Atlanta Hawks 105 at Dallas Mavericks 101 - February 11, 2013

I'm back in Texas! After a 20-hour journey from Tokyo to Dallas, I took public transit downtown to avoid the outrageous rental car fees at the airport. This added another 90 minutes to the trip but the savings were well worth it. I rented the car (a nice Nissan Sentra) and after a brief stop at my hotel to freshen up, quickly made my way to the American Airlines Center to see the Dallas Mavericks host the Atlanta Hawks.

American Airlines Center

I visited the AAC to see the Leafs win in a shootout back in November 2011. This time, I was here to review the Mavericks fan experience for Stadium Journey so rather than repeat myself, I'm going to instead link to my review when it is published.

The one thing I will note here is that American Airlines recently updated their logo and livery, but this has yet to be reflected at the stadium. They will be doing so during the offseason, so it will be interesting to see what changes that will entail. Guess I'll come back next year as well!



The Game

It seemed like the Mavericks were the jet lagged ones as they were terrible to start, spotting Atlanta a quick 10-0 lead before O.J. Mayo scored at the 8:27 mark to break the goose egg. That got Dallas going a bit and they matched the Hawks the rest of the quarter, closing the first down 31-23.

The second period saw Dallas knock down 4 of 9 from 3-point land, including two from Vince Carter, as they came within a point as the buzzer sounded, down just 49-48. After such a dismal start, it was nice to see that we had a game and the fans responded, making a lot of noise as the deficit was slowly reduced.



The third quarter was a barnburner, with each team scoring 33 points. Dallas tied the game at 64 but could not take the lead as their defense failed them whenever they needed a stop and Atlanta added 5 treys of their own, including a couple from Josh Smith who had 10 points in the period.

So we began the fourth quarter with Dallas still down just one but after a Carter free-throw and a Jae Crowder jumper, they had their first lead of the game 86-84. They expanded this to 91-86, but Smith (number 5 in the shot below) sandwiched a slam dunk and another three around a Carter turnover and we were tied with under 6 minutes left. As some sorry fans started leaving to beat traffic, the game became a gritty defensive battle. Tied at 92, Smith was fouled with 2:55 to go and promptly missed both free throws. But the rebound came to Kyle Korver which was the key play of the game. Al Horford scored on that possession and after Dirk Nowitzki missed an open 3, Horford added a slam dunk to make it 96-92 Hawks. After Mayo responded with a running slam to get the fans into it, Smith sank yet another three and it was 99-94 with 1:29 left.



Nowitzki (41 above) managed to singlehandedly get the Mavs back within one with a couple of free throws and a jumper and those fans who left early were looking pretty silly. When Smith turned it over on the subsequent possession, the Mavs moved down the court for a chance to take the lead.



Sadly, it was not to be as Mayo threw the ball away (above), and Smith sank two free throws after being fouled to make it 101-98. The Mavs took their final timeout, but the following possession again saw Mayo turn the ball over with a bad pass and Atlanta held on for a 105-101 win. Smith was the dominant player with 26 points, 13 boards, and 6 assists. He is on the trading block apparently, so this game should help his stock.

Not a bad game after the terrible start but it is clear the Mavericks (22-29) lack the clutch players they needed today, perhaps demonstrated by their 1-8 overtime record.

Notes

Why do fans take the trouble to go to a game and then leave before the outcome is decided? As noted, with over 5 minutes left and the score knotted at 91, dozens of fans started heading for the exits. That is giving up 10% of the game, in fact, the most important 10%. Yet again, sports fans are shown to be poor consumers.

During the break between the first and second quarters, there was a shooting contest whereby the contestant has to make a free throw, a 3-pointer, and a halfcourt shot. He got the first two, but missed the last one only to be given a second chance. Amazingly he nailed it and that got the loudest reaction of the night as well as making ESPN's top 10 plays.

Traveling in the winter is always a risk, but today was perfect. Both flights were early (I transferred at Minneapolis) and I was able to catch the bus and train I needed to beat the closing time of the rental agency. Avoiding an airport rental saved nearly $200 over the 2-week period I'll have the car. I've said it before, but if you are renting a car at an airport for an extended period and are budget conscious, look for in-city options, they are usually much cheaper.



