Los Angeles Lakers 116 at Sacramento Kings 108 (OT) - April 13, 2011

The Sacramento Kings are probably moving to Anaheim in time for next season. It's an unfortunate consequence of the recession and an outdated arena which has left the team unable to generate enough revenue to compete. It is even more depressing because Sacramento was once considered to have the best fans in the league. I can't disagree after paying a visit last night for what might have been the last game in the team's history.

Tickets

When I planned this trip, I wasn't aware that the Kings' move was nearly a done deal, so I hadn't realized that ticket prices were through the roof. I was worried that I would be priced out but as game time approached, I noticed people lowering prices on the secondary market. With this information, I headed out to Power Balance Pavilion, paid the $10 parking fee, and went to the box office to see if anything was available.

I was surprised at how few people were in line to buy tickets just over an hour before the game. People in front of me were buying standing room tickets for $52 but these were to watch the game on TV inside a room, without a direct view of the floor. No thanks. So I asked if there were any singles. According to the ticket lady, there were six seats left, ranging in price from $150 to $330. I took the cheapest option, buying a ticket in the 3rd row of the upper deck at center court. It turned out those were the ticket lady's own seats but she couldn't sell them in time. That was good news for me as I was in the arena! It ruined the budget for a couple of days, but this was perhaps my only chance to see an NBA game in the arena so it was a no-brainer. It turned out to me more than worth it as I saw a city's love for its team and a pretty exciting NBA game to boot.

Power Balance Pavilion

Power Balance Pavilion (formerly ARCO Arena; it was renamed in January of this year) is just a few miles north of downtown in an area called Natomas. Parking is $10 and is plentiful, and easy to enter and exit.

Entering the arena is like stepping back in time. It was opened in 1988 and seems to be completely unchanged during the intervening years. There are just two levels, a single concourse, and few luxury suites. I loved it. Of course, the lack of revenue is why the Kings are leaving, but for me, it was a look back at sports before they became the cynical money-grab that they are today.

The arena was designed for basketball, which means there are no bad seats. When basketball courts are laid out in hockey arenas, many of the sideline seats are behind the baselines and don't even face the court. But here, there were almost none of those seats, and those that were faced the court directly as you can see below.

With just one level of luxury suites and no club section, the upper level is quite close to the action too. I just toured the concourse once and didn't see anything of note. It was a place to watch a basketball game, not an entertainment experience.

There was a bit of history inside the seating bowl. The Kings used to play in Rochester, Cincinnati, and Kansas City and were known as the Royals. As you can see in the photo below, the franchise honours past greats that played in those former cities.

The compact size of the arena makes it a great place to watch a game. The crowd is into it and I think the players feed off their energy. This was certainly the case last night when the Lakers came to visit needing a win to lock down the 2nd seed for the upcoming playoffs.

The Game

It was Fan Appreciation Night and the Kings thanked their devoted followers by having Dontae Green speak before the game (below). A nice touch.

The game unfolded as expected. Sacramento stayed close early but the Lakers used a couple of runs to build a 48-34 advantage midway through the second quarter. The Kings came back to go into the half down by just 8, but a terrible third quarter left the Lakers leading 88-70 with just 12 minutes to go.

This is when things got interesting. After Sacramento started the 4th with a single free throw, Cousins was ejected after receiving his second technical. A sad end to his rookie season. The Lakers scored the ensuing free throw and Lamar Odom added a jumper shortly thereafter to make it 91-71 with just 9:44 to go. The fans didn't give up though, and neither did their team. The Kings suddenly went on a 10-0 run and after exchanging a couple of baskets, completed another 10-0 stretch to tie the game at 95. Amazing! The place was rocking, and the Lakers' fans next to me were suddenly very, very quiet. When Jason Thompson dunked to give the Kings the lead with just 1:22 to go, the PBP went crazy. It was so loud, the improved acoustics being an advantage of a smaller arena. Everybody was on their feet as you can see below.

