Oh, man was this an awsome game! Also, my first Rockets game in a very long time. Okay, the story starts like this. My friend (goes by dirtyfilthynasty on this bbs) wins two tickets to last week's Dallas-Portland through a FSSW Mavericks triva contest. We hear that the next triva contest tickets will be to the Rockets-Mavs contest. He's a big Mavs fan. I'm a big Rockets fan. We want those tickets. So we answer the trivia contest the next time it comes around (Who did the Mavericks play in their first NBA game? Answer: San Antonio. Thanx NBA.com ) and we win four tickets on wednesday. So its off to Dallas from OU at 1pm today with an extra friend in tow (my friend's dad is also going). Anyway we get to AAA at around seven. Man, that is a really nice arena. I only hope ours looks just as good once its finished. Well lit, has a very modernistic style to it. True, it does cater to rich guys, with it's limitless luxury boxes, $35 nosebleed seats, and museum-like atmosphere, but its nice. Before the game, the teams came out for the customary shoot-around. My god, we have the most undisciplined shoot-around ever. Keep in mind, I've gone to a lot of OU basketball games this season, so it was a big suprise for me to see our center lacadasically shooting from the three point line and our backup PG running aound like a chicken with his head cut off, not doing a damn thing. Dallas looked so much more organized and prepared in comparison. I was almost ashamed to be there decked out in my rockets best. Hat, jacket, championship T-shirt, the whole nine. Okay, now to the game. First quater starts, and man, do we look pitiful. I mean no one is hustling. Everyone's just going trough the motions. A few Dallas fans started heckling me about our poor play, suggesting we were going all out for the tank. I couldn't really disagree. We looked bad. Second quater starts, same thing. No one really trying, save Terrance Morris, who I felt showed a lot of his potential in this quarter. I kept up the fort though, cheering like crazy for the team out there getting spanked by 19 pts. I was the laughingstock of our section. Soon enough I just got mad, pulled off my jacket and broke out the championship T-shirt. "Do you guys have one of these?!" I shouted. That shut them up for a little while . Quarter ended. We're down by 16. At that point this was really sucking. The second half started off with a bang. We came out the gates with a vengeance. The arena suddenly got really quiet. The silence was permeated only by my incessant shouting. Then came dunk-a-thon 2002. Everyone was getting flushes and me and the Mavs were all getting in each other's faces the whole time. It was incredibly fun. The game went back and forth from there, with us gradually chipping away at their lead. At one point it seem Cuttino was simply unstoppable, until he stopped himself with some bonehead shots that is. And the way he handled that tech he got was pretty disgrsceful, slowly walking around the court, egging the fans on. I guess it was kinda funny though Okay, you guys saw this much better than I, what the hell was up with that flagrant on Steve? Most of the Mavs fans didn't even know. That was one of those all around horrible calls. Anyway, by the time the fourth quarter started winding down, eveyone was really tense. Of course, i was still talking ****. But even I was feeling the pressure. We actually had a chance to win this one. I wanted it so bad. After what had to be the worst last second play in the history of basketball we were headed to overtime, tied at 85. I just had a feeling we had this one in the bag after that. And, of course we did. We came out in overtime looking confident. So was I. I was truly on a **** talking high, and by that time most of the fans in my section and I were really cool with each other. That made it all the more fun. Then the best play of the night came for me. I said (I SWEAR I said this) "Steve is gonna work the pick 'n fade with Eddie Griffin, drive, dish to Eddie, who's gonna hit the game-clenching trey." Of course I was talking trash at the time, getting under the Mavs fans' skins. But then it freakin' happened. A couple of people looked at me as if I were some kind of b-ball psychic. Others were just plain pissed. I couldn't have been happier, smiling like a goofy idiot. Man, that's like, the coolest thing thats ever happened to me! Oh, man, what a game. I know this post is kind of abbreviated. But I really need to get to bed now. I'll post more tomorrow. Woohoo! Go Rockets!
That's really cool, AstrosRocket. I live in Dallas, and I had originally intended on going to this game with some Mavs friends of mine. But I convinced them it wasn't worth our time or money because the Rockets would never make a competitive game of it. Boy do I feel stupid now. Incidentally, I am in total agreement about the American Airlines Center. That arena is awesome!
Awesome recap. I've always wanted to go to a Rockets game on the road and talk to other fans. But I'll wait till we are atleast decent.
