The Chesapeake Energy Arena Experience

Sunday January 5th, 2014, my Boston Celtics took on the task of battling the Oklahoma City Thunder in their “Loud City” Arena, a task that rarely seems to to end in triumph by opposing squads. So here I sat, Cruz Buchanan, luckily placed by the Celtics entry way, experiencing my first NBA game in one of the loudest arenas in the NBA. The first move that was made after the tickets were purchased was of course one call, that was a call to the Arena on how early the doors opened before the game started. The answer I received was 90 minutes before scheduled game time, so you bet, I was there 90 minutes before game time. With the Packers and 49ers battling out an “Ice Bowl” like playoff game, I sat and watched the players warm up, took in the beauty of the arena, and admired the passion of the local fans. The little things are often overlooked when looking at a basketball game. Things like who the first person is out on the court warming up, how they warm up, and the interaction between squads before games (or lack their of). Like I said, I was waiting at the doors as they were being opened, in what felt like -30 degrees, with my Celtics championship jacket and Larry Bird Jersey on, in a sea of blue and orange. I made way to my seats with my dad and brother (who may I say were cheering for the Thunder) and got to observing. The first Celtic out of the locker room was a veteran, not very household name, Keith Bogans. He spent his first ten minutes or so working on his release around the rim. The thing that impressed me about Bogans and his routine, is that he spent more time around the basket and practicing off the glass shots, than he did other spots on the court. On the other end of the court for the opposition was Thabo Sefolosha. From my seats, and being he was the only guy on his side of the court, this guy looked massive. His 6’7″ frame spent most of his time around the arc and working with trainers on contested threes and pump fake to dribble schemes. At one point in time I counted 14 threes in a row that reached the bottom of the net. We are talking about Sefolosha, a guy who is not a house hold three point shooter, making 14 contested threes in a row. His shot was pure, his rotation was consistent, and his confidence was high. You never will realize how good these guys are until you see them in real life. Through the rest of the warm up period I saw the likes of Derek Fisher and Nick Collison for the Thunder, and Jeff Green and Kris Humphries for the Celtics (awkward mention of the game was the coincidental playing of a Kanye West song during Humphries warm up, nice tactics Thunder.) That didn’t prove to have any effect on the massive power forward, as he played a very solid game both offensively and defensively. The pre game ceremony at the arena was priceless. The stands were packed, the arena was loud, and the light show was perfect. There’s a reason why they nicknamed the arena “Loud City.” The stadium holds a mere 4,000 more fans than that of Mizzou Arena, but turned out to be twice as loud as the last home Mizzou v. Kansas game, and from experience, that is ear piercing. The announcers gracefully announced the Celtics starters, very monotone and unenthusiastic, and mispronouncing Jared Sullinger’s last name, which I still think to be intentional. Then the show was on. The lights went off, the surround sound was activated, and the opening video was brightly portrayed on the big screen, highlighting SportsCenter Top 10 like plays from this season and the seasons passed. Then the announcer seemed to find a second wind, and screamed out the starting 5 for the Thunder, highlighting at the end, the man, Kevin Durant. I don’t know if I’ve ever heard a crowd cheer so loudly for one player, but he truly is their savior. Oklahoma City only has the Thunder to claim alliance to, and this is where their passion and loyalty is derived from. He is to OKC as Nick Saban is to Alabama, Lionel Messi is to Argentina, Dennis Rodman is to the USA….(That last one was a joke, in case you actually believed I thought the Korean embracing former Bulls star, is admired by more than ten people in our country). All this is rightfully so too. He is consistently the leading scorer in the NBA, is always performing high flying dunks, Pistol Pete like assists, or falling away threes over an undersized defender. As a Celtics fan, I held strong to the belief that Jeff Green was up to the task to guard Mr. Durant, and that he was equally equipped to score his points on him on the offensive end. That shows my beliefs in Green’s talents. He is a 6’8″ guard that plays lockdown defense, always gives 100%, and has a very smooth offensive game from the rim out to downtown. The first half went by, and the overmatched Celtics were holding their own. Durant was cold in the first half, but still managed to score 17 points, along with a technical foul for what I lip read to include one or two F bombs. Jeff Green gave him fits though. He was playing tight defense, and was driving it into his chest on the offensive end. For the Celtics, the highlight player of the first half was Kris Humphries. Before this game, I’m going to be brutally honest, I was not a fan of Humphries, at all. He always seemed like an arrogant prick who was riding his Kim Kardashian wave from team to team in the NBA. After watching him warm up, after seeing his energy on both sides of the bench, and seeing his chemistry and leadership with his teammates, my opinion was altered for the better. He crashed the boards hard, and used his thick structure to get what he wanted on the offensive end. Jordan Crawford also kept the Celtics spark alive, with ankle breaking crossovers and quick pull up threes, that seemed to find the bottom of the net more often than not. Jeff Green played solid, hitting big threes and getting to the rim various times in the first half. The clear star for the Thunder the first half was point guard Reggie Jackson. He was very much so taking advantage of the opportunity to start in the mist of the Russell Westbrook injury. He showed his ability to score, throw precise passes, and run the offense, and lead the Thunder in all of these categories. What most impressed me about Jackson