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  1. #1
    NBA sixth man of the year Thorpesaurous's Avatar
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    Default Gotham Classic (WVU vs. NC State)

    After years of going to the Big East every March, last year may have marked my last trip ... probably not, but possibly. I went last year because I have a friend who was in the city who had access to ridiculous floor seats, and there was the opportunity to see Doug McBuckets, and Villanova was really highly regarded.

    This year, I'm just not sure it's gonna be worth the money, as much as I love it. And I may be better suited flying somewhere to see a different tournament, in spite of the lure of New York, and The Garden (and it's beer selling ways).

    My buddy has two kids, 7 and 9 now, who have been waiting complaining seemingly since they could talk, for us to take them with us to The Big East. So as a Christmas present, I decided to look into a trip to The Garden. After throwing up at the thought of paying a thousand bucks for four of us to see a grown man dress up like The Grinch for an hour, I noticed The Gotham Classic, an annual holiday basketball tradition ... apparently.

    A double header opening with Pepperdine and Richmond, and closing with West Virginia and NC State. The kids wouldn't know the difference between that and really high end stuff, and I at least knew WV would travel well and play hard based on my long standing relationship with them in the Big East. And even better, I started looking at tickets, and found four, second row on the floor, opposite the benches, about even with the one of the hash marks, and for the bargain price of about $125 a pop after all the fees and taxes and crap. $500 for the four of us. About half what The Grinch would've cost. They didn't open the upper bowl, and it was gonna cost 40 bucks to get even the worst seats anyway, so I figured may as well splurge, it is the Holidays. (I guess last year the game didn't televise well, and in part because they put the bigger game on first last year, and the second game everyone left, this year they switched that too).

    We made a whole weekend out of it. My buddy's sister is pregnant with twins. She lives down about 4 blocks south of the World Trade Center. So we drove in Friday night, got a couple nice hotel rooms about 3 blocks north (those were not a bargain). We didn't leave until I left work, so we were on the road about 330. It was a horrible drive into the city. But we checked in, and made a wondering walk to her place where she ordered us a ton of BBQ from Blue Smoke. The kids and his wife left early, and we stayed at her place drinking with her husband until about midnight. I love downtown. It's so quiet. And the massive WTC buildings and minimal nighttime clamor give it an eerie feeling. We stopped at a bar and stumbled in about 230.

    We got up the next morning and took the kids ice skating at a little rink along the water. Got an early lunch. Headed back to his sisters and played soccer in the park before calling an Uber to get to midtown for 400 dinner reservations at Patsy's, one of those midtown Italian joints with stories about Sinatra showing up and the dad opening it up on Thanksgiving day for him, and a chef who shows up on The Today Show. It's moderately expensive, very good, although I'd say a notch below great, probably because of the effort to keep up with tourists. It was a great meal, and while not cheap, could've been a lot worse for 5 people who weren't skimping.
    But we left early to walk around midtown. Got dropped off as close to Time's Square as we could. We walked to Radio City. And made it past the tree. But the kids were dying. Christ were they annoying little bastards. It was cold, but not that bad. And there was a sea of people. And it was a fair amount of walking. But they're just at that age I guess. The problem is there's no respite down there. We had dinner in an hour, so we couldn't stop to eat. You can't go anywhere without buying something before they push you out. We finally made it far enough west to get a little distance between us and the throngs of humanity. We popped into a basement pub, The Angry Fiddler, where at 300, they were fine with serving the two kids Hot Chocolates. They enjoyed that. But it was still a struggle getting through dinner. I really thought the games might be too much. We had to take our time at dinner, and our thought of walking the twenty blocks just wasn't gonna fly. So we were afraid we'd be early. But it worked out, and our tickets came with access to their Delta club, where we could sit at the bar with the kids with Shirley Temples and watch football until tip.

