Comment on setting

"Ball Don't Lie" takes place in the Los Angeles metropolitan area: notably East L.A., the gritty underbelly of the city that is the location of Lincoln Rec, a public gymnasium where men, mostly of color, go to indulge their passion for basketball. Lincoln Rec is the gritty paradise inhabited by the homeless or down-and-out as well as the aspiring hoop stars of the 'hood. Contrasted with this neighborhood are the upscale shopping districts of Santa Monica and the Third Street Promenade, where Sticky and his friends engage in various forms of mayhem, ranging from shoplifting to vandalism to armed robbery. The Third Street Promenade is also the site of Miller's clothing boutique, where Anh-thu, Sticky's redemptive girlfriend, works. Several scenes are set in the various foster homes that Sticky bounces in and out of like a dribbling basketball.