Unfortunately, the referees decided to get involved at this point, calling a defensive 3 second violation on Sacramento on the next possession. Noted loudmouth Kobe Bryant, fresh off insulting the homosexual population and $100,000 lighter in the wallet because of it, sunk the technical free throw. But he missed his next two jump shots and after Beno Udrih sunk two FTs, the Kings had a 99-96 lead with just 9.6 seconds left.

The Lakers had one shot, and everyone in the arena knew that Bryant would take it. The Kings couldn't foul Pau Gasol off the inbounds play and he dished to Bryant, who juked his defender to get an open look, then sank a miracle three to tie the game (below).

An incredible play and really the game winner. The Kings were deflated and muffed their last chance in regulation, failing to even get a shot. Overtime was merely a formality as the Lakers outscored their hosts 17-9 to win 116-108. Bryant finished with 36 points to lead all scorers.

Wow. This game had it all, but in the end, the Lakers showed their experience and talent. They aren't three-peating though.

The game itself acted as a metaphor for the Kings' move to Anaheim. When all appeared hopeless last week, the Kings have found a bit of hope these past few days. The move is by no means certain, and the NBA will be hearing presentations from the owners and city officials from both communities today. The result should be known early next week. Some have said that there are still obstacles to the move, but I think that, similar to what happened last night, the Kings will not be able to complete the miracle and will be playing in Honda Center next season.

The Fans

Finally, a word about the great Sacramento fans. After the game, a few thousand fans congregated down by the floor and began chanting "Here We Stay!" and "Sac-RA-Men-To". Many were teary-eyed while others were just glum and depressed. Some Kings came out to sign autographs and a few speeches were made that mentioned that the move was not yet official and not to give up hope. It was really an incredible experience as the fans stayed for over an hour chanting and cheering.

I hope the NBA sees this footage and decides to keeps the Kings in Sacramento. These are true fans and don't deserve to have this team taken from them. It's bad enough the NBA stole their 2002 title with shoddy officiating, but to lose the team just 9 years later is simply not fair. But money rules sports these days and so I think next year I'll be in Anaheim watching the Royals. Safe to say that their fans won't be nearly as good as those I saw in Sacramento last night.

Best,

Sean

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Los Angeles Lakers 109 at Phoenix Suns 118 - NBA Western Conference Finals Game 3 - May 23, 2010

Jump ball

When the Phoenix Suns defeated San Antonio in round 2 of the NBA playoffs, I knew that they would be playing sometime around the time I would be visiting the city. But the NBA initially scheduled only the first two games that were to be played in LA. I worried that they might set games 3 and 4 in conflict with the Jays games that I was planning to see, but NBA commish David Stern is a regular reader I guess as he kindly set game 3 for Sunday evening at 5:30, about an hour after the Jays game would probably end. So after Toronto hammered Arizona 12-4, I walked over to the US Airways Center to see if there were tickets available.

Tickets

My friend Sharpy had purchased a single from a scalper that morning but I wanted to wait until closer to game time for a couple of reasons. First, if the baseball game went long, I didn't want to leave early, and secondly, I wanted to check the box office so I could avoid a trip to the ATM. It's just a couple of minutes from Chase Field to US Airways Center, and the ticket windows were surprisingly empty. After being searched, I made my way to the Advance Ticket Window, where there was nobody waiting. I asked if they were selling for tonight's game and was happy to hear that there was a single in 4th row of the upper deck in a corner. Not the best seat but as it turned out, not that bad at all, especially for a last minute purchase.

US Airways Center

It was a drastic sensory change leaving the red and black clad fans of the Diamondbacks and walking a couple of blocks to where the Suns fans in their bright orange colours waited outside the outside of the arena, with liberal sprinklings of Laker fans sporting their trademark purple and gold. Upon entering the seating bowl, we were subject to an even more colourful display as every seat was covered with an orange T-shirt, courtesy of a local grocery store.

