Getting to Madison Square Garden was easy. Once we get on the subway in Brooklyn, we don't have to step outside until after the game is over and we're back in Brooklyn.
The Suns game was great. We arrived early and waited until the turnstiles were opened and took the escalators up Tower A to our seats. There is always a feeling I really enjoy when I go to games especially the first time I go to an arena. I just love walking through the hallways around the arena and passing by the gates, getting a glimpse of the stadium inside. Then the best moment is when you walk through your gate and the whole place opens up in front of you - a cavernous dome filled with thousands of seats and thousands of people.
We were able to walk down pretty close to the court about 50 minutes before the game and watch a few of the Suns warm up. We were really close. The security guards were telling everyone to move along, but as long as we stood out of the aisles we were allowed to loiter and take pictures.
Steve Nash came out to shoot around and was impressive. He doesn't miss. Okay, he missed a few shots, but overall he was unconscious. He shot three pointers, layups, mid-range shots, fade-aways, scoop shots and they all went in. He was the last player out on the court warming up.
The game itself was great. The Knicks team doesn't get nearly as many cheers as the visiting squad, but instead they're greeted with thousands of people booing. Their coach, Isiah Thomas who just settled a sexual harassment case, gets the worst of it, deservedly so. He's a bum!
Hang your head in shame, Isiah.There were boos during both games we saw, but by far the most boos came last night against the Mavericks. We were seated in some sort of "fan zone" or something where a fat kid with a cowbell and Stephon Marbury jersey ruled the section.
Behind us sat some comedic "fans" who had nothing nice to say about the Knicks and routinely called the players bums, commenting on how they were really "earning their pay check" and sarcastically complimenting one of the team's leading scorers for having 2 points in the third quarter.
Unfortunately they left early and the Knicks' comeback wasn't as humorous as it could have been. And come on people, don't leave a basketball game after the third quarter no matter what (okay, unless your team is down by 40). There is still a whole quarter to be played! If we had left after the third, we only would have gotten $7.50 worth of our $10 tickets!!! Who can afford that?
Cowbell boy was some sort of mini-celebrity though. As people flooded towards the exits, a good number of them stopped to chat with him for a couple minutes. During the games he often got out of his seat and lumbered up and down the aisle banging his bell and chanting "Let's Go Knicks!"
After the game, it was said that Isiah had mentioned they wouldn't have missed so many layups if the fans weren't booing. I guess they couldn't hear the cowbell.
BOO!!!
In other booing news (booing, not boring), there was a talent search during halftime and the kid singing Sinatra was booed (he was probably 12 years old). There was a half court shot competition during the game against Dallas. When the announcer mentioned a participant was from Dallas, the kid got booooooed (he was probably 14)!!! There was another shooting competition. When one guy couldn't make a free throw he got the worst of it from the Madison Square Garden faithful.
Man, these New Yorkers can boo.
Celebrity sightings at the games:
Keri "Felicity" Russell
Magic Johnson
Shannon Miller (Olympic gymnast)
Steve Schirripa (Bobby 'Bacala' Baccalieri from the Sopranos)
Kim Catrall (Sex in the City)Some Mets players who got BOOOOOOED!!! It was quite funny. Booing is fun!
Julianne Moore
Seann William Scott (American Pie, other stuff)
Madison Square Garden (The World's Most Famous Arena):
The current Garden is the fourth incarnation of the arena in Manhattan and opened in February 1968 on the site of the beautiful Beaux Arts designed Pennsylvania Station, with the trains being rerouted beneath the arena . The first Garden dates back to 1879.The Garden is famous for housing the Knicks and the Rangers, but also for numerous other events:
- 2 Joe Frazier versus Muhammad Ali fights
- John Lennon's final concert before being murdered
- The Concert for New York City (after September 11th)
- Performances by many of the greatest musical acts (you know, like Justin Timberlake and Mariah Carey, Elvis and Sinatra, although I bet no one booed him)
- Many historic performances by Michael Jordan (55 point "double-nickel" game, playoff games, etc...)
- John F. Kennedy's 45th birthday party (where Marilyn Monroe sang Happy Birthday, Mr. President)
- MSG was the nest for Godzilla babies in the 1998 Godzilla movie.
And there you have it, 2 games at the Garden, 2 losses by the Knicks. Booooo!!!!
