As Dad and I climbed the steps to our seats Monday night, I sighed, realizing just how spoiled I have become to the good seats. I never thought it would happen to me, as I was born and bred in the nosebleed section, so to speak. Be it Reunion Arena or the AAC, the upper deck has been my home away from home more often than not. Until the fall of 2007, when my incredible winning streak regarding all things Mavs first began. After 20-plus years of loyal fanship, and entering every Mavericks contest I could find, I finally started winning. It started simply enough, with a Blue Rhino grill and a BBQ dinner with Josh Howard, myself and 20 friends and culminated with my spending a week (the most amazingly awesome week of my life thus far) behind the scenes with my beloved Mavericks as the HP Insider.
Let’s face it: Dad and I are not now, nor will we ever be, the beautiful people of North Texas. Unlike a few people I know, we can’t just waltz our way down into the lower level, acting as if we belong there, and settle into any two empty seats. We’re the average, everyday fans who sometimes look lost and out of place among the upper class lower level elite folks. If we’re sitting in the good seats, believe me, you’ll find the ticket stubs for our seats in our pockets. As much as we might like to pretend we belong, we both know that, in the words of Miller, we’re “living the high life.” And we relish every minute of it.
I think that’s why it’s been a bit of a transition for me to try and make my way back where I came from: the upper deck. Thankfully, though, due to the fact that I now have a few friends in high places, I haven’t actually had to watch a game from the cheap seats yet this season. Right after the singing of the National Anthem on Monday, a friend showed up and waved me and Dad down with two tickets to the good seats. And I mean really good. We ended up on the end by the Mavericks bench, maybe four of five rows in back of the goal. I was so happy, I even asked my friend to adopt me! At which time my Dad kinda got a look on his face like, Hey, Kiddo, I’m standing right here before he, too, asked to be adopted by my buddy. Good thing Dad has a sense of humor!
We settled into our seats right as the game tipped off and I had a perfect sight line to the Mavs’ bench. It would have been great for taking pictures, but I did as I usually do and got so caught up in the game that I forgot all about it and didn’t even pull my camera out until nearly halftime. I’d really love to be able to get some great shots, especially in the moment action packed photos, but I’m always afraid that through my limited field of vision I’ll miss part of the game – which is SO not worth it. Usually when we’re in the good seats like that, we’re surrounded by nothing but Mavs fans; however, Monday night was a rare exception.
A blonde woman behind me sporting a Denver Nuggets T-shirt kept talking smack about my Mavs and cheering for Denver. Having been a fan of the visiting team in a hostile environment before myself (see also Mavs @ Spurs, January 8, 2010), I can totally appreciate someone who is passionate about their team and bold enough to be rowdy, proud, and loud when they’re surrounded by fans of “the enemy”. But what I cannot stand is people being rude and obnoxious and badmouthing the home team – in this case, my beloved Mavericks. At one point early in the game, Dirk was shooting free throws at the basket just a few feet in front of us. Quite uncharacteristically, he missed the first free throw, and said blonde Nuggets fan behind me shouted out, “You suck, Dirk!” Which, of course, did not sit well with me. It took all the self-control I could muster to keep from jumping over my chair to the aisle behind me and promptly removing the blonde from her high dollar seat. Alas, I had to settle for just turning and glaring at her every time there was a break in the action. Dirk, unfazed by her heckling, proceeded to swish through the next free throw…and every other one of his 17 attempts. As for the blonde behind me? Our unspoken feud continued throughout the night.
But I digress…back to the game at hand. The Mavs played like their lives depended on it, and took an early lead which they would not relinquish, not matter how many runs the Nuggets tried to make. And with this being the Nuggets’ first game at the AAC after the uberphysical hotly controversial playoff series last spring, the Mavericks were ready for Denver’s dirty style of play. Rather than spend the whole night whining to the officials about it (maybe because they saw their old buddy Joey Crawford in the black and whites), they played their way through it. Jason Terry even picked up a technical foul for a retaliatory shove, which I was glad to see because it meant the Mavs weren’t backing down, period.
