USRT California - Day 2
USRT history was made on this Sunday December 2.
For the first time ever, we attended two NBA basketball games on the same day… in the same venue no less.
There was lots going on in the sports world in L.A. on day 2 of our journey… USC was hosting Kansas in mens basketball at the new Galen Center, while UCLA was hosting Texas at Pauley Pavilion, a game which Andrew was lobbying to go see.
But in the end we wound up spending the day downtown at the Staples Center, where the headline game that evening was the Los Angeles Lakers hosting the Orlando Magic.
First up at Staples would be the JV game featuring the Indiana Pacers and Los Angeles Clippers.
We entered the arena about an hour prior to game time bracing for the worst in customer service thanks to previous experiences here and seeing metal detectors at the entrances did nothing to dissuade that notion. Things changed quickly though when the first usher we saw asked me to wish a fellow usher a happy birthday. Hmmm…cheery, friendly game day staff at Staples???? Huh?? That set the tone for the day in that department and really there was nothing to be concerned about from that end from there on out. (We just had to be certain to clear our pockets before entry).
Walking around the concourses at the “Clip Joint” never ceases to amaze me. The idea that a club like this, with its history of constant on and off court ineptitude from the time Paul Snyder sold this team to John Y. Brown can STILL have any kind of diehard loyal fan base is mind boggling. Yet here I was amidst thousands of people decked out in red/white/blue Elton Brand, Shawn Livingston jerseys…et al. I have to wonder, are these people truly Clipper fans? Or are they people that simply hate the Lakers for whatever reason?
Yes there was someone wearing a Buffalo Braves tshirt as well(ahem, ahem) and as usual got noticed for it. Also never a surprise while traveling….running into the Buffalo expat at the game, it always happens and yes I wore that Braves shirt to bring those people out of the woodwork.
The game itself was exciting and competitive as the Pacers broke a deadlock at 88 late in the fourth quarter to win 101-95. Jamal Tinsley was an absolute terror from the perimeter scoring 10 of those points down the stretch.
Mind you we were being interrupted(gladly so) by constant updates of doings at FedEx Field, and we apologize to the fans who sat directly in front of us as we screamed with delight after seeing the final score from there while in the middle of nondescript action on the court. So we left the building happy unlike most of the 13,741(yeah right) others.
Our downtime was spent wandering around the arena and cringing about all the new development around and about…and when it was time to stop bitching we settled into a nice tavern(Riordan’s) a couple blocks away to catch the end of the 4 o’clo…errr…1 o’clock games and see Missouri get screwed out of a BCS bid. From there it would be time to catch “The Lake Show”….the varsity game…Lakers v. Orlando(NBA’s best record) Magic.
Just like the skies above Staples Center changed from day to night, so were the in game experiences between the Clippers and Lakers. First off, there would be a full house for this event and that alone created an energy that blew away the matinee. Then came the pre game festivities, with a pair of “goosebump” video montages reminding all who are in attendance that not only are the Lakers the big team in LA, but also one of the most glorified, successful franchises in all of sports dating back to their days in the Twin Cities. The images of Mikan, Baylor, West, Magic, Kareem, Worthy, Shaq, Kobe…also the great moments….Horry…Fisher beating the clock…West from three quarter court. Great to watch with much of it using the voice of Chick Hearn in the background.
Interesting note, the second montage was done by hanging huge white sheets over the center video board that hung to the court with the video projecting on them.
But onto the game. It was tight early on Kobe decided that it would be time to put on a show….back to back to back threes followed by an incredible…how…the…heck…did…he…reach…that…high…to….bring…one…in…catch and slam of an alley oop pass to make it 21 -11 Lakers(more to the point, Kobe 12, Magic 11). Watching him work reminded me why I love this game more than any other, despite the ineptitude of the Knicks.
But the Magic aren’t one of the league’s elite for nothing, and like the JV game earlier broke open a tie game late in the fourth quarter to win 104-97(Hedo Turkoglu playing the role of Jamal Tinsley in this one).
So once again the Lakers pay for treating us like such crap on our first visit. We’ve seen them live five time in four different venues, and they lost all five.
Parked the car @ 11am, hopped back into it at 9:15 pm and off to our couches in La Casa de French on the outskirts of San Diego. We won’t be attending any more sporting events until the Sabres come to Anaheim on Wednesday so you may not hear from us until then…or maybe you will. In either case….stay tuned!
