Monday Musings: Boston Celtics Vs. Charlotte Bobcats

For Christmas we bought ourselves tickets to a NBA game. We have been to several University of Tennessee basketball games but never the NBA. Tennessee does have an NBA team, the Memphis Grizzlies, but Memphis is eight hours from Northeast Tennessee. Atlanta is a bit closer, but too crowded; therefore, we settled for Charlotte, North Carolina, home of the Charlotte Bobcats, to see our first live NBA game.

Charlotte is only three hours away but we chose to spend the night because it was an evening game. We made reservations at a downtown hotel adjacent to the Time Warner Cable Arena so we could park our car for the evening and walk to the stadium. Very nice and convenient. The hotel recently remodeled their decor. What dimwit came up with the idea of placing the sink basin on top of the counter rather than recessing? While it did made a lovely presentation setting atop the granite counter and looked very modern, it was obviously designed for tall people (maybe the NBA players). I am 5'4" and the sink came to my chin. I had to tiptoe to brush my teeth. My dilemma caused ample hilarity for my guys, who offered to give me a boost, the smart-alacks!

Anyway, the guys are fans of the Boston Celtics. I don't know why. We ordered the tickets several months in advance and received under the goal, feel the blood, sweat and tears seats. We wanted to see the players up-close and personal. Big dudes! The Celtics won the NBA playoffs last season, so they were favored to win this game. Personally, I am not into sports, but when I have to be dragged kicking and screaming to a sporting event, basketball would be my "torture" choice. Watching those guys dunk the ball was awesome! Better yet, I found the whole rhythm in the stadium to be entertaining. It was as if I was in a jungle hearing the natives beat their war drums getting ready for attack. I do not like rap music, but in this venue it became enjoyable and addicting. Watching the players was like watching a well-choreographed dance routine. They are artistic, graceful and run like gazelles which probably explains why some of the players admit to taking ballet lessons. (My guys tell me to please not talk like this because it ruins the whole experience for them.) I find basketball to be a much more civilized sport than the barbaric game of football. Maybe that is why I had a fantastic time and want to go again!

My guys forgot to inform me that Michael Jordon owns the Charlotte Bobcats team. Just one of the many trivial items they do not mention to me. They probably didn't think I knew who MJ was. But I knew! And as I sat there under the goal, glancing around at the crowd, cheering for the Celtics, playing with my Ipod touch, low and behold who do you think I spot sitting about twenty feet from me? Yes, Michael Jordon! I then proceeded to punch Big C and Big I and say Look! Look! Just like your typical star-struck idiot! I was so close, the sparkle from the diamonds on his bracelet nearly blinded me.

It was at that point I began cheering for the Charlotte Bobcats! And do you know that they whooped-up on the Celtics in overtime and won? Big C says it was because MJ was on the bench giving them pep talks but I choose to believe it was because of my cheering.

Thanks for reading, Rosie.