Ever since I was old enough to walk and carry things, I have loved two sports above all others: our indigenous game of Australian rules football and the oh so American game that was invented by a Canadian, basketball. I was fortunate that from a young age my mum took me to many games of the top level of Aussie Rules,the VFL/AFL. I used to enjoy our trips down to Melbourne to watch the footy and I was lucky enough to see many of the modern greats ply their trade in person on the footy field. From Ablett Snr, Dunstall, Kernahan, Hawkins, Brereton, Carey, Harvey, Lockett, Roos, Jakovich, McCloud, Goodes, Ablett Jr, Judd, you name them, I've probably watched them play live more than once. I've also taken in games in Sydney and Adelaide as well. As for basketball, well I'd been to a few local NBL games and watched Australian greats like Andrew Gaze strut their stuff on the hardwood, but the true pinnacle was the NBA. Going to a live NBA game had been a dream of mine since I first picked up the roundball and tried to put it through the hoop as a young child. I'd watched the games on tv, had my bedroom wall covered in posters of the NBA stars of the day, wore the shoes and had so many different hats and jerseys that I could've kitted out two teams easily on my own. Michael Jordan was my sporting idol as a kid, as he was to millions of others around the world, but I also loved the defensive presence of Dikembe Mutumbo, the two man game of Utah Jazz legends John Stockton & Karl Malone, the thunderous dunks of The Reignman Shawn Kemp during his heyday with the Seattle Supersonics and the hard at it, workman like pair from the Charlotte Hornets Larry Johnson and Alonzo Mourning.
So it was with great excitement I hopped in a cab from my hotel in the southern suburbs of Cleveland and headed for downtown, specifically the Quicken Loans Arena (known to locals as simply 'The Q') and my first ever NBA game. Tonight the hometown Cleveland Cavaliers, lead by their tremendously talented Australian born point guard Kyrie Irving the number one pick out of Duke University in the 2011 NBA draft, took on scoring machine Monta Ellis and the Golden State Warriors. The Warriors were going into the game without their own sensational young pg, three point shooter extrodinare Steph Curry, son of former Charlotte Hornets sharpshooter (and another of my favourite players) Dell Curry. The Cavs and the Warriors both missed the playoffs last season and aren't in the realm of the Celtics, Lakers, Bulls, Heat, Knicks or Spurs when it comes to marquee recognition, but I didn't care. This was a lifelong dream, a live NBA game!
There was no line to enter the arena so we walked straight in and took in the Cavs wine and gold colored surroundings. The Cavs cheerleaders were wandering around pre-game taking photos with and chatting to fans, promoting both the team and the upcoming NBA all star game in Orlando, Florida. I knew I wouldn't be researching for this blog properly if I didn't get a photo with some of them (the things I do for my readers!) and have a quick chat. They were confident the Cavs were going to win, but were more interested in my 'cute' accent and hearing about Australia and our wildlife. I never had been that thankful to be an Aussie before in my life. Stop number two was in the two story Cavs store that sold everything from the obligatory jerseys (every player on the main roster, both home and away jerseys, as well as throwback jerseys featuring players like Mark Price and Brad Daugherty) right through to home and office products. They were also selling jerseys and merchandise from the American Hockey League's Lake Erie Monsters, who share the Q with the Cavs and are also owned by Cavs owner Dan Gilbert.
We took our seats on the top level in 'Loudville'. Despite the seats up in the nosebleeds our view was excellent, seemingly over the top of the court yet close enough to hear the squeaking of the players shoes. The players were out on the court doing their pre game shoot around and warm ups. The Cavs have an in house DJ scratching tunes and the mascots Moondog and Sir C.C. mingling amongst the crowd as well as a cheer squadron who bounce around the arena levels revving the crowd up. The teams head back into the locker rooms for a final pre game speech from their respective coaches while out in the arena the lights dim and the pre game video show starts. Clips of the team in action along with shots of Cleveland playing into the Cavs all for one, one for all motto. The video finishes with long range specialist and favorite of the Cavs faithful Daniel 'Boobie' Gibson urging the fans to stand up and make noise for the Cavaliers.
The Warriors re-enter the playing arena and their starting five is introduced. No bells or whistles for the visiting team, just a basic players name and position. However when the Cavs starters are announced, each gets an individual spotlight and flames shoot out of the scoreboard. The mascots run around the court with oversized Cavaliers flags while the cheerleaders vigorously shook their pom poms. The arena was maybe at half capacity, however they were making the noise of a full house. During the LeBron James era, the Cavs used to sell out every game, however as the team struggled after he left for Miami, the crowds slowly dropped off. These were true Cav fanatics in the house tonight.
The game went back and forward for the first three quarters, the Warriors jumped out to an early lead only only to have Cleveland reel them back in behind the sterling play of Kyrie Irving. For one of the smallest and youngest players on the court he showed little fear in taking the ball to the hoop, if he stays injury free he will become one of the top point guards in the league. When Irving was off the court and backup pg Ramon Sessions, the Cavs were a much less fluid. The Cavs other rookie, number 4 pick Tristan Thompson showed flashes of becoming a good player, crashing the boards and playing tough defense. His shooting and offense however, still needs time to develop. Cavs veteran Brazilian c/pf Anderson Varejeo also struggled, despite getting a double double (10 points, 13 rebounds). Of all the Cleveland squad, Varejeo was the one who showed the most fatigue following the Cavs seven game road trip, dropping a lot of inlet passes that could've led to easy points.
The Warriors skipped away in the final term behind leading scorer Monta Ellis and backup pg and former two time slam dunk champion (at five foot four inches tall) Nate Robinson who hit some timely three point shots. Golden State also capitalized on the turnovers by the Cavs (turnover count, 23-12) and ended up leaving the Q 105 - 95 victors. The fans filed out of the Q quietly, they know that rebuilding the team is a long term proposition, but were heartened by the play of Irving and back up centre Sehmi Urdin.
As for me, I was over the moon. My NBA experience had been tremendous fun. The Cavs put on a great show around the game, with lots of giveaways, pop culture clips on the scoreboard and halftime shows (a troupe of acrobats were the entertainment on this night, they were amazing). A lifelong dream fulfilled. Can't wait for the next time.
No comments:
Post a Comment