Yeah, free T-shirts! The Suns' playoff theme is "WE R ORNG" as it would be texted, so everybody had to wear the shirts. Of course, Laker fans were happy to throw their shirts away, so some fans got two or three shirts. Christmas presents for the family!

Anyway, I didn't have much time to wander around but can say that the upper concourse is far too narrow for a sold-out game. It took about 10 minutes during halftime to make the walk around and the lineups for the concessions and facilities were quite long. I'd recommend purchasing your food before the game.

The good thing is that the upper deck is actually quite close to the floor. The arena, opened in 1992, was designed for basketball and the suite level is quite small, so the upper bowl seats are good value. With only 14 rows up here, even the nosebleeds are more than acceptable.

There was an out-of-town scoreboard that showed the MLB and WNBA scores, but neglected to tell us the Chicago-San Jose result in the NHL. This doesn't bode well for the future of the Coyotes, who once called this arena home. But it is really much better for basketball, the design fits the smaller hardcourt properly, unlike a typical hockey arena where the corner and end seats are just too far away from the action.

The Game

The Lakers had won the first two games of the series, so this was a must-win for Phoenix. Both teams came out on offense but Phoenix was driving to the basket and drawing fouls while LA was kept to the outside by the Suns' defense. At one point the Suns were 18/20 from the free throw line while LA was 0/1 and both Andrew Bynum and Lamar Odom were in foul trouble. But the Lakers were making most of their shots while the Suns missed some easy ones. At the end of the first, the Lakers led 32-29 with Kobe Bryant netting 15 points.

Bryant grabs a rebound

In the second though, Phoenix went to a zone defense and LA couldn't adapt. The last five minutes saw the Suns go on a 15-2 run to lead 54-47 at the half.

Steve Nash looks to pass

The third quarter saw the Suns' Amar'e Stoudamire explode for 20 points but the Lakers were solid shooters and actually won the quarter by 5 points to head to the final stanza down 86-84.

Pau Gasol shoots over Stoudamire while Derek Fisher tries a three below

The fourth quarter was back-and-forth for the first few minutes and with 7:35 to go, the Suns held a 93-92 lead. But after Stoudamire drained two free throws, Ron Artest made a bad pass and the Suns quickly broke down the floor. Steve Nash found Jason Richardson in the corner and Richardson sank a 3 that brought the crowd to its feet. After a Laker timeout, Bryant missed a 3 and Stoudamire knocked down a two-pointer to make it 100-92. Bryant added 4 free throws to narrow the deficit to 4, but Stoudamire continued his dominance, driving to the basket for two more. Lamar Odom then fouled out and after Robin Lopez made both shots, Nash added a jumper to make it 102-92 with just 2:48 left. The fans were delirious and although the Lakers got within 6, Phoenix held on for the 118-109 win.

Stoudamire finished with 42 points and 11 boards and has perhaps given pause to his critics. It was a great performance and with Lopez adding 20, the Suns have served notice that the series is not yet over. Bryant added 36 points but many of those were after the game was decided.

Robin Lopez muscles to the basket

Overall, this was a great game, lots of scoring and 12 lead changes. The NBA playoffs have been terribly dull, but perhaps this is a chance for a great series. Game 4 is set for Tuesday night in Phoenix and if the Suns can keep it up, we should be on for a great finish to see who gets to play Boston in the final.

Nash gets 15 assists (and only 1 turnover)

Next up

I'm in Anaheim right now and just about to head over to the Jays-Angels game, for which I will add a post in a couple of days. Tomorrow I fly back to Japan (hence missing game 4) where I'll be taking it easy for the Stanley Cup Finals and the World Cup. I'll add some posts on LA and some other sports happenings in the meantime, so check back in a few days for lots of new stuff.

Best,

Sean

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Oklahoma City Thunder 87 at Los Angeles Lakers 111 - Western Confernence QF Game 5 - April 27, 2010

Sports media are notorious for a "one-day story" mentality. Take the Los Angeles Lakers for example. They only won the NBA championship last season and finished first in the West this season. But they dropped a couple of playoff games to 8th seed Oklahoma City, including a blowout in game 4, and suddenly they are "finished". All around LA I heard talk of how the Thunder were younger and faster and the Lakers were old and tired. An ESPN poll (always reliable) even showed that many fans were predicting a Thunder win. Bah. Never bet against a defending champion.