As expected, the crowd went crazy when Roddy Beaubois entered the game. And although he didn’t have another 40 point showing, he did play some meaningful minutes in a critical game, more proof that Coach Carlisle is starting to believe in Roddy’s abilities and realize what an impact he can have on this team, regardless of the fact that he’s “just a rookie.” In the limited minutes Beaubois has seen this season, it’s quickly become clear that he is not an average rookie, but something special, a block around which the Mavs can begin to build their future without having to give up their championship aspirations in the process.
Shawn Marion played some hella defense on Carmelo Anthony, holding him in check the majority of the night. Anthony finished the game with just 10 points on 3-of-16 shooting. At one point in the game, the blonde behind me leaned over to her friend and complained about ‘Melo’s lack of scoring, blaming him for the fact that Denver was in a double digit deficit at the time. She questioned why ‘Melo wasn’t scoring more…at which point I couldn’t help myself. I turned to Dad and said (loudly enough that anyone in earshot could have heard me), “Maybe the reason ‘Melo’s not scoring is because Marion is in his jersey playing some killer defense.” After that, it was suddenly quiet behind me again for awhile. (Hey, at least it wasn’t anything that would get me thrown out of the arena or thrown in jail – Rickey already warned me that he wouldn’t bail me out when I updated my Facebook status about wanting to kick the chick behind me.)
J-Kidd had a good all-around game with 10 assists, eight points, six boards, and only one turnover. Kidd and Beaubois tied for team high honors with three steals apiece, and Brendan Haywood held his own, blocking four shots to go along with his 10 points. But the man of the hour, the man of the night, was without a doubt my hero, Dirk Nowitzki. Not only did Dirk fight his way through some physical play and dirty defenders, but he managed to post his second career triple-double – and this time, I was there to see it, live and in person. Some days it’s good to be me! Dirk was so aggressive on the offensive end, he made it to the charity stripe 17 times during the game, well above his season average. And while some, including myself, have question Dirk’s decreased production over the past several games, on Monday night, he again reminded us just how special and unique a player he is, scoring 34 points (including 4-of-5 from behind the arc), pulling down 10 rebounds, and dishing out 10 assists, as well as recording one blocked shot. When the final seconds ticked off the clock and the Mavericks walked off the court with the tiebreaker (vs. Denver), the victory (109-93), and their heads held high, I once again let my mouth start running. As I high-fived my Dad, I half-turned in the direction of the blonde behind me and said as loudly as I could, “Doesn’t look like Dirk sucks now, does it?”
Victory is sweet…
GO MAVS!!
Let’s face it: Dad and I are not now, nor will we ever be, the beautiful people of North Texas. Unlike a few people I know, we can’t just waltz our way down into the lower level, acting as if we belong there, and settle into any two empty seats. We’re the average, everyday fans who sometimes look lost and out of place among the upper class lower level elite folks. If we’re sitting in the good seats, believe me, you’ll find the ticket stubs for our seats in our pockets. As much as we might like to pretend we belong, we both know that, in the words of Miller, we’re “living the high life.” And we relish every minute of it.
I think that’s why it’s been a bit of a transition for me to try and make my way back where I came from: the upper deck. Thankfully, though, due to the fact that I now have a few friends in high places, I haven’t actually had to watch a game from the cheap seats yet this season. Right after the singing of the National Anthem on Monday, a friend showed up and waved me and Dad down with two tickets to the good seats. And I mean really good. We ended up on the end by the Mavericks bench, maybe four of five rows in back of the goal. I was so happy, I even asked my friend to adopt me! At which time my Dad kinda got a look on his face like, Hey, Kiddo, I’m standing right here before he, too, asked to be adopted by my buddy. Good thing Dad has a sense of humor!
We settled into our seats right as the game tipped off and I had a perfect sight line to the Mavs’ bench. It would have been great for taking pictures, but I did as I usually do and got so caught up in the game that I forgot all about it and didn’t even pull my camera out until nearly halftime. I’d really love to be able to get some great shots, especially in the moment action packed photos, but I’m always afraid that through my limited field of vision I’ll miss part of the game – which is SO not worth it. Usually when we’re in the good seats like that, we’re surrounded by nothing but Mavs fans; however, Monday night was a rare exception.
