Today is NBA Stadiums Blog Day! If you have not heard of it, do not be alarmed as we wouldn’t expect you to, but some of us NBA bloggers led by Jones On the NBA have organized today to blog about our experiences being at a stadium during a big game or moment in NBA history. I’ve witnessed a few big moments at the “Phone Booth” here in Washington, DC where the Wizards play and ultimately I narrowed it down to 2 choices.
First, the runner-up is this play where Michael Jordan shows us he can still get up…
As impressive as that block looks on video, it was 10x better in person as it just came out of nowhere. Think him getting his shot blocked on the previous play had anything to do with it?
Now, onto my choice for most memorable moment at an NBA game…
To set the stage, it’s 2005, the city of Washington, DC is hyped up as the Wizards are back in the playoffs for the first time since 1997 when they were the 8 seed and known as the Bullets. After years of losing, this Wizards team is exciting and really has a shot to get out of the first round as the 5 seed. But, we haven’t been to the post-season in forever and the city is panicking as the Bulls take games 1 and 2 on their home floor. The Wizards respond in Game 3 though, winning 117-99 setting up a do-or-die Game 4. You’re not coming back down 3-1 and going to Chicago. I was lucky enough to score tickets (albeit in the upper level) to Game 4.
Coming into this game, we knew we’d have to play like we did in Game 3 when our Big 3 of Gilbert Arenas, Antawn Jamison, and Larry Hughes each scored 20+ with a little help from Etan Thomas off the bench. We needed our Big 3 to come through and to get some bench help.
Unfortunately, the one guy off the bench who could score in a hurry, Juan Dixon, was slumping. Wrong time to be slumping. Being a Duke fan, I still wasn’t a fan of this guy.
The game is about to begin and, like you do at all Wizards games, the PA announcer welcomes everyone to “the most POWERFUL city in the world” and does the player introductions. I’m looking around, looking down at our play-by-play and analyst team of Steve Buckhantz and Phil Chenier. I’m wondering what mistakes Buck has already made for the fans watching at home, and I’m hoping he’ll be excited when he’s talking about “daggers” and “backbreakers” late in the game. In Buck-ology, a “dagger” or “backbreaker” is a big shot at a key moment in the game sort of like Mike Breen’s “bang,” but not quite as frequent.
I can’t remember who was at this particular game, but DC is, of course, the politician’s Hollywood and the legendary Tim Russert would often sit courtside as would other political types.
Onto the game…
Late in the first quarter, Dixon entered the game. To be honest, it was a bit surprising as it was somewhat a question mark if he would even play given his slump, but Eddie Jordan wanted to roll the dice.
In his first six minutes, he scored 14 points. Impressive, but would it last? I was still skeptical. The arena was electric, though as the whole team was playing with energy, sparked by Dixon. Nobody was sitting down.
By halftime, the Wizards were up 61-37 and Dixon had 16 points. This would not be a nailbiter.
When it was all said and done, Juan Dixon scored a career-high 35 points and led the Wizards to a 106-99 win.
I had never heard the “Phone Booth” so loud as that game. From tip to buzzer, no matter what the margin, everyone was on their feet. I don’t think I sat down the whole game.
I have to admit, though, being at Game 5 in Chicago would have been nice…
If you have any memories of special NBA moments you have attended, feel free to e-mail me an article and I’ll try to publish it.
#2. Miami – Michael Beasley. Well, Pat Riley didn’t seem particularly enthused by the pick, but surprisingly he kept his hands off and let the team choose Beasley.
#3. Minnesota – O.J. Mayo. No surprise that Mayo is drafted here, but we were looking for some kind of trade. C’mon, Kevin McHale, couldn’t you liven things up a bit?
#4. Seattle – Russell Westbrook. Whaaaat? I don’t think anybody saw this coming. Jerryd Bayless was #4 on just about everybody’s mock, including this one. So Seattle might end up looking like geniuses here or maybe we find out the owner was out to spite Sonics fans for making moving the team such a hassle.
