Arena The NBA Thread

DISCLAIMER: I live in NYC and this is for All-Star festivities + the game I'm hitting up in Cle.

...aaand I'll also probably wear during the playoffs and sop my tears with it. So maybe it should be a LeBron one after all.


ALSO I FORGOT TO TAG YOU FOR OHIO Bardan_Jusik FORGIVE MEEEE

Worrrrd I run in my Orlando Shaq one in the summer like...

 

LloydChristmas It's never a bad idea to get a quality NBA jersey.

 

TUNES YOU ARE SUPPOSED TO GIVE ME BETTER ADVICE, WHAT COLOR, WHAT PLAYER, DO I GROW A BEARD OUT FOR IT

 

LloydChristmas Have you ever grown a beard before? Is it possible?


Anyhow, some suggestions then:


.



Doesn't have to be a LeBron one, but out of all the Cavs uni color possibilities, I find this the most aesthetically pleasing. The wonderful shade of blue, with the checkerboard wine, gold & blue on the side? Wonderful.








A Shaq verison -there's got to be somewhere where this sort-of-thing is customizable, obviously- of that, because I think that's an all-time great looking logo/design.

 

Go with Kyrie since he went through the rebuilding process. I also don't see a problem with wearing jerseys, but I usually only wear them to games or around the house.

 

i'd say kyrie or varejao would be what i'd go with, if you wanted something cleveland centric. otherwise find something shaq related that you can stomach and get that. or barkley maybe, he seems like he'd be someone you'd be pretty fond of.

and i'm with tunes, the blue cavs jersey is just beautiful. or a shaq/barkley phoenix jersey.

 

DYING. DEAD.

 

I need to visit this thread more often.

 

I realize it has but a tiny fraction of the importance it would have had a year ago, but it must be said




GAM OVER CAVALIER

 

Still debating if Bosh or Gasol was better

 

NOPE KYLE LOWRY WINS BECAUSE IT IS PERFECT.

 

Nice win tonight Bulls

 

Good for the league if Rose can continue to play like that.

 

Tonight I shook LeBron's hand and said "Go Cavs."

You could not have convinced this could've happened a year ago.

ALSO TOOK A SELFIE WITH SHAQ BRB CRYING HAPPY TEARS FOREVER

 

Niiiiicely done.



Figures one of the Splash Brothers would win the 3-point contest (it still kills me that the shots don't actually count for 3-points), and the dunk contest went rather nicely, mostly thanks to Zach Lavine.






Tune Squad representing!

 

lloyd post the selfie already. killing me here.

 

Oops I bought myself a birthday gift



And not the shoes and ball. Those were just perfectly positioned for a photo op. BUT I'M REALLY EXCITED.

 

So, for your birthday, your plan was to GET BUCKETS?

 

of course it'll be sleeved shirts. that's the way everything's going.

 

OKAY STORY TIME. Thank you in advance to anyone who cares to read any of this thing.

I snuck into the All-Star All-Style show on Friday. There were several steps involved in doing this, but the main ones were-- 1. Own a suit, 2. Be white. After throwing on my Billy Hoyles, standing in -1098 degree windchill, and convincing security I belonged, I was granted a blue VIP wristband.

Inside I am serendipitously directed to a spot near the front row...but the seats weren't exactly bolted to the ground, so I picked mine up and just made it the front row.

This is when Kaepernick walked in. I snapped a pic and made all sorts of jokes to xblackout, because **** the 49ers, but I post it here because tom is chill and also flattered me with this last post asking to see Shaq.



I WAS afraid he was gonna try to high-five that guy and accidentally high-five me though lol


That's when blackout asked if Cam Newton-- who frequents these kind of things-- was there and I said of course not, I would've noticed him by now, and also probably wouldn't be conscious in his presence, and...

OMG CAM NEWTON ARRIVES AND ****ING SITS ACROSS FROM ME



@Rew anakinfansince1983 LOOK AT DAT SMILE


Several deep breaths gets me up to shamelessly ask him for a selfie, but some lady wouldn't stop yapping at him and soon everyone took their seats. I was momentarily crushed. A director comes over the PA and snaps me out of it, telling us that they're filming a show, instructing us to do some clapping to edit in later, and counting down to the opening.

And then LeBron walks out.





I knew he was producing the show but didn't think he'd actually be there. Everyone whipped out their phones-- despite the PA Director's earlier pleas-- and this is of particular note because the audience was full of NFL players and NBA family members and real "high fashion" folks, who once the show got underway could really care less about snapping pics of other legitimate All-Stars like Harden, or even other legends like Shaq or Barkley. LeBron was the only one with this pull, and it was reminiscent of Simmons' description in The Book of Basketball 5 years ago-- a complete whirlwind of attention. Jordan-esque.

