Ahh, back in the day, there was this Larry Johnson (of the CHARLOTTE Hornets) commercial... good memories...

Anyone that knows Mr. N and I , knows that we both played our fair share of basketball back in the day. We had talked many times, while living in Vancouver, about driving down to Seattle for a game. Alas, the Supersonics weren't very good and it was nearly impossible to get tickets to them when a good team was in town - so it just never happened. Getting tickets to the Raptors doesn't seem to be as hard. We got these tickets free and the scalpers last night were selling their wares for half price, even before tip off. There could be a number of reasons: two sub par teams, the NHL All Star game was on, etc, etc.... That said, I was able to get us tickets to the Raptors/Lakers game in Feb. I tried every year for four years while we were in Vancouver to get Lakers/Supersonics tickets in Seattle and failed miserably... so go figure.

I have to say that the NBA has a much different vibe than any other pro sporting event that I've ever been to (CFL, NHL). First, they seem to really market it as a family event. There were a pile of kids in attendance and the entertainment they provided for kids was first rate. There was a lady (with her daughter) sitting next to us and they were really working the dance moves. I've never seen two people work harder at trying to attract the Jumbotron their way than these two. All I could think, while trying really hard not to laugh out loud was that if they do end up on the big screen, there is a good chance I'll be up there too -- looking like an asshole trying hard not to laugh at them.

Second, the crowd -- I'm going to go out on a limb and say that even though they were not at capacity last night and the game was really -- not the greatest thing I've ever watched -- the crowd was the best crowd I've been a part of -- and I've been to a couple of Grey Cups, where there is a championship at stake.

Third, though I still think that cheerleaders are a complete waste of humanity, I will begrudgingly say that the Raptor girls were the best dance troupe I've seen. Neil and I figure these women must get paid so they have to be able to dance unlike their CFL counterparts who if they can shake their ass and look good in a calender they're in. Here's a sample from last night (probably not the greatest clip to make my point -- there's a whole lotta ass shaking going on...)

In the end, we had a fun night. Thanks again for the tickets, AO!! You rock!!