#5. Memphis – Kevin Love. We thought Memphis would go big, but didn’t expect Love to go this soon with the questions surrounding his athleticism. We shall see.
#6. NY Knicks – Danilo Gallinari. Haha, you gotta love the Knicks taking a European player in the lottery. You can cue the boos when that happens since nobody knows who the guy is.
#7. LA Clippers – Eric Gordon. Good pick for the Clips. Jerryd Bayless is slipping.
#8. Milwaukee – Joe Alexander. Bucks fans should at least have some hope after acquiring RJ earlier today and now getting a guy who might be ready to contribute on Day 1.
#9. Charlotte – DJ Augustin. I guess Larry Brown thinks Augustin “plays the right way”.
#10. New Jersey – Brook Lopez. Along with Yi, the Nets now have acquired 2 7-footers on the same day.
#11. Indiana – Jerryd Bayless. Bayless has now been traded to Portland. So now Portland has a good point prospect, the Rookie of the Year, and Greg Oden in the middle next year. Blazer fans should be pumped.
#12. Sacramento – Jason Thompson. Kings fans should expect Thompson to be ready to rebound and play D on day one, but he might not be ready offensively.
#13. Portland – Brandon Rush. Traded to Indiana. I’ll be he would rather be with the young and promising Trailblazers, but the Pacers have some young pieces of their own so don’t fret too much, Brandon.
#14. Golden State – Anthony Randolph. I thought Randolph would be off the board by now. The Warriors are getting a bargain.
Other Notables
#19. Cleveland – J.J. Hickson. The freshman from NC State has seen his stock rise in the past few weeks, but he’s going to have to help out ASAP if the Cavs want to be an attractive option for Lebron when he becomes a free agent.
#27. New Orleans – Darrell Arthur. You gotta feel bad for Darrell Arthur having to wait all the way until the 27th pick to get drafted. That was worse than Brady Quinn. At least the NBA doesn’t take as long between picks or Arthur would still be waiting there.
Here’s the obligatory 2008 NBA Mock Draft (the lottery picks, at least):
Chicago Bulls – Derrick Rose. All indications are that the Bulls favor Rose over Michael Beasley.
Miami Heat – Michael Beasley. There are rumors abound that the Heat may trade down to #3 and draft OJ Mayo, but that all depends on whether or not Wolves GM Kevin McHale is in as generous of a mood as he was last summer when he traded KG.
Minnesota Timberwolves – OJ Mayo. We expect Mayo to be selected, but keep an eye on the Wolves to make a trade or perhaps draft Italy’s Danilo Gallinari here.
Seattle Supersonics – Jerryd Bayless. It looks very likely Seattle will add another scorer to their roster.
Memphis Grizzlies – Brook Lopez. The Grizzlies have a number of options here, but look for them to add the 7-footer, then try to address some of their other positions later in the offseason.
New York Knicks – Eric Gordon. Expect a pleasantly surprised crowd at MSG if the Knicks announce this one.
LA Clippers – Russell Westbrook. The Clippers would prefer Gordon fall to them, but look for them to take a guard regardless.
Milwaukee Bucks -Anthony Randolph. The Bucks will pounce on Randolph if he’s available.
Charlotte Bobcats – Joe Alexander. His size and shooting touch make Alexander a great pickup for Charlotte at #9.
New Jersey Nets – Danilo Gallinari. Gallinari could easily be off the board by the time the Nets pick, but if he isn’t, they’ll grab him.
Indiana Pacers – DJ Augustin. The Pacers are hoping a solid PG will be on the board when they’re up and we expect that guy to be Augustin.
Sacramento Kings – Darrell Arthur. The Kings would like to address the PG spot, but would take the PF Arthur as the best player available if neither Augustin or Westbrook fall to them.
Portland Trailblazers – DeAndre Jordan. Jordan would be the best player available at this spot, but the Trailblazers already have so many young pieces they very well could trade this pick.
Golden State Warriors – Kevin Love. Love’s stock has dropped a bit, but don’t expect him to fall past #14.
Your thoughts?
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