This episode was written and directed by series developer Greg Daniels.

Michael: Let’s figure out our starting lineup. Stanley, of course.
Stanley: I’m sorry?
Michael: What do you play? Center?
Stanley: What’s that supposed to mean? Why 'of course?'
Michael: I don’t remember saying that.

Dwight: Well we need someone to work this Saturday, (folds his tie back) and I think it should be… Jim.
Jim: God, this is so sad. This is the smallest amount of power I’ve ever seen go to someone’s head.

Michael: When I am playing hoops... all of the stress and responsibility of my job here just melts away. It's gone; I'm in the zone. Who am I? Am I Michael Scott? I don't know. I might just be a basketball machine. What's Dunder Mifflin? I've never heard of it. Filing? Paperwork? Who cares. Possible downsizing? Umm... well, that's... that's probably gonna happen, actually.

Pam: Maybe Angela would cheerlead.
Michael: Oh, yeah right.
Phyllis: I'll do it.
Michael: Oh, yuck, that's worse than you playing.

In the very first scene Michael is walking into the office with a duffel bag and newspaper. Just as he raises the paper and is almost right behind Jim, you can clearly see a boom microphone near the top of the screen.

Michael: And here we have Mister Rogers' Neighborhood.

Ryan calls the warehouse Mister Rogers' Neighborhood, after the children's television show that ran from 1968 - 2001.

Darryl: (to Ryan) Darryl Philbin. Then Regis, then Rege, then Roger, then Mister Rogers.

Darryl traces the evolution of how Michael arrived from his own name to Mr. Rogers, including the name of talk show host, Regis Philbin.

Michael: I... yeah, yeah. I know, grumble, grumble. But you would follow me to the ends of the earth, grumbling all the way. Like that, uh, dwarf from Lord of the Rings.

Michael references the dwarf Gimli, from The Lord of the Rings books and films.

Roy: (to Jim) Look at Larry Bird. Larry Legend.

Roy calls Jim, Larry Bird, who was a famous NBA player for the Boston Celtics from 1979 - 1992.