by SMC
It was the 1987 NBA Finals between the Los Angeles Lakers and the Boston Celtics when I fell in love with basketball. Even as a young kid, I was able to understand the tension and rivalry involved with both teams.
My whole family had eyes riveted to the TV during the waning seconds of Game 4. Earvin “Magic” Johnson dribbled across the lane and unleashed his baby hook to beat the Celtics in the final seconds of a heated game. The next day, I went to the basketball court to try to mimic what took place the night before. That’s when I declared that, one day, I would be in the NBA finals.
As hard as I tried, though, I never made it to the NBA as a player. The chances of me even being the 12th man of a team was in the negative. I’m not exactly rolling in cash, so buying my way to a game – even as a spectator – wasn’t feasible either. Basically, the only way I was going to make it to the Finals was an act of God.
But miracles do happen, and mine came in the form of a phone call from Chris Chen, who does business development with the NBA. Chris and I had spoken on several occasions because of a project we were working on together. Really, he could have called anyone, but he knew how much of a hoop head I was – am. And yes, I am forever indebted to Chris Chen. I love Chris Chen. I love Chris Chen. I love Chris Chen. Ok, I’ll stop, but you get the point, right?
Maybe it wasn’t the way I envisioned going to the Finals as a kid watching Game 4 of the 1987 NBA Championship finals, but I was going. As an employee of the NBA, I would be assisting the head of NBA Entertainment, while the Finals were in LA. And as if that weren’t enough, the Lakers were playing the Celtics. As an employee, I would have full access to the Staples center for practice, press conferences and games. In fact, I HAD to be there. Just part of the job, you know. Yes, part of the coolest job in the world.
I thought I’d share my experience and observations with you the readers as I lived the dream of life long fan.
The War Room takes up two large conference rooms of a major hotel, equipped with two large-screen TV’s playing NBA TV non-stop. The staff was flown in from the NBA head offices in Seacacus, New Jersey, and New York.
The person I am assigned to is a life-long Knicks fan and an encyclopedia of basketball history, past and present. If you’ve read Bill Simmons‘ Book of Basketball (I highly recommend it), he is mentioned often as the person who gave Simmons all the archival tapes and information needed to write his book. They are now good friends and even attended a Dodgers game together the night before.
He asks if I knew of Simmons, because there was a good chance that I’d be seeing him around. Of course, I’ve only read everything he’s ever written and stood in line for two hours waiting to have my book signed (a first for me). This job couldn’t get any better, and now I might get to hang out with my favorite writer of all time.
The other awesome thing about being in the War Room is that you’re talking about basketball. All the time. It’s not water cooler talk; you don’t feel guilty for wasting company time talking sports. In fact, you’re encouraged to talk about basketball. Everything you do is related to basketball. It almost doesn’t feel like a real job. Well, until I get yelled at for taking a wrong turn into rush hour traffic.
“Get your credentials and I’ll meet you on the court,” my boss says.
“Um, you mean the Staples Center court?” I ask.
Yes, he says, the Staples Center court, where the Lakers just finished practice and the players are available to take questions. After stepping awestruck onto the majestic, perfectly-gripped Staples Center basketball court, the first person I notice is Andrew Bynum. Obviously he’s a big guy, but to see him in person, you realize why he’s so valuable to the Lakers franchise. It’s just amazing that someone that big moves and runs as well as he does. Then I spot Pau Gasol, who is tall too, but not nearly as large as Bynum.
There’s a media podium on each corner of the court, where members of the media huddle around with recorders, cameras and mic to get their sound bytes and shots. Not only is it fascinating to see the players in person, it’s equally fascinating to see the reporters and writers.
I observe how the media have a scrum around Ron Artest, Derek Fisher, Lamar Odom and Bynum, but guys like Adam Morrison and Shannon Brown receive no attention and just hang out by themselves.
There is also a press conference room, where Kobe Bryant and Pau Gasol take questions from the press. Kobe answers a few, but ends his portion of the press conference abruptly; Pau stays there for a good 40 minutes. The Lakers soon leave and the Celtics arrive.
As surprised as I am to see how big Bynum, Gasol and Odom are, I’m equally surprised to see that Kendrick Perkins and Glenn “Big Baby” Davis are not as tall as I thought they would be. Kevin Garnett and Rasheed Wallace, however, are as big as advertised. And Ahmad Rashad doesn’t look like he ever ages. I also notice that Jeff Van Gundy is tiny, and so is Hubie Brown.
Nate Robinson doesn’t get much media around him at this point, so I have a chance to speak to him. He’s not nearly the 5’9” he’s listed at (he’s actually closer to 5′6”), which makes his athleticism even more freakish. I expect Nate to be more of a brash personality – an impression I had from the media when I was living in New York. Instead, he is a calm, well-mannered, well-spoken man. We talk about his uncle, with whom I played basketball in high school. We also talk about his faith and the recent passing of his grandfather, who I knew because he was at everyone of our high school games.
The morning of Game 1 starts off well. The day officially begins with a staff meeting. After assignments and logistics are explained, the boss makes a speech about the historical significance of this year’s Finals. He talks about how reporters and press are talking about the legacies of each team and the players involved.