    (THE GAMES FINALLY)
    We get out there for the game. We all decide to root for Pepperdine, because it's more fun to yell. That means we both bet on Pepperdine, +4. The game was a good back and fourth. Richmond was clearly better, but Pepperdine had a couple kids who wouldn't let it get too far away. It came down to the buzzer when the lefty SG from Pepperdine made a nice spin into the lane and just pushed his little floater too hard off the glass. He was crushed. Nice game though, and I just paid for half the tickets. There was a guy and his HS Soph kid in front of us, who was being recruited by both schools. He was a bit of a pretentious shlub, but he did provide a ton of info on the game. Richmond had a really goofy looking big kid, who just made the right play all the time. They had some better looking bigs coming off the bench (you can read that as black if you want), but the goofy kid just kept making smart play after smart play. Turns out his name was Cline, as in Nancy Lieberman Cline. We also saw Jim Harrick, National Title Winner from UCLA. Super tanned with a ridiculous pink sweater on. He started his career at Pepperdine apparently, and must still be fond of it. He was also at the St. John's game the night before, and I know Lavin started out on his bench, so there's probably something to that.

  2. #2
    NBA sixth man of the year Thorpesaurous's Avatar
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    Default Re: Gotham Classic (WVU vs. NC State)

    The intermission almost killed the kids, to the point where it was possible we weren't gonna make it the second game. But a giant soda and hot dog killed some time. And then the place started filling up. Both NC State and WVU travelled really well. And the WVU crowd is always entertaining. They're super friendly, while also being insanely competitive, and looking like extras from Deliverance. A guy and his brother I'd say late 20s, and their girlfriends came up in front of us, and immediately I knew they'd be entertaining. We bet heavily on WVU. It wasn't the plan, but we were up already, and now being pretty much surrounded by their fans, and Bob Huggins came out of the locker room yelling at people. The kids loved him too because we already told them he'd be crazy, and he already was paying off. A very nice young NC State couple came and sat next to me, he was a dentist. They were fun too, but they were just overwhelmed. I sat through warmups while my buddy was out with the kids, and frankly I had begun to worry about NC State, but my buddy made a good point in that I seem to gamble better the less I think about it, as in being paid out because it's fun to say Pepperdine Peppers!!! even though that's not their name. It made perfect sense.

    NC State has a couple of really good looking young players. Especially up front. But in spite of looking sloppy, it didn't take long to become fond of WVU. They were just all over the place. And NC State has only one ball handler, a good little player named Kat Barber, but he just wasn't going to be able to deal with the organized chaos WVU was bringing to him. And he SG, an Alabama transfer named Trevor Lacey, who's like the fourth leading scorer in the ACC, is a good volume shooter scorer type, but he wanted no part of helping dealing with the pressure, as much as a hot streak he had kept them in the game longer than they had any right to be, it was also what he couldn't do that killed them. They have a few good bigs. AJ Anya is a mountain of a human being who lost like 75 lbs. to be that, and has really good instincts for a young big. Some kid Washington is long and springy with a decent touch. A freshman named Abu is big and athletic. And ACC Frosh of the Year candidate Caleb Martin is a nice shooter. But the pieces just don't add up against what WVU does.

    WVU had two super tough, no stop, high motor, big guys. They worked the back side of the press like uncaged animals. Allowing the smalls to trap and jump lanes. And offensively they caught the ball, and I think it was Williams, with the goggles, who could face and shoot from 16 feet or so. They back them up with two other big bodies who knew their roles. Then they had a long tall SF who was all over the court, Holten. He was like a designated trapper for a while. He could move to a big spot if needed. And while his offense was mostly in transition, he worked so hard it didn't matter. Then the backcourt was four really good players. Jewon Staten was a monster. Off the bounce with a ton of mid range pull up, he was the best player on the floor. And frankly the offense isn't exactly smooth, so knocking down those pull ups is huge, because makes lead to presses, which lead to turnovers, which lead to easy buckets, which lead to presses, and so on and so fourth. I got the sense that if they're hot they're devastating, but if they're not, they may not be great. There's a definite snowball effect to the way WVU plays. Jay Paige looks like a real player for them. He's probably a PG by trade, but Staten controls the ball at this point. Paige is clearly a really high end athlete, and he's putting that into the manic defense they run. Staten defends like hell too, but nothing like what Paige can do. Especially being given the green light to go after people (Staten they probably ask to save a bit for the other end). Jevon Carter is the irrational confidence guy. A great bench pair for Staten, because he will come in and get shots off. Not always great shots, but with the offense they run, you need a guy like this. Soph Tarik Phillip is a Brooklyn kid, and I don't know if he played well because he was home, but he did play well. He's long and defensive ace. It's a really nice rotation. With any of the four able to just make poor Kat Barber miserable.