But LeBron quickly disappears to the back to be replaced by Shaq, intro-ed by Carrie Keagan (who is a very nice person in addition to being very well-endowed, and basically had Shaq/Chuck/Kenny licking their chops the entire night, to the point I was almost kinda uncomfortable). His role is "MC" and he quickly makes his way over to the DJ area where said MCing will take place.

WHICH IS RIGHT THE **** ABOVE ME



Photo courtesy my brother who was watching on TNT, thanks bro


I summon the testicular fortitude during a break in filming to chat at him, and he kind of laughs and points (CUE STRUGGLE NOT TO PASS OUT). Later I move him in for a selfie, which is admittedly more of a reverse-photobomb, but given Shaq's propensity to regular-photobomb other folks I consider it a PERSONAL. VISUAL. MASTERPIECE:





The show itself was cool too-- seeing Harden, Boogie, Klay, etc. all up close was pretty mesmerizing-- but it became clear early on that, with Chuck and Kenny carrying the judging, this was more about entertainment than fashion. And in that sense, production should've invited way less of the snooty "high fashion" folk and way more of the excitable, NBA-invested fans who otherwise would have to sneak their way into such an event. Especially since the stars themselves, parading down a runway to little audience reaction, seemed a little stiff too.

In fact, with Chandler Parsons and JR Smith obviously the final two, Carrie tried to pull some personality out of them as the judges tallied their final scores. She asks why they think they should win the Diamond Bowtie prize, but neither of them give her much.

And here is where I decide to do my fellow, not-"high-fashion"-folk, Real-Fans-Who-Weren't-Invited-To-This justice.

Carrie asks JR Smith: "C'mon, why do you think you should win?"

And I yell, right next to the stage: "TO BRING A CHAMPIONSHIP TO CLEVELAND!"

Everyone turns and looks at me. In a split-second that feels like 100 Kessel Runs, I imagine PA Director coming over the loudspeaker to yell cut and instructing to re-film the segment. I imagine security swooping in to physically-- very physically-- remove me from the venue. I imagine Shaq's lasting impression of me as a sad, skinny kid being drug away like that scene in Liar, Liar. "I'M JOSE CANSECO, I'M JOSE CAAAANNNNSEEEECOOOOOOO!!!!!"

BUT INSTEAD...they turn, and both JR and Parsons point at me and say "That's truuuue!" in sync.

Kenny and Chuck share a laugh.

And I nearly ascend into heaven.





LeBron comes back out to award the bowtie in a super rushed ending, and suddenly the show is...over. I feel like Cinderella ready to ride my pumpkin home.

But LeBron doesn't take off. He leans against the set, probably taking a break from the gabillion things he has going on that weekend.

I'm in full-on childlike wonder at this point though, and the reminder of missing out on a SUPERCAM selfie weighs on me. I know I should probably leave him alone-- hell I know that a year ago I might've yelled "**** THE HEAT!" and just left-- but I know this will probably never happen again. I yell "Yo 'Bron I'm from Cleveland!"

He ignores me. I know he's heard me. I start to think this is maybe a bad idea, but I know I have to try again or it's gonna stick with me. This guy meant a lot to me, a lot to my family, a lot to people I care about. I've been emotionally invested in him one way or another for a long time. He has every right on earth not to acknowledge my existence, just like I had every right on earth not cheer for him again even after he decided to come home. "'Bron I'm from Cleveland!"

He comes over this time and daps me up. I can only muster a "Go Cavs, man" before he's moved on to some suited peeps who whisk him away.

---

Meanwhile some people have gone onto the stage to take (more legit, less exciting) selfies with Shaq and others. I assume these are the wildestly-important of the wildly-important peeps in attendance, and begin to make my exit...

...just as a lady directing traffic declares "You can only come on the stage if you have a BLUE wristband!"

I whip around in time to see some poor unfortunate orange-wristbanded people are being turned away. I glance down at my blue-- totally non-descript blue, literally a laser tag game later that weekend involved more complex-wristbanding than this place-- and make my way up to the stage.


Plz excuse our douche-y poses.



I followed JR into the back, telling him good job and good luck and **** before being smushed onto an elevator with him, and back out into my awaiting pumpkin chariot (aka the E-train).

But not before passing a totally chilled-out Zach Lavine, casually sitting on a couch eating Subway, mentally preparing himself to soon dunk his way out of slavery to the Monstars.

The next day I attended the All-Star practice at MSG...



Ran into this guy (sorry for the poor quality ) ...



And then, despite all of your wonderful advice about color and player combos, finally did this...



Go Cavs, man.