Kobe’s legacy is at stake because he could eventually be known as the great Laker player that couldn’t beat the Celtics – despite all his accomplishments. Kevin Garnett would be catapulted ahead of Karl Malone and Charles Barkley in the debate for greatest power forward. Such an awesome speech is made complete with a diagram comparing the two teams, but it doesn’t compare to the next person’s speech, which comes from none other than James Worthy.
Yes, that James Worthy. “Big Game James Worthy,” our the guest speaker, talks about the significance and the history of the rivalry between the Lakers and the Celtics. Unbeknownst to everyone, Worthy was actually a Celtics fan growing up because he enjoyed their fast break style. He even modeled his own game after point guard Jo Jo White and Paul Silas.
As a Laker, he found out quickly what the rivalry meant to the franchise. He tells us that Jerry West never attended games at the old Boston Garden because it still stung from the losses he endured there. He talks about how there was actual hatred between the two squads during the 80’s, when they had to face each other multiple times to compete for Championships. Worthy admits that he still reacts to Celtic green. And He assures us that despite players downplaying the rivalry to the media, each player is fully aware of what’s at stake. What a way to start my morning.
At the arena, I’m assigned to the NBA China crew, who are doing a live webcast of incoming players and pre-game locker room interviews. David Stern walks past me, and it’s surreal. We start by going to the Celtics locker room first. The locker room space is small and cramped, especially with all the media packed in. Paul Pierce is at his locker making sure his tickets are all accounted for. He looks genuinely stressed about it. But Pierce is from LA and I suspect he has to accommodate a lot of people.
Big Baby is the first interview. He seems to enjoy the media attention; he’s playful like a big kid. He sort of reminds me of Ethan Suplee’s character Louie Lastik from “Remember the Titans,” complete with the drawl and facial expressions.
Ray Allen has a huddle of reporters around his locker. Allen just seems so classy. He’s very patient and straightforward with all his answers. He would make a great politician. I wish my report was more exciting and juicy, but the truth is that they’re all nice, pleasant guys.
Next we move onto the Lakers’ locker room, which is three times the size of the visiting locker room. I thought interviewing the Laker players would be more interesting, as I have my own preconceived impression of a few of the players. For instance, one of the more hated Lakers, Sasha Vujacic, is one of the first players we interview. I expect him to be a prima donna or a whiner, but Vujacic is anything but. He doesn’t seem anything like the pesky, petulant player he is on the court. To my dismay, he is very accommodating – a nice guy.
The next is Ron Artest. Again, I’m disappointed to find that despite my pre-conceived impressions, Ron is one of the nicest, most genuine guys that I’ve met. He seems sincerely happy to meet each new person, and his youthful enthusiasm makes him seem like he wants to give everyone a big hug. Our producer, who has been in the NBA for a while now, says that Artest has the biggest heart and does more for the community than anyone. How can you hate a guy like that? It’s kind of crushing and humbling at the same time to actually meet the athletes I once despised, and I find myself liking them after meeting them.
We go on to the court during warm-ups to do another live report. We initially spot Rick Fox, who reports for Access Hollywood and is interviewing Steven Spielberg. It crosses my mind that I should give him my card and head shots, but I restrain myself. All of a sudden it becomes a who’s who of Hollywood: Dyan Cannon, the Kardashians, the Maloofs. But the coolest one of all – and the most approachable – has to be Snoop Dogg. Snoop is all decked out in Laker garb and willingly takes pictures with people. One of my favorite parts about watching a game at the Staples center or Madison Square Garden is that, when they play a song like ‘Drop It Like It’s Hot’ in the arena, you get to look up at the Jumbotron and see Snoop Dogg in his seat, giving the crowd a wave. It never gets old.
Unfortunately, enjoying the game on the floor is not a possibility for me. I may be on the floor, but there’s a lot of running around to do. When I do get to see some of the action, it’s in the corridor, where other workers are watching and waiting, ready to move at the whim of a boss or a call through the radio.
I join them until midway through the second quarter, since it’s my duty to escort Bill Walton to an interview on court at half-time. The luxury suite has a fantastic view, almost like we’re watching over the court. I’ll get to tell my grandkids stories about meeting a legend like Bill Walton. Bill Walton on TV is exactly what Bill Walton is like in real life: a fatherly type of man, who lives life – defiant of his age – with zest and zeal.
As I escort him to the floor, he gets stopped by everyone and genuinely wants to talk to them, but I have to play bad cop and tell the fans he’s late for an interview. For the record, Bill says he’s cheering for the Lakers. He says his life is not about him anymore, but about others. He wants to see his son win another championship. Throw it down big man!
The actual game is a bit of a letdown as the Lakers are in complete control. The Celtics look tired and ragged in contrast to the energetic Lakers. Kobe Bryant is unquestionably a basketball phenom, but to see him pull off his amazing feats up close is breathtaking. Even well-guarded, his focus and confidence allow him to make great plays that seem impossible. I watch the Lakers win Game 1, 102-89.