    The fun part was being that close. I watched the game on DVR last night after getting home, and the intensity just doesn't translate to TV. WVU was absolutely all over the place. The level of talk on the defensive end is like a palpable presence. And even the kids could tell the difference in the second half when NC State was defending our end. I had a good chunk of money on them, and even I was secretely rooting for Kat Barber by game's end just out of fellow PG sympathy. The zany brothers in front of us were all over the NC State kids. 30 seconds in Lacey turned to our section and started talking back to the kid, and from then I knew they had him. The kid was a total ass clown, and it kept both of the young guys I was with engaged, and we lasted the entire game. I got in a bit on the chatting. I had an ongoing conversation with one ref about Huggins during the TV stoppages. The kids loved that. Lacey was with all us all game. When he got hot the guy in front went into this "Uh Oh!! You're making me a fan Lacey!!" A trip later Lacey bricked a three long to which the guy yelled "Looks like I Fluffed You Up a little too much Laceyyyy!!!!". He even lost a defensive assignment chirping at him. It was wildly entertaining. Huggins held up his end. Getting a Tech during a timeout, and having to be restrained by his staff from apparently trying to physically assault the young ref. And at every questionable play WVU made on the court, he turns to his bench and yells at whoever. He even slumps on his own personal stool so he doesn't have sit on the bench. We shook the razzer fan's hand on the way out, got lucky with a cab, and the kids were asleep before we made it across to the West Side Highway. I look forward to overestimating WVU during the national tourney and losing untold dollars on them because of my memory of this game.

    Dropped the kids off and spent the late night few hours bouncing from the not so crowded bars in downtown. Slept to 9 the next day. Checked out and hit the ice rink again the next morning. Grabbed lunch in the really high end food court at the WFC (really great Blue Crab Sushi), and were on the road home by 2. Listened to Football Sunday on the radio, which I haven't had to do in it feels like centuries. Then got home and took my shoes off. A really great weekend.

    I'll try to post some pictures later.

  3. #3
    I'M GOD GIFTED! the mesiah's Avatar
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    Default Re: Gotham Classic (WVU vs. NC State)

    What's ur best big east tourney story thru all the years ?

  4. #4
    NBA sixth man of the year Thorpesaurous's Avatar
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    Default Re: Gotham Classic (WVU vs. NC State)

    Quote Originally Posted by the mesiah
    What's ur best big east tourney story thru all the years ?

    There's a lot of them. I've been to at least the two Thursday sessions every year except two since 1991. Most years I've done Thursday Friday. And if the title game had UConn, Syracuse, or Georgetown, I definitely did that too. Plus a few other oddball championship games.

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    Default Re: Gotham Classic (WVU vs. NC State)

    Quote Originally Posted by Thorpesaurous
    There's a lot of them. I've been to at least the two Thursday sessions every year except two since 1991. Most years I've done Thursday Friday. And if the title game had UConn, Syracuse, or Georgetown, I definitely did that too. Plus a few other oddball championship games.
    Any run ins with JT2, carnaseca, boeheim like in resteraunts or thru the halls long enough to engage in conversation ?

  6. #6
    NBA sixth man of the year Thorpesaurous's Avatar
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    Default Re: Gotham Classic (WVU vs. NC State)

    Quote Originally Posted by the mesiah
    Any run ins with JT2, carnaseca, boeheim like in resteraunts or thru the halls long enough to engage in conversation ?
    Carneseca is before my time. I have a buddy who's a Georgetown alum, and I've been at a few fundraisers with both JT's . Boeheim I've seen in hotels. Pitino I've seen in hotels. I've gotten a chance to talk to Bill Raftery and Gus Johnson the last few years as my seats got better. I had a stairwell conversation with Bobby Hurley one year. I sat next to retarded Chris Carton, who only means something if you live in the greater NY area and listen to morning sports talk on WFAN with Boomer and Carton. And even then he doesn't mean much. He was a complete tool. He talks on air occasionally about his sobriety, but I personally watched him drink 4 Bloody Mary's before 1:00 pm on a Thursday.

