Where Amazing Still Happens
Posted by SK, February 11, 2008 - 10:09 am
As cold as it is in New York today, I can’t fight this warm and fuzzy feeling I have inside. Members of Deepslant Nation, I am happy to announce that any reports of the demise of the NBA are gravely mistaken. NBA basketball is still faaaan-tastic!
My buddy R-Dawg scored these SICK tickets to Sunday night’s Nets-Mavericks game. Right behind the backboard, about 20 rows up. How good were these seats? Our seats were actually in front of the pressbox. When the action went to the other side of the court, the referees would actually get in the way of my view. That’s how good these seats were.
We arrived about an hour before tip-off, and I was treated to an amazing sight - the Mavs pre-game shootaround, up close. Dirk, Josh Howard, and the rest of my boys were less than 25 feet in front of me. After giddily going up close and taking pics with my cell phone, I looked down, and sitting right there was Mark Cuban talking to Kiki Vandeweghe. The owner of the Mavs and the Special Assistant to the Nets GM. I could have reached over and messed up Cuban’s hair, I was that close. But I was hoping they were talking about a Jason Kidd trade, so I didn’t want to interrupt.
And even though the Mavericks lost 101-82, I fell in love with NBA hoops all over again. There are things that you notice when you’re that close-up that you don’t notice from a TV broadcast or from the cheap seats. For instance:
Those guys are JACKED: The Mavericks’ Brandon Bass and Erick Dampier are just plain massive. To be that big and still move with the speed and athleticism it requires to be in the NBA… well, I would say that it’s just not fair. But The Nets’ have guys in Sean Williams and Richard Jefferson who are just as big.
Dirk’s tall. Really, really tall: And he’s still a little skinny. During shootaround, he was practicing guarding JJ Barea. That’s 7 feet guarding 6 feet, and you could tell. Yet Dirk’s still got the sweetest jumpshot I’ve ever seen. The release and the arc on that shot is truly a thing of beauty and artistry, and can only be truly appreciated in person. He made some really tough rebounds and seems to be driving to the basket more, too. All good signs for the Mavs, if he can keep it up through the playoffs.
Even after 14 years, J-Kidd’s still got it: Two nights earlier, he recorded his 99th career triple-double (yes, 99), and Jason Kidd still shows no sign of slowing down. He has this knack for knowing not only exactly where all four of his teammates are on the court, but also knowing exactly where they will be, leading to at least 5 “Holy Shit!” moments from me and R-Dawg. The man has the greatest court sense and vision I have ever seen, and he still has the speed, handles, and jumpshot to keep playing at a high level. Are you listening to me, Mark Cuban and Donnie Nelson? To paraphrase Kobe Bryant, “I don’t care how you get him, it’s Jason fucking Kidd!”
Vince Carter - Wow, just wow: There are knocks on VC’s toughness, but from what I saw, he is far from the wuss that the media characterizes him to be. He took an elbow to the head in the second quarter and crumpled to the floor for about 2 minutes. After going out of the game for a while, he came back sans-headband, and proceeded to wreak havoc on the Mavericks defense, sealing the Nets victory with a breakaway slam that was literally breathtaking. I’ve never seen anyone get up so high so quickly.
Seeing what I saw on Sunday night, I’m super excited about the Association once again. The West looks tighter than I’ve ever seen and The East has three or four teams that could possibly contend come playoff time. My NBA second-half previews are on their way, kids!
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The NBA is due to make a comeback. The flow of stars from the West to the Eastern conference is a nice start. You make me wanna attend a game again, SK.
[…] week has been a complete rollercoaster for me. Last Sunday night I wrote about watching Jason Kidd in person, and how he’s still got it after 14 years. Then I thought that he’d be getting it in […]