Thanks man, great recap. I have league pass and I am all the way in CT, but I was nailed to my computer watching the game and doing the chat. I am glad I did not go to the gym because at one point I thought it would not be competitive. I can just imagine the fun you had.
Ditto. Great recap. Glad you got to see a game where the Rockets actually played hard and came out on top. Aren't you glad that they realized they can win some games and still get the same result (the 5th pick). We will still lose enough games to get the 5th pick so tankers(especially RocketsO3 who was having a heart attack during the game cheering against the Rockets so they could tank!) relax. Wish Mobley and Francis played like they have the last 2 games together all season. Maybe next year when they have more help. HeyDude's sister was at the game too and she called when the Rocks were down by 20 to trash talk. It's all about the karma
I was at the game also. I went with my girlfriend and about seven other friends of mine. Since everyone at school knows I'm from Houston, we were all looking forward to this game. When I came to school yesterday, everyone was talking sh*t. My only response was this, three years ago when the Rockets were fighting for a homecourt advantage over the Lakers in the first round during Dirk's rookie year, the Mavs came to Houston and beat the Rocks in what was a coming out game of sorts for Dirk. That year, we ended up losing to the Lakers in the first round (the year we had Quitten.) Anyway, first impression of the AAC, the concourses were too nice. Didn't feel like an arena at all. The guys and girls I was with all agreed that it looked like an airport/museum/airplane hanger/whatever else you can think of. My overall impression of the AAC from watching some Mavs games on TV is that it doesn't seem like a basketball arena. The ceiling is way too high for my tastes, it just looks real expansive. However, I love the actual court and amenities. The wrap-around display is just awesome, it circles the entire upper terrace of the arena and it is sweet. They seem to have placed mics on the backboards and the rim, which was painful to hear in the first half with all the bricks the Rockets were hoisting up, but it was cool sounding come the dunk-off in the third quarter (btw, nice reverse flush on an ally by Cato) It did seem that the goal the Rockets were shooting on in the first half was a little off. I noticed Francis looking at it after a missed free throw (one of many by the Rockets) and they also bought a ladder out to it during halftime. Good thing it didn't help the Mavs any!! Anyway, the atmosphere was great. There's nothing better than going to an away game wearing your Rockets gear and getting heckled the whole game only to have the last laugh. Another observation is that the AAC can get really loud. When Finley hit those clutch threes, the place erupted. But when the Rocks hit a clutch shot, it got real, real quiet. That's when I got to boast the most. The guy sitting behind me was there with a Rockets fan and he was giving us crap the whole game. And we just kinda had to sit there and take it for the most part. "more turnovers than points" "averaging a point every two minutes" "can't hit the broadside of a barn" But it felt real good to walk out of there with a win. I noticed a lot of people there with blue Rockets polos on, and it turns out that they are employees who came to watch the game and check out the arena. One of them even gave my girlfriend a Rockets clapper. BTW, she's a Rockets fan now, so that's good for me!! Anyway, I was in section 320, if anyone on here was there in a Rockets shoot around shirt, lemme know... I'm definitely looking forward to our new arena. The mavs have their little MFFL (mavs fan for life) club.... which by the way offers one year membership, well I'm in the RFFL (rockets fan for life) and I love it when they come to Dallas and put it to the mavs.
great recaps, thanks for the info. I missed the game last night cause we went to go pickup the latest addition to our family, Ranger! He's gonna be a big time Rockets fan!
Completely agree with you about the arena. That's exactly what my friends and I were saying. It just looked a little too much like a museum or something. Still hope ours is just as nice though. And did you see the section signs (I was in 312 btw)? They looked like hotel door numbers! All fancy and everything. The court area was really nice though. As was that wrap around screen thing, that was really cool. Man, I completely missed the whole rim/ladder thing. Probably 'cause I went out to get concessions at the half. I saw one of those guys wearing the polos after the game. That was cool, because I thought for sure I was the only Rocket fan there. Glad to see I was way off on that one. Oh my god, that was so corny when they played an altered version of P Diddy's song and wanted the fans to sing along. All the mavs fans in my section just hung the heads and told me to "ignore it" Damn straight.
Great recaps all around. I'm driving down to Portland on Wednesday to watch the Rockets wrap up this season. I'm hoping that Portland will rest its starters, and that the Rockets will come out looking to end the season on a high note. The two Rockets games I've been to this year were decided by 18 and 30 points, so I am ready for a close game, and a win. Expect a similar recap on Wednesday.