    I bumped into more players in the hallways and stuff, even out at resturants or bars, over the years. No one I talked to much. Just pointed and occasionally some lighthearted shit talking. No one was ever really a jerk. I remember seeing Kerry Kittles try to touch both sides of the hall leading from the concourse to the seats. We told Constantine Pope he looked like Icabod Crane, and the next night with his shirt pulled over his head.

    I've seen a shit ton of great basketball. That Big East 30 for 30 pre dates most of my time at the tourney. And I felt they stopped short on so much great stuff (even though I loved the show). I'm a Syracuse fan, and the Jerry McNamara weekend where he hit back to back buzzer beaters was incredible. I was at the 6 OT Cuse UConn game with my brother, who's a UConn alum, and a little remembered multi OT game the following year between the same two. The whole Kemba Walker run to the title. There was a year a kid had a magic tourney from West Virginia then blew out his ACL and never made the league. I was in the middle of a brawl after razzing got ugly when people got all over the BC crowd the year they announced they were leaving for the ACC. BC wound up winning the tourney that year IIRC (Scoony Penn and Danya Abrams). I was at the Iverson / Ray Allen game that Ray won with a floater he hit I swear without looking after AI jumped the passing lane he was originally looking at. I was at the game when Nova's Allen Ray had his eye come out. So many great time. Last year was nice because we were so close, but we were all already melancholy for the old days.

    I've also got a ton of stupid stories. Drunken girls I've taken. Drunken guys I've gone with. Stupid gambling. Eating a steak with my idiot ticket scalper buddy at Al's Diamond Cabaret being served by a topless Czech girl. Rooting so hard for Va Tech because we bet on them that the guys in front of us asked who our best player was, and having to admit it was probably the +18 we'd gotten from the house.

    And I've eaten a ton of great meals. We go for steak every Thursday between the first and second session.

    Basketball at the Garden is just a great thing. I'm on the fence about this years All-Star game.

  7. #7
    I'M GOD GIFTED! the mesiah's Avatar
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    Default Re: Gotham Classic (WVU vs. NC State)

    Quote Originally Posted by Thorpesaurous
    Carneseca is before my time. I have a buddy who's a Georgetown alum, and I've been at a few fundraisers with both JT's . Boeheim I've seen in hotels. Pitino I've seen in hotels. I've gotten a chance to talk to Bill Raftery and Gus Johnson the last few years as my seats got better. I had a stairwell conversation with Bobby Hurley one year. I sat next to retarded Chris Carton, who only means something if you live in the greater NY area and listen to morning sports talk on WFAN with Boomer and Carton. And even then he doesn't mean much. He was a complete tool. He talks on air occasionally about his sobriety, but I personally watched him drink 4 Bloody Mary's before 1:00 pm on a Thursday.

    I bumped into more players in the hallways and stuff, even out at resturants or bars, over the years. No one I talked to much. Just pointed and occasionally some lighthearted shit talking. No one was ever really a jerk. I remember seeing Kerry Kittles try to touch both sides of the hall leading from the concourse to the seats. We told Constantine Pope he looked like Icabod Crane, and the next night with his shirt pulled over his head.

    I've seen a shit ton of great basketball. That Big East 30 for 30 pre dates most of my time at the tourney. And I felt they stopped short on so much great stuff (even though I loved the show). I'm a Syracuse fan, and the Jerry McNamara weekend where he hit back to back buzzer beaters was incredible. I was at the 6 OT Cuse UConn game with my brother, who's a UConn alum, and a little remembered multi OT game the following year between the same two. The whole Kemba Walker run to the title. There was a year a kid had a magic tourney from West Virginia then blew out his ACL and never made the league. I was in the middle of a brawl after razzing got ugly when people got all over the BC crowd the year they announced they were leaving for the ACC. BC wound up winning the tourney that year IIRC (Scoony Penn and Danya Abrams). I was at the Iverson / Ray Allen game that Ray won with a floater he hit I swear without looking after AI jumped the passing lane he was originally looking at. I was at the game when Nova's Allen Ray had his eye come out. So many great time. Last year was nice because we were so close, but we were all already melancholy for the old days.

