The first ever basketball game that I ever attended was way back in 1987, when my parents gave my brother, Dave, his birthday gift. He had requested tickets to see a basketball game, and we went to Madison Square Garden in New York to see Michael Jordan and the Chicago Bulls take on Patrick Ewing and the New York Knicks. This was about four or five years before this would be considered a marquee matchup.
The second one that I ever went to was a number of years later, and by that time, the Chicago Bulls and the New York Knicks had, arguably, the best rivalry in basketball – although Michael Jordan was on the first of his three retirements. Of course, that was not the game I saw the second time around. It was the New Jersey Nets back in the spring of 1994, as they hosted the then Washington Bullets, who have since changed their name to the Wizards, after pressure that the term "Bullets" conjured up too many unfortunate images and reminders of violence for a city that always seems to rank among the most violent cities in America. Some years later, Michael Jordan would wind up playing for them, as well, although by then, he was really just a shadow of what he once had been. But that is another story.
So, my first Nets game, the first of many, came in 1994. The next year, I would go to quite a few games, and over the years, I have been to enough that I lost count.
Ironically, this year, I went to perhaps more than any other. That, of course, is the result of dirt cheap tickets. There was one game that I took my son to against the Cleveland Cavaliers, and I bought the pair of tickets for $2.10. That is $1.05 per ticket, with no tax and no shipping charges! A couple of bucks for a pair of tickets to a professional basketball game in 2012! I spent five dollars on parking, a relative bargain, and yet that was twice the price paid for the tickets! Hell, the gas that I used to drive back and forth was probably more!
So, with prices like that, I made a point of loading up, because really, the Nets are moving, and that opportunity simply will not be there for very much longer. At least, it will not be so easy to get to games. I figured it was time to take advantage of these things while the opportunity is there.
Last night, I took my son to another game, and it was the Nets versus the Washington Wizards. The same franchise that the Nets played the first time I ever saw them, now eighteen years past! Perhaps I have come full circle?
The Nets have struggled all season at home. Perhaps that has something to do with this being the last season where they can call New Jersey "home". But their struggles were not in evidence last night, as they bolted out to a solid lead, and played sharp throughout, en route to a convincing 110-98 win.
At times, New Jersey held a lead of over 20 points, but it stayed more or less at around 10 through much of the game. It was the most solid end to end game that I have seen the Nets win in a long, long time. Usually, they have to eke out a win. Of course, it helps that the Wizards are one of the worst teams in the league, and one of the few that actually have a worse record than the Nets do.
Perhaps the signature moment came when Chris Singleton of the Wizards managed to steal the ball and broke away for what looked like it was going to be an easy dunk, only to badly miss. It must have been very embarrassing, but it really seemed to encapsulate the night for both teams.
There are still a few games left for the Nets, and a few games for that matter, that I will be attending. However, it was the last New Jersey Nets game that my son and I will be attending, and that was a bit sad. Still, a nice way to end it, with a convincing victory. With the Nets, you never know if that will happen again!
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