As mentioned, I was here reviewing the venue for Stadium Journey and the Mavericks were kind enough to extend a media credential. I spend the first while up in the press box and it is interesting to see the game from so far away as you can see the plays each team is running. But it separates you from the atmosphere, so midway through the second quarter, I moved down to the lower bowl to watch the rest of the game.

After the game, I went to the bowels of the stadium to watch Atlanta coach Larry Drew give a press conference in front of a small scrum as a way to wait out the traffic. Always fascinating to be behind the scenes, although judging from the looks on many of the assembled media, it probably becomes quite boring after a while.

Next Up

I'm already in Memphis to see the Grizzlies and soon-to-move Sacramento Kings. I saw the Vancouver Grizzlies' first ever game back in 1995 but this will be my first trip to see them in their new home. It is a bittersweet trip, check back tomorrow to see if any tears were shed.

Best,

Sean
 

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Toronto Maple Leafs 4 at Dallas Stars 3 (SO) - November 25, 2011

Black Friday was anything but for me. Although I did a bit of early shopping, I spent most of the early part of the day touring a couple of attractions in Fort Worth, including a fantastic Caravaggio exhibition at the Kimbell Art Museum.

After that, I headed back to Dallas to enjoy the evening's entertainment: the Leafs taking on the Stars. It would be the 17th time I would witness the Buds on the road, and with a cumulative 4-11-1 record up till now, I was desperately hoping for a victory. As I walked to the American Airlines Center, I was happy to see plenty of other Leaf fans; there were so many of us that the building was sold out for the first time this season.

American Airlines Center

Located on the edge of downtown Dallas in Victory Park, the AAC is home to the defending champion Dallas Mavericks (no banner yet though, thanks to the just-finished lockout) as well as the Stars. It opened in 2001 and is still a great place to watch a top-notch sporting event.

There is plenty of parking around the stadium for $15. I drove around a bit before the game and didn't find any free parking in the immediate vicinity, but since I was staying in a hotel about a mile away, I didn't look very hard. There is also transit available, with DART's Victory station mere steps away from the stadium.

From the outside, the stadium is very impressive. As I drove north on 35E, the AAC majestically appeared on my right. It could be an old train station or airport terminal, and with the naming rights purchased by American, the locals often refer to it as "The Hangar".

There are entrances on each side of the building, but it is the south side that includes AT&T Plaza, which is where various events are held and a large screen shows highlights and other videos both before and after the game (above).

Tickets for hockey are not cheap but not ridiculously overpriced, particularly for the upper deck. I found a seat in third row at the blueline for $45 which was more than reasonable. Considering that lower bowl seats range from $70 to $300, the upper bowl is the better choice. Sightlines from here were perfectly fine.

The two seating levels are separated by the luxury boxes and club seats. The concourses are spacious enough as you can see below.

There are few bells and whistles once inside. On the lower concourse, one atrium has some small model AA airplanes hanging (above), and there is a cool exhibit illustrating just how high Dirk Nowitzki can jump (138") and testing your vertical leap as well (below). There is also the Jack Daniels Old No. 7 Club which offered appetizers and seemed popular with the locals.

The upper concourse is more limited, with the Dr. Pepper Plant (below), a small eatery with a bit of history about the beverage invented in Waco back in 1885.

Food options are plentiful and there are concessions everywhere. I had an Italian sausage from Sheriff Blaylocks which I would recommend, it was piled high with peppers and onions and made for a full meal for the three hours I was there.

The end zones have scoreboards that show other statistics on a continuous basis, something that I really appreciate.

Overall, AAC is an excellent venue for hockey. There isn't a lot of history yet, but they do have plenty of banners celebrating their success, including that one Stanley Cup banner that Buffalo fans refuse to acknowledge. The place is clean, staff are friendly, and the fans were great, even to a visit team supporter like myself. If you haven't been here, put it on your to-see list.