    I've also got a ton of stupid stories. Drunken girls I've taken. Drunken guys I've gone with. Stupid gambling. Eating a steak with my idiot ticket scalper buddy at Al's Diamond Cabaret being served by a topless Czech girl. Rooting so hard for Va Tech because we bet on them that the guys in front of us asked who our best player was, and having to admit it was probably the +18 we'd gotten from the house.

    And I've eaten a ton of great meals. We go for steak every Thursday between the first and second session.

    Basketball at the Garden is just a great thing. I'm on the fence about this years All-Star game.
    WOW!! That's crazy, I recently went to cavs/knicks at the Garden and was expecting a lil buzz ,.I bet it was nothing like semifinal Friday or hell even a good Thursday noon game .i bet those late night outs after the games was some good memories.

  8. #8
    NBA sixth man of the year Thorpesaurous's Avatar
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    Default Re: Gotham Classic (WVU vs. NC State)

    Quote Originally Posted by the mesiah
    WOW!! That's crazy, I recently went to cavs/knicks at the Garden and was expecting a lil buzz ,.I bet it was nothing like semifinal Friday or hell even a good Thursday noon game .i bet those late night outs after the games was some good memories.

    I honestly don't feel like the NBA atmosphere is quite the same there. Because of the amount of wealth in the city, a lot of the audience is jaded. But their are a ton of alums from various major schools, and they usually have a certain reminiscence (which probably isn't a word) about their college days. And because of the cost most of the audience winds up being upper middle or lower upper class white guys, many coming out of a northeast catholic school upbringing. So certain schools do very well drawing in The Garden. Syracuse, Nova, UConn for proximity, Duke draws well. BC always did. Notre Dame. Those schools seem to have a big alum population in the city.

    A lot of schools alum also look at it as a good chance to see the city if they've never come. I talked to seemingly hundreds of West Virginia, and Louisville alums over the years at the games who said it was their first trip to the city. Especially for this early season holiday type tourney's, when the city really is beautiful.

    There's also drinking open at The Garden during these college games, which is often not the case in most college arenas. I've seen people get really wasted, but because of the age of most of the spectators, it's not your typical college crowd, it has more of a cheerful buzz, like a giant cocktail party.

    The Knick games I've seen over the years have not been like that. That's why I'm not sure how the All Star game will play out.

  9. #9
    I'M GOD GIFTED! the mesiah's Avatar
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    Default Re: Gotham Classic (WVU vs. NC State)

    Quote Originally Posted by Thorpesaurous
    I honestly don't feel like the NBA atmosphere is quite the same there. Because of the amount of wealth in the city, a lot of the audience is jaded. But their are a ton of alums from various major schools, and they usually have a certain reminiscence (which probably isn't a word) about their college days. And because of the cost most of the audience winds up being upper middle or lower upper class white guys, many coming out of a northeast catholic school upbringing. So certain schools do very well drawing in The Garden. Syracuse, Nova, UConn for proximity, Duke draws well. BC always did. Notre Dame. Those schools seem to have a big alum population in the city.

    A lot of schools alum also look at it as a good chance to see the city if they've never come. I talked to seemingly hundreds of West Virginia, and Louisville alums over the years at the games who said it was their first trip to the city. Especially for this early season holiday type tourney's, when the city really is beautiful.

    There's also drinking open at The Garden during these college games, which is often not the case in most college arenas. I've seen people get really wasted, but because of the age of most of the spectators, it's not your typical college crowd, it has more of a cheerful buzz, like a giant cocktail party.

    The Knick games I've seen over the years have not been like that. That's why I'm not sure how the All Star game will play out.
    That is so true as oppose to the pro game, I've always liked the atmosphere of college way more in both football and college games.its more bout the name on front of the jersey instead the back.i seem to have more fun at college games as well.

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