What do you do to celebrate a sports fanatic’s sixteenth birthday? Why, give him tickets to see the Golden State Warriors play the hated Los Angeles Lakers, of course! When push came to shove, a dinner and a movie or pizza with friends just didn’t knock the socks off his father and I. After all, it was his sweet sixteen and something grand was in order.
Well, grand we got! It’s hard to be a sports fan these days and not see the dramatic turn around the Don Nelson version of the Warriors have made. After last year’s miraculous run at the end of the season which catapulted them into the playoffs for the first time in 15 years, they shocked the basketball world by beating the Dallas Mavericks (Nellie’s old team, of course) and making believers of us all. Well, they’ve picked up where they left off.
Getting Warriors tickets isn’t the easiest thing in the world. Warrior fans are notoriously patient and there are few seats to be had in Oakland’s Oracle Arena, at least when Kobe Bryant and the Lakers come to town. Never-the-less, this sports minded mom knew how to work the computer keyboard well enough to secure 4 tickets in the lower level (it was his sixteenth birthday, after all) close enough to see the “whites” of Steven Jackson’s eyes.
Turns out, it was the largest crowd ever to watch a NBA game in all of California. Some 20,000 people came out to celebrate my kid’s birthday and to watch this exciting Warriors team play a game that had the place rocking.
I have to admit. I was nervous. The Warriors were down through the half and although the score was a mere 7 point differential, the Warriors weren’t shooting particularly well and it was looking like the jinx of LA was going to continue. This was much to the pleasure of a young woman sitting in front of us who had to jump up, mimic a swish move with her right hand and yell “ballin’(g)” every time the Lakers scored. Between that and shouts of “I love you Kobe”, my youngest and I were praying to the basketball gods to turn the tide just to shut her up!
They listened. Right around halfway through the 3rd quarter, the Warriors started to pour it on and the place got loud. Actually, loud does not describe it. The place was rocking! The crowd was dressed in yellow, most donning the free “We’re Back” t-shirts they handed out as we came in and many waving the bright yellow placards that were taped to each chair. The energy was electric. It was like a seesaw. The Warriors would score. The Lakers would answer. Game tied. Again and again and still again.
In the end, it all came down to two plays. Baron Davis hit a shot and Monta Ellis stole the ball and the place erupted. They had done it. The monkey was off their back. They had beaten the Lakers.
It was a birthday he will never forget. Oh, and what became of our Lakers’ friend? She disappeared quietly into the sea of yellow. The basketball gods had spoken.