Lacklustre Clippers Clipped by Pelicans

Well it isn't every day that someone like myself has the opportunity to go to an NBA game, let alone a match in Los Angeles and one to see the Clippers or the Lakers for that matter. So it was an opportunity that I couldn't turn down when I had the chance to snap up a ticket. Unfortunately I was unable to buy a ticket for a Lakers game to add to the whole basketball in Los Angeles experience, as the price for the ticket was way too expensive for me and I had to resign knowing that just seeing the Clippers was a feat in itself on this holiday. Oh and the World Cup in Russia had made a rather larger dent in the holiday war chest than I had budgeted, but that is what life is all about? Anyway, let us return to Los Angeles, it was a rather crisp and cold night. It had rained prior and it is rather akin to Perth, or Australian winters (excluding the top end or Tasmania) where the nights were cold and the days were not too bad, unless it was a grey and miserable wet day.

So I wasn't exactly staying in a place in Los Angeles that is considered safe for myself, or for anyone for that matter, but it was easily accessible by public transport so that is the reason why. Call me foolish, foolhardy, or somewhat stupid, I tend to put myself in these situations but again it is part of the adventure of travels and of course an eye-opening and enriching experience. But I caught the silver LA metro line up to the city centre and then i walked down towards the Staples Centre. Like all basketball venues I've been to in Portland and in Perth, the outside looks deceptively small but once you go in, it is huge. Anyway, I should go back to talking about the game!

I found my seat and it was quite high up, but that is OK I wasn't upset by the fact I was thankful to even be here to watch a game and to be in the country as it is just a fantastic place to visit and spend time in. But it wasn't too high where I wasn't able to see the players or the action, it was just right I thought. So I was watching the action all unfold but I must disclose like I have many times hopefully before, I enjoy basketball but I am no way an expert or an aficionado of the sport. However, I was witnessing the Clippers playing rather poorly and the visitors from New Orleans were running rings around them. It was something I wasn't used to. I had totally forgotten that New Orleans even had a team and I was initially confused by this, however a quick google thanks to the WiFi supplied by the stadium brought me up to speed with the whole Hornets fiasco and shuffling around.

The Pelicans were just never under huge threat and were able to diligently build upon their lead over the course of the four quarters and the Clippers just seemed to be Clipped, now that is terrible, but they were just not kicking it into a high gear and just seemed too stiff, predictable and bland. Even the off court entertainment seemed the exact same way where all the noise from the PA, the guys and girls talking on the mics and the music blasted over the time-outs or quarter breaks to generate some kind of atmosphere. Perhaps this is a regular thing for basketball in LA, or in general, but I think I was perhaps spoilt for watching a few Trailblazers games where the atmosphere there was very loud, intense and very passionate; very much like the Timbers games too.

I think I would assume that this is what the atmosphere would be like if I were to visit Old Trafford, or any of the Emirates (Etihad for City) named cloned stadiums to watch Manchester City or Arsenal. It would just be for 'the plastics' and genuine fans would be few and far between and drowned out by the stadium's PA system. The Clippers though did stage a very slow but gradual comeback against the visitors, as they were starting to nail the basket and were stringing passes together and building a very patient and diligent game. But it just was too late with the hosts falling 2 points shy at the final buzzer 117 to 119.

The food though was very much like at the Blazers' games in content and in price, albeit slightly more expensive by a buck or 3. That of course comes down to LA and the demographics compared to Portland being a 'smaller' city obviously than LA. So I had nachos with thick goopy nacho cheese sauce, which I have to admit, is unhealthily delicious with jalapenos and a large cup of doctor pepper for 20 dollars. I also had a few beers which were 10 dollars each. So this became very expensive fast, especially when I was converting from AUD to USD. As I was rather high up in the centre, I didn't want to go all the way down and go through the rat race to find more food and drink, but there was plenty on offer when I saw it going up to my seat. But I just have to say I thought it was a great experience. I hope that I am lucky enough to return, but I am just thankful that I did have this opportunity to watch some basketball in LA and to see yet another NBA game.

Trailblazers Tame Bulls

It was another cold, sharp, crisp winter's night in Portland and I ventured yet again to the Moda Centre to watch some NBA between the Portland Trailblazers and the Chicago Bulls. I had always wanted to see the Bulls play as growing up during the 1990's you were inundated with all things Chicago, Bulls and the legends on the court that were just so phenomenal. However, I knew that the Bulls that I was going to see were a tiny shadow of what they used to be of the heyday of the 1990's. But, it was something that I have wanted to do.

