coast Conference and voted to the top spot in the preseason polls.But the Blue Devils insist theyre not content to merely tread water until those three are ready to go.We know how good we are -- were still improving, and we know when we incorporate these guys back in, were going to be that much better, All-America guard Grayson Allen said. But right now were very confident with what we have. Were not playing a waiting game where were waiting for those guys to get back. Were going full speed and approaching every game that way, and I think the group that we have has done a great job fighting with a shorter bench, just being tough and really playing a lot of minutes.In the past week, the three five-star freshmen have taken part in pregame warmups, with an inordinate amount of attention being paid to what happens in those layup lines. Bolden and Giles have gone through those drills at closer to full speed than Tatum.ddddddddddddGiles had his left knee scoped in early October to clean up scar tissue after he tore ligaments three years ago. Tatum sprained his foot during a practice in front of NBA scouts later that month, and Bolden suffered a lower leg injury during the teams first exhibition game.Krzyzewski has often emphasized his teams long-term goals over any short-term jolt that might come from rushing them into action before theyre healthy -- and risking re-injury. He said during the preseason that Duke is going to try to conduct our season appropriately because the key question is will we have all the talent available at the time you have the opportunity to win the championship?But after the Michigan State win, he acknowledged the frustration his freshmen feel at having to watch such a high-intensity game from the bench.The thing thats most frustrating to the kids who are hurt -- a game like tonight, man, thats what they live for, he said. These guys want to be in that game.Depth wasnt supposed to be an issue for this seemingly loaded Duke team. But those three injuries, plus a nagging toe injury that has kept Allen from practicing, once again has the Blue Devils trying to figure things out.Duke played just six men against Michigan State -- the starting five, plus reserve big man Chase Jeter -- in what felt like a flashback to 2015-16 when the injury-ravaged Blue Devils routinely went only six or seven deep.We had visions of, `Man, our practices are going to be hellacious, five-on-five, Krzyzewski said. We havent had that at all. Its crazy.---Follow Joedy McCreary at http://twitter.com/joedyap.---More AP college basketball: www.collegebasketball.ap.org and https://twitter.com/AP-Top25. 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