Big up's to The Puck, who recently gave me a call to offer an extra ticket to an NBA game he had left over when his girlfriend decided that studying to get into grad school precedes attendance at a professional sporting event. This trip afforded me an opportunity to gain a higher knowledge and appreciation for the NBA product about to be divulged. This trip afforded The Puck the opportunity to see his childhood team matchup vs. the team whose city he currently resides (Warriors v. Blazers). Big ups to a random gentleman in section 122 also, who's advice that a pair of seats next to him (and just behind the Blazers bench) rarely get filled, and allowed us to turn $20 tickets into $135 tickets.
The Puck and I were especially keen after our good fortunate, and with our combined knowledge could more easily breakdown major and minor aspects of the NBA production. That being said, this opportunity also exposed us to the company of a series of season ticket holding frat boys to our left (clearly attending on daddy's pocketbook) that while humored by the banter next to them, could only muster enough intelligence to point out the most blatantly obvious of events taking place around them.
Early on, while The Puck and I appreciated the workmanlike attitude and preparation of the participants, two particular players stood out in vast contrast of the general demeanor. It was in no poor fashion that Juwan Howard and Ronnie Turiaf (perrenial NBA good guys) seemed excessively playful throughout the competition; in fact, the percieved notion that they had a good perspective of where their jobs stood within their overall livelihood was refreshing. Accordingly, these two were monitored during all time outs and breaks to see (and also partake in) what constantly kept them humored.
Speaking of constantly humored during breaks, it was also excessively appearant that many of the Blazers (LaMarcus Aldridge, Rudy Fernandez, Steve Blake...who mind you are injured and sitting behind the bench) aren't shy of keeping an eye on the BlazerDancers and Rebecca Haarlow, Comcast SportsNet's courtside correspondent. LaMarcus was easily identifiable as the primary cultprit, noted to have been pulling Rudy away from the huddle during timouts and pointing at various events taking place during breaks. He also gave Rebecca more than one up/down glance during the span of the game. I considered offering The Puck on a +/- wager on how many times this would happen the rest of the night, except for the fact that it would've required us also to frequently glance at Rebecca as well, who didn't look impressive on the evening. (In her defense, her photos and bio seen here improved my overall impression of her)
Staying on the topic of breaks though, The Puck was noticably disturbed by segments when young girls (presumably between 8 and 12) were brought out during timeouts to share the provacative dance moves that they had learned from the much more mature BlazerDancers. While The Puck was not the only fan pressured to look away from this display (obviously this would make any male over 18 feel uneasy), it occured to me that despite the fact that this is a positive activity and a way for young girls to express themselves, the manner and setting in which they were doing it was perhaps in appropriate. Obviously we here at Dodgy as Feck would never condone such a thing, but events like this make me less shocked when grungy 40-somethings hang out around the time kids get out for recess...they don't need any more ammunition, why should they be provoked in a blatantly public environment by those with no legal rights, and presumably no ability to protect themselves? Just food for thought...
In relevant athletic action, it should be noted that before the tip, I noted a gut feeling to those around that Corey Maggette would have an exceptional game. Sure enough, the Blazers looked visibly weary from only having an 8-man rotation, and the Warriors rushed to a 20-4 lead within the first 5 minutes thanks to 11 points from Maggette. However, the player who turned on the style most after this juncture was Monta Ellis. Despite a plea to The Puck to remind me later in life never to name any of my children "Monta", the slick 6'3" shooting guard provided multiple opportunities from the fastbreak, and often switching between cutting and outleaping the TrailBlazers bigs and leveling any perimeter defending with a barrage of 3's.
Despite the Warriors losing 105-89, I was thuroughly impressed by his performance, and it made me wonder which other NBA teams have exceptional players that (despite a high athletic affinity) I have very little idea about. That being said, in terms of NBA players with little exposure, Brandon Roy scored the quitest 37 points I think I'll ever see in a game.
With a great experience in hand (figuratively...the only thing I actually had was a coupon for a free chalupa from Taco Bell for the Blazers notching 100 points), I was pleased to have the opportunity to attend such a great entertainment event, and to see it from such a great angle. Hopefully The Puck's girlfriend will continue her intense study habits (I chose to disregard my own for the evening), I fully look forward to a similar experience in the near future.
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