Portland were much like how they played against the New York Knicks and were in control from start to finish. It was a well-oiled machine display and they were just ticking along throughout the match. The crowd were right behind the Blazers, and was rather reminiscent of when I watched a few Portland Timbers games the previous summer. The fans are tightly knit, despite their political views which for me is rather astonishing with Portland being a very blue state these days. But, sport does unite us from all corners of the spectrum so it really shouldn't surprise me. That is one thing that I really do love about sports, watching and being involved with it. It bridges many divides.

Portland didn't really look under threat though during the game, but there were moments where the Bulls did try and mount a form of counter which the hosts had to call the odd time-out to just collect themselves and reset the tempo to their liking. This didn't happen too many times though, but unlike the Utah Jazz game, this was a refreshing and positive sign for them leading into the tail end of the season.

Getting there and going through were the usual affair. The metal detector and check was very much like the World Cup in Russia and when I was in Brazil during the Olympics. Finding my seat wasn't difficult with everything well signed and easy to navigate through. Though they do have a lot of bars and eateries to just sit and chill while watching the game on the screens. While this is good to have, and I am all for it, I'd rather see the game live. It can work at Optus Stadium for the cricket and the Aussie rules, which have excellent viewing bars, doing for basketball is not really for me.Portland finished the game 124-112 winners.

The food was standard as I have covered earlier but this time I did buy some beer. I had Coors Light for 9 dollars but I gave the guy a dollar tip as I was trying to get to my seat quickly and I didn't want to obstruct anyone from viewing the game. I didn't have anything to eat during this game as I will admit that when I was downtown prior to the game I was at Buffalo Wild Wings. This place is generally wings, but you can of course order burgers, fries and other things. But you usually come for the boneless or bones wings which come in many sauces. They vary from tame, to medium to hot but varying flavours. It was good to have wings while watching some earlier NBA games and then heading down to watch my game live. I sure would love to have something similar in Perth.

Once again it was great to get out of the cold, and miserable wet conditions of Portland and just escape and watch some basketball. Was great to break up the winter's chill of the Pacific North-West.

Portland Fend Off Knicks

On yet another cold, crisp and cool Portland winter's evening was host to the Trailblazers and the New York Knicks at the moda centre in downtown Portland. Getting there isn't an issue if you just jump straight onto the Max tram service that the city has, then a straight short walk to the arena. Getting into the venue isn't very difficult, besides the initial security detectors, but that is a given. Finding my seat wasn't difficult, however, on this occasion I had special seats due to a friend of mine offering me his spare ticket. These seats were about 10-12 rows back from court-side so I was almost there in the action. It may sound like a fair way away, but the way the rows have been angled and are rather close to each other to the court, it does make it feel much closer.

Portland were in control all game, but there were times where the Knicks began to claw their way back into the contest. The margin at times was blowing out to 15 points, but through some resilience from the visitors, the margin was kept around the 9-10 point mark. However, Portland had a better day at the office, compared to the game I saw against the Jazz. They were sinking every basket, stringing passes together, moving across the court well, rebounding and applying great pressure when defending.

Food-wise, I had a cheeseburger with chips. This time round they didn't give me any ranch or blue cheese sauce which was a shame as the chips were delicious but could have done with some dipping condiments. The chips were garlic, herbs and salted which made a nice touch to just ordinary chips. The burger was fresh, with the lettuce crisp and the bread soft. However due to the nature of an Oregonian winter, the tomato was virtually white, tasteless, lifeless and soggy. An unfortunate aspect of out of season produce. With a large cup of coke it was in total 20 dollars, I think the cup is actually smaller than the collector's cup so you are getting ripped off for the same price for cool drink. Also with Oregon and the west coast of America getting obsessed with banning straws etc, they have biodegradable straws, which are fine at first, but they turn into a soggy useless mess due to exposure to the coke or liquid you're drinking.

The Blazers ran out winners over-all 111 to 101 with the fans once again winning a 6-pack of nuggets as they hit over 100 points. I really do enjoy coming to the Trailblazers games, especially when I was treated to some special seats from my friend. I really appreciated that and hopefully can experience the NBA again close up!