Ever since I was little, there has been one sport that I have loved more than any other, and that is basketball. More specifically the NBA, but I never imagined I would get a life goal to see a game at every NBA team’s arena. Yet, that is exactly what has gone on for me. I can't put my finger on the exact date of when I got the idea, but I do know that I'm very happy that I did. Because of this goal, I've been able to visit cities that I have never been to, like San Antonio or Houston. I am not doing this trip alone, however, my father will be in the seat next to me in every arena.
Since Cleveland, Ohio is my hometown, my first NBA arena was Gund Arena. The arena is now called Quicken Loans Arena. Many people are surprised when I tell them that even when LeBron left to go to Miami, I still wanted to go the Q and watch my Cavaliers. The most recent Cavaliers game that I can remember is February 29, 2016 against Paul George and the Indiana Pacers. The Cavaliers were able to outpace the Pacers 106-89. Not surprisingly, LeBron lead the way for the Cavs with 33 while Monta Ellis lead the Pacers with 28.
The first state outside of Ohio came in 2012, in the Empire State. The first of the two New York teams my dad and I visited was the team that started in New Jersey. They moved to Brooklyn in 2012 and now call the Barclay's center home, it's the Brooklyn Nets. On April 4, 2013, the Nets were taking on the Chicago Bulls. The Nets came short losing 92-90. Deron Williams lead the way for the Nets scoring 30 points, while Carlos Boozer lead the way for the Bulls with 29. The following night, I was in arguably, the most famous arena, Madison Square Garden for Knicks vs Bucks. The Knicks defeated the Bucks that night by a final score of 101-83. Carmelo Anthony led the way for the Knicks with 41 points, the Bucks were led in scoring by Brandon Jennings with 25. It was time to go from the east to the west.
After New York, came the Golden State of California in 2013. It all started with Oracle Arena, home of the 2015 NBA champion Golden State Warriors. The Warriors were taking on the San Antonio Spurs, and the Spurs came out on top 99-90. Parker and Curry lead the direction for their squads, each scoring 20. After the Warriors, came the Sacramento Kings at Sleep Train Arena. The arena was out in the middle of nowhere. The Kings royally beat the Bucks to the tune of 124-107. DeMarcus Cousins was the top King with 32 points, while OJ Mayo was the top Buck with 21 points. The following night was in Staples Center, Clippers edition. Once again, the opponent was the Milwaukee Bucks. LA clipped the Bucks 106-98. Blake Griffin lead the way for the Clippers with 27 points. The next night was in Staples Center, Lakers edition. The New York Knicks were in town, and it was Phil Jackson's first game in LA since becoming the Knicks president. The Kobe-less Lakers defeated the Knicks 127-96. Lakers scored a franchise record 51 points in the third quarter. From California, my dad and I would head down south to Texas.
In 2015, we did the Texas three step. It started with the five-time NBA champions, the San Antonio Spurs at AT&T Center. They were taking on the Memphis Grizzlies and the Grizzlies were sent into hibernation as the Spurs were victorious 103-89. Kawhi Leonard was the top Spur with 25 points and Zach Randolph lead the Grizzlies with 20. April 1, 2015, was no joke at Toyota Center. The Rockets blasted past Sacramento 115-111. James Harden laughed at the Kings' defense as he exploded for 51 points! While the top King was DeMarcus Cousins with 24. The next day, it was like we had followed the Rockets to Dallas. Except, we were in the seats at American Airlines Center, the Rockets were on the court playing the Mavs. The Rockets tamed the Mavericks 108-101. Harden followed up his 51-point game against Sacramento with a 24-point game in Dallas. Meanwhile, the Mavericks were led in scoring by Dirk Nowitzki with 21. From the lone star state comes the sunshine state.
There are two NBA teams in the state of Florida: the Miami Heat and the Orlando Magic. We have been to both teams' arenas, but with a bunch of time in between. For the first Florida team, we have to go back to December 23, 2009. The Utah Jazz were in American Airlines Arena battling the Miami Heat. Deron Williams surprisingly dunked in that game. This was also one of the lowest scoring games I have ever seen. 80-70 with Miami burning at 80 and Utah "jazzed" at 70. Wade was on fire with 29 points and Deron Williams had a musical 18 points. Fast forward to December 20, 2015, that's when my dad and I went to Orlando to see the Magic against Atlanta. It was a close game the whole way, but Atlanta came out on top thanks to a late Kyle Korver 3-pointer. Korver's shot gave the Hawks a 103-100 victory at Amway Center. Korver lead the hawks with 19 points, while Nikola Vucevic lead the Magic with 20. After Orlando was the Motor City.
January 29, 2016, had a little bit of a twist to it. That's because my family was with me at the Palace of Auburn Hills, home of the Detroit Pistons. Normally, when me and my dad are in another team's arena, we cheer for the home team. Not this time, because the Pistons were facing 2016 NBA champs, The Cleveland Cavaliers! There was no way I was going to root for the Pistons, not when they were playing my team. Cavaliers took it in Detroit 114-106. Of course, Kevin Love was the leading scorer with 29 points. Detroit's top scorer was Andre Drummond with 20 points. From Detroit, Michigan, me and my dad headed north of the border.
Most recently, our tag team went to see Raptors vs Jazz. The game was north of the boarder at Air Canada Center in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. So far, the Raptors fans have been the loudest in supporting their team. The Raptors fed off the crowd's energy as they defeat Utah 104-94. Toronto's all star backcourt of Kyle Lowry and Demar DeRozan combined to score 63 points. Lowry had 32 and DeRozan had 31. Utah was lead in scoring by Gordon Hayward with 26 points.
My father and I are at 14 arenas and counting. We don't know whose arena we will be at next, it might be Talking Stick Resort Arena in Phoenix, Arizona or it might be Philips Arena in Atlanta, Georgia. What I do know is that so far, I've had a ton of fun achieving this goal and I can't wait to see what's next.