The bright side to this sudden change in attitude: tickets for game 5 at the Staples Center were easy to get. There were box office singles in the lower bowl for $350 (ha!), but I stood outside and found a guy whose cousin couldn't make it. He had an upper bowl ticket with a face value of $65. He wanted $80, I offered him $60 and he took it. I probably could have waited longer to save a few more bucks, but it was close to game time and I wanted to see the pre-game.

The seat was in the corner, just one row from the top, so I didn't spend much time taking pictures. The picture below is from the first row of my section.

Hockey vs Basketball Atmosphere

I mentioned that the feeling outside of Staples before the Kings' game was fairly quiet. It was similar today, but in a different way. The Kings' fans knew that they were going to lose, and they were OK with it, as the team seems to be on the rise. But the Lakers' fans seemed worried - could it be possible that they would lose a first-round series? There were far more Lakers' fans too, and almost no Thunder jerseys visible. The only two I saw belonged to the parents of Russell Westbrook.

Inside the stadium though, the tension was less noticeable. Fans were loud as the introductions were made, booing vociferously the Thunder players and cheering their hometown heroes. I was impressed with this display as I'd heard bad things about the fans here. In particular, the upper bowl fans seem to consider the lower bowl spectators to be poor imitations - they arrive late, leave early, spend half the game on their phone, etc. But the fans were rowdy from tip-off - I read later that the Oklahoma City fans were so loud that the Lakers asked their own fans to be more vocal. Seems like it worked.

The pre-game was kind of neat. When the players ran out they lowered a large curtain and played images across it for a couple of minutes (below). The anthem was also loudly cheered and then it was time for some NBA playoff basketball!

The Game

Opening Tip

Not much to tell here. This one was over after about 3 minutes. The Lakers came out on fire and when Andrew Bynum completed an alley-oop from Kobe Bryant to make it 6-0, the game was done. I know it sounds strange to say that a basketball game was over just 2:38 into it, but the Thunder were 0-6 from the field and the Lakers were clearly in a groove at both ends of the floor. Bynum added two more dunks and the Lakers had a 14-1 lead at the midway point of the quarter as Oklahoma City missed their first 13 shots.

Pau Gasol missed here early in the first

The rest of the half was slightly closer as the Thunder managed a few shots but it ended 55-34 for LA. The Lakers shot 65% compared to 26% for Oklahoma City and won the assist battle 15-5.

The third quarter was more Lakers who entered the fourth up 88-60. It was garbage time when Adam Morrison checked in for LA and the bench players for both squads finished up with the final score 111-87. It was a complete rout and I'd say the Thunder will have a hard time rebounding from this one in game 6.

Pau Gasol led the Lakers with 25 points and 11 boards, while Kevin Durant potted 17 to top the Thunder.

Notes

By winning the game and holding the opposition to under 100 points, the Lakers enabled all fans to receive two free tacos from Jack in the Box. Not sure I'll have time to try them though.

Lots of stars in attendance - Hugh Hefner was shown in a luxury box on the Kiss Cam and kissed both his dates much to the delight of the crowd. Other celebs included Dustin Hoffman, Eddie Murphy, Seal, and Will Ferrell. Naturally, Jack was in his usual seat.

The City View Diner on the upper concourse offers an outdoor bar where you can look across at the Nokia Plaza and further to downtown. It would be nice on a warm day but today was chilly by LA standards. The picture below is from there.

Next Up

Two ballgames tomorrow - a 10:30 start in Rancho Cucamonga and then a 7:00 game in nearby San Bernadino. In between, I'm hoping to find a sports bar and watch a couple of periods of the Capitals-Canadiens game 7. Check back tomorrow for updates.

Best,

Sean

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