A blonde woman behind me sporting a Denver Nuggets T-shirt kept talking smack about my Mavs and cheering for Denver. Having been a fan of the visiting team in a hostile environment before myself (see also Mavs @ Spurs, January 8, 2010), I can totally appreciate someone who is passionate about their team and bold enough to be rowdy, proud, and loud when they’re surrounded by fans of “the enemy”. But what I cannot stand is people being rude and obnoxious and badmouthing the home team – in this case, my beloved Mavericks. At one point early in the game, Dirk was shooting free throws at the basket just a few feet in front of us. Quite uncharacteristically, he missed the first free throw, and said blonde Nuggets fan behind me shouted out, “You suck, Dirk!” Which, of course, did not sit well with me. It took all the self-control I could muster to keep from jumping over my chair to the aisle behind me and promptly removing the blonde from her high dollar seat. Alas, I had to settle for just turning and glaring at her every time there was a break in the action. Dirk, unfazed by her heckling, proceeded to swish through the next free throw…and every other one of his 17 attempts. As for the blonde behind me? Our unspoken feud continued throughout the night.
But I digress…back to the game at hand. The Mavs played like their lives depended on it, and took an early lead which they would not relinquish, not matter how many runs the Nuggets tried to make. And with this being the Nuggets’ first game at the AAC after the uberphysical hotly controversial playoff series last spring, the Mavericks were ready for Denver’s dirty style of play. Rather than spend the whole night whining to the officials about it (maybe because they saw their old buddy Joey Crawford in the black and whites), they played their way through it. Jason Terry even picked up a technical foul for a retaliatory shove, which I was glad to see because it meant the Mavs weren’t backing down, period.
As expected, the crowd went crazy when Roddy Beaubois entered the game. And although he didn’t have another 40 point showing, he did play some meaningful minutes in a critical game, more proof that Coach Carlisle is starting to believe in Roddy’s abilities and realize what an impact he can have on this team, regardless of the fact that he’s “just a rookie.” In the limited minutes Beaubois has seen this season, it’s quickly become clear that he is not an average rookie, but something special, a block around which the Mavs can begin to build their future without having to give up their championship aspirations in the process.
Shawn Marion played some hella defense on Carmelo Anthony, holding him in check the majority of the night. Anthony finished the game with just 10 points on 3-of-16 shooting. At one point in the game, the blonde behind me leaned over to her friend and complained about ‘Melo’s lack of scoring, blaming him for the fact that Denver was in a double digit deficit at the time. She questioned why ‘Melo wasn’t scoring more…at which point I couldn’t help myself. I turned to Dad and said (loudly enough that anyone in earshot could have heard me), “Maybe the reason ‘Melo’s not scoring is because Marion is in his jersey playing some killer defense.” After that, it was suddenly quiet behind me again for awhile. (Hey, at least it wasn’t anything that would get me thrown out of the arena or thrown in jail – Rickey already warned me that he wouldn’t bail me out when I updated my Facebook status about wanting to kick the chick behind me.)
J-Kidd had a good all-around game with 10 assists, eight points, six boards, and only one turnover. Kidd and Beaubois tied for team high honors with three steals apiece, and Brendan Haywood held his own, blocking four shots to go along with his 10 points. But the man of the hour, the man of the night, was without a doubt my hero, Dirk Nowitzki. Not only did Dirk fight his way through some physical play and dirty defenders, but he managed to post his second career triple-double – and this time, I was there to see it, live and in person. Some days it’s good to be me! Dirk was so aggressive on the offensive end, he made it to the charity stripe 17 times during the game, well above his season average. And while some, including myself, have question Dirk’s decreased production over the past several games, on Monday night, he again reminded us just how special and unique a player he is, scoring 34 points (including 4-of-5 from behind the arc), pulling down 10 rebounds, and dishing out 10 assists, as well as recording one blocked shot. When the final seconds ticked off the clock and the Mavericks walked off the court with the tiebreaker (vs. Denver), the victory (109-93), and their heads held high, I once again let my mouth start running. As I high-fived my Dad, I half-turned in the direction of the blonde behind me and said as loudly as I could, “Doesn’t look like Dirk sucks now, does it?”
Victory is sweet…
GO MAVS!!
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