The Game

The Leafs and Stars had both started strongly but had faded of late, with Toronto lying 5th in the East at 12-8-2 while Dallas was 4th in the West at 13-8. This was the third of a 4-game road trip for Toronto, who had thrashed Tampa Bay 7-1 three days earlier behind a suddenly potent power play. The Stars were finishing up a 4-game homestand in which they had won the last two.

Given that the previous day was Thanksgiving, I expected a lethargic start but Dallas jumped out quickly when Eric Nystrom took a pass from Michael Ryder, deked around Phil Kessel and beat Jonas Gustavsson (above) with a low wrist shot to make it 1-0 after just 4 minutes.

In past seasons, I would have expected the Leafs to fold but this team is different and they fought back quickly. Just after the midway mark of the period, Joey Crabb deflected a Dion Phaneuf (above in the warmup) point shot on a play that looked to be offside and then Phaneuf himself added a power play tally 4 minutes later that just got under Kari Lehtonen (below, also in the warmup). The period finished with the teams level in shots at 7, so it wasn't a barnburner by any means.

The second period was highlighted by a fantastic Dallas goal. The puck began behind the Stars net and was moved forward via just four passes, with each player on the ice touching the puck once. It went Grossman to Daley to Benn to Dvorak to Nystrom who tipped the puck past a helpless Gustavsson. I don't like seeing the Leafs scored upon, but in this case, I had to admire the brilliance of the play. It's worth checking the highlight out here.

There were further problems in the second with two Leafs getting knocked out of the game. Both David Steckel and Carl Gunnarson were hit on the hand by shots and had to leave. Coincidentally, I was taking pictures when Gunnarson got dinged, which you can see below.

The third period was tough for Toronto. Down two men and on the road, I was hoping they could hold out for overtime as Dallas completely controlled the play, outshooting Toronto 6-0 in the early going. Only a couple of miracle stops by Gustavsson kept the Leafs in the game. Then against the flow, Tim Connolly threw what appeared to be a blind pass to the front of the net where a streaking Clarke MacArthur tipped it home with 13 minutes to go. The play was reviewed and emphatically called a "good goal".

However, the Leafs were visibly flagging and couldn't stave off the relentless Dallas attack. Eventually Dvorak tied it after the Stars had maintained possession in the Toronto zone for at least a minute. It was obvious that the Leafs were tired and when they drew a stupid penalty with 3:38 to go, I was sure it would be the end. Again though, this squad is different and they managed to kill the penalty and even get a power play in the process. Although that did not yield any goals, it did bring us to the end of regulation and the Leafs had secured a point.

Overtime was scoreless with the Leafs gaining the only two shots to finish the contest down 29-23 in that category. That brought on the shootout, the third in four games for me at a Leafs game. The Leafs had won the previous two, so I was quite hopeful as Gustavsson had been solid all night.

After the first two shooters for each team missed, Joffrey Lupul beat Kari Lehtonen to the short side to give the Leafs the advantage (below, the puck is in the net already).

The Stars' last shooter was Mike Ribeiro, who has a patented move that was highlighted during one of the intermissions. In that move, he turns sideways and brings the puck from his backhand to the forehand, trying to flip it over the netminder. Gustavsson must have seen the video because he was prepared and although the puck dribbled to the line, it didn't go in.

Leafs win! Leafs win! It was the first time I had seen a Leafs road victory by myself, as in the past other fans had joined me. I was a bit sad to not have anyone to high-five with, but the whole trip to Dallas was worth it just to see the scoreboard below.

Notes

The Stanley Cup was in the house as the Stars had it brought to town for a local tournament. It was at Cowboys Stadium the day before and then here, drawing a line of fans who wanted a picture of themselves with Lord Stanley.

After the game, I paid a visit to the nearby Fan Sports Lounge, where I was offered the grand sum of $40 for my vintage #7 Greg Terrion jersey. Needless to say, I refused the offer. Nothing less than $40,000 for those interested.

I flew back on Sunday, missing the Leafs 5-2 win in Anaheim. Three in a row on the road?! Seriously, this team is good and so much more fun to watch than two years ago. Already planning my trip to Alberta in February.

Best,

Sean

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