was his composure and ability to get to the rim, accompanied with high flying posterizations, unfortunately. The second half proved to be a different story for my Celtics. Kevin Durant came out of half time ready to score, and he did so. Reggie Jackson kept scoring, and the Thunder created turnovers that turned into easy fast break baskets. After trailing the Thunder ten at half, my Celtics found themselves in a 22 point hole, one that they would never chip away at. What did I learn about my team and the opposing team this game? Thats the main focus of this article. I had always understood the Thunder won games because they had an MVP candidate, and played high intensity basketball. The thing most people miss, including myself, is their depth, something the Celtics lack, a lot. The Thunder were missing their second best player and offense controlling Westbrook, but they replaced him with a readily equipped Jackson. They started a beast in Kendrick Perkins, incredible shot blocker in Serge Ibaka, stretch guard in Sefolosha, all alongside Kevin Durant. Off the bench they brought out the likes of Nick Collison, Jeremy Lamb, Perry Jones, Derek Fisher, Andre Robinson, Hasheem Thabeet, and Steven Adams, all who scored besides Adams. That is a 12 man squad, that is ready to bring in fresh legs, change the offensive and defensive looks, and to intermix to create mismatches based on the opposing squad. The Thunder are incredibly deep, and most people don’t realize that, all they see in the Kevin Durant/Russell Westbrook show. Their last player they brought in, the LAST player they brought in, was former NUMBER ONE pick in Thabeet. Yes, he didn’t live up to his hype, but he is a 7’0″ center that could start for a multitude of NBA teams, and he was the last guy in rotation for the Thunder. That is how they win games. Oh, Westbrook is out? Lets just put in the stud in Reggie Jackson. Kevin Durant is in foul trouble? Lets just put in future MVP Jeremy Lamb (Give it two years, this guy will be an MVP. He’s long and lanky, scores in every way on the offensive end with a pure shot, and plays great defense disrupting passing lanes). So what was the difference in the second half? While my Celtics were getting minutes out of sub 6 foot Phil Pressey, 36 year old Keith Bogans, and were without now traded guard in scorer in Courtney Lee, the Thunder were putting in skilled fresh legs, using all of their bench, and stretching their lead. On the Celtics side, I was most impressed with Jeff Green. He is my favorite member of the Celtics currently, and showed a leadership and poise during and after the game that assured me he will give Rondo a future All Star to turn this team around. His 6’8″ structure gives him the ability to shoot over defenders, take contact, and guard anyone effectively at his position. After the game, a game where they suffered a 23 point loss, he took the time to go over and congratulate and chat with the opposition, and take pictures with young Celtics fans who were in attendance. That shows more than any 30 point game ever will. Personality translates into leadership. What are my observations and suggestions for the Celtics? I have three key things that will help, besides the return of Rajon Rondo. One, we need to fill the bench with impact players. Our starting core is solid, and with the return of Rondo, will mean we have a Jordan Crawford for a sixth man, and I like the look of the first six. We need another scorer, another high energy player, and we need a Center. If we add a solid Center, someone like the little minute playing Omer Asik for the Rockets, we can play Brandon Bass at his true power forward position as a starter or impact bench player. Bass guarding Perkins, or Hibbert, or Marc Gasol, just won’t work out. So you add an Asik like center, and another young scorer, like say, a Nick Young, than our starting rotation all of the sudden looks like Rondo, Bradley at the 2, Jeff Green at the 3, Jared Sullinger at the 4, and a solid center like Asik at the 5. Then you are brining Crawford off the bench to play 1 or 2, Brandon Bass to give the overweight Sullinger fresh legs (I’ll get to that soon), a scorer in a guy like Nick Young, and still solid contributors in Humphries and Olynyk. All of the sudden this team goes from slumping late in games, to being deep and adding more consistent scoring outputs on night in to night out. My next point, Jared Sullinger needs to lose weight. I was astonished at how obese he appeared in real life. He has an easy 40 pounds to lose. If this is accomplished, he will add endurance and speed to his already fundamentally sound game. This needs to happen. We can’t have one of our best scorers and starting forward, not be able to give it 100% for the duration of an NBA game. Let me tell you, he was frequently sucking air on the bench during his rest periods while others seemed composed and calm. The final and third suggestion is make Green your go to guy. He is a high energy player who causes matchup problems, has a great quick release shot, is able to take contact, and passes the ball well. OKC ran their offense through KD, and that didn’t mean he shot every time, but he was touching it multiple times, creating double teams from the opposition and opening the floor for his teammates. Jeff Green is the guy that can go all of the things for the Celtics that Durant is doing for the Thunder. With an increase in role, will come an increase in confidence, and the only thing All Stars need is the chance to shine. So their you have it, my first NBA game, and first live viewing of my Boston Celtics. The game didn’t go our way, but opened my eyes to the NBA atmosphere, the potential of the Celtics, and the greatness of the Thunder. Don’t be surprised when the depth of this team takes them straight to the NBA finals, 7 game series will be their strengths, and Westbrook will be back. As for the Celtics, the road ahead looks tough, with games against Denver, Golden State, and Portland, but sticking in their until Rondo is back will prove crucial to the positioning to win the division. This live experience furthered my interest in the NBA and will prove beneficial in future articles also. Thanks for tuning in! Go Celtics. #CruzSportsCorner