The very first thing I discover about Las Vegas isn’t the lights, though they’re vivid, or the warmth, though its 120 levels — it’s the noise. The incessant jangling of slots, the music thumping from invisible audio system, and the din of excited dialog. Not solely was this my first journey to NBA Summer season League; it was my first journey to Vegas ever.
It’s July eleventh, I’ve simply landed flying in from Pittsburgh by the use of Denver. As my silent cab driver drops me off at Planet Hollywood, I’m formally in Las Vegas. If you recognize nothing about me, which I think about is sort of everybody studying this, this journey wasn’t nearly going to Summer season League. It was additionally about assembly with my podcast co-hosts from our pod First to the Ground. I believe one differentiating issue of our present separating it amongst the plethora of Celtics and basketball pods, is that we do it from reverse corners of the world, none of that are Boston, and even New England. I’m stationed in West Virginia, whereas Ben and Jake are Australians. And so they aren’t simply “from” Australia. They at the moment reside there.
Suffice to say, we don’t get a variety of alternatives to satisfy, even Ben and Jake reside in several components of Australia (apparently, they’ve states too, who knew?). Actually, I’d solely ever met Ben in particular person as soon as, after we went to the 2022 NBA Finals collectively, and Jake I’d by no means met. There’s a singular feeling that comes with assembly two folks in-person that you simply’ve spoken to endlessly over the web. A giddy pleasure to see two those who I might take into account excellent mates at this level, blended with a tinge of tension round seeing them in 3 dimensions as an alternative of two. I by no means thought a spotlight of my thirty seventh yr on Earth can be assembly my web mates, however welcome to 2024.
After I drop my baggage off at my lodge room (incurring a $28.00 early check-in price, welcome to Vegas), I begin the seek for someplace to attend. Ben’s simply landed after a 20+ hour journey and desires time to collect himself earlier than assembly with me. Jake’s as a consequence of land round 6 pm. It’s this set of circumstances that leads me to Cabo Wabo.
Apparently, Cabo Wabo is a tequila model. The bar appears like someplace sunburned middle-aged of us would congregate at Myrtle Seashore, a scene I’m not unfamiliar with. The bartender is pierced and tattooed, chatty, however not overly. We bond over mouthing the lyrics to Rage Towards the Machine’s “Guerilla Radio” on the identical time, a head nod of respect.
Time is only a suggestion in Vegas, however about midway by margarita #3, I hear the acquainted Aussie-twinged “Spooney!” from behind me. Ben has arrived.
I flip round, get out of my seat, and we execute a barely awkward however wholly earnest dap/hug mixture. We commiserate about our pleasure for Summer season League and Jordan Walsh (didn’t age properly) and conclude with how a lot we love our youngsters after 20 minutes of complaining about them. We’re off to a bar name Beer Park, the place now we have a drink and a few wings because the Vegas solar creeps nearer to the horizon.
Then it’s off to the Paris On line casino the place Ben loses an undisclosed quantity in beneath half-hour. Time melts away and, as Janos would say, “whiskey is pour.” Then a textual content comes by. It’s time to satisfy Jake out entrance. The congregation full.
Hugs are had, Jake mentions that it’s bizarre seeing me within the flesh (I believe, it’s all a bit hazy by that time), I remark that I’m really actual, not completely believing it at that time. We gamble for some time; Ben data a 10-minute dialog between Jake and I about the most effective beginning Pokémon (we agree that its Squirtle). In some unspecified time in the future we head to mattress; all of our pockets only a bit lighter. Summer season League formally begins tomorrow.
Jake (additionally staying at Planet Hollywood) and I meet Ben on the Aria the place he’s staying. We snag an Uber to the Thomas & Mack Middle. It’s a contemporary venue not all that completely different from TD Backyard, the jerseys of UNLV legends like Larry Johnson and Stacey Augmon including to the hallowed nature of the proceedings.
We rapidly study that the great thing about Summer season League is that the video games are performed on the Thomas & Mack and Cox Pavilion, that are connected. $45 to get within the door after which it’s all you possibly can devour basketball till late into the night time.
The very first thing we hear when getting into Thomas & Mack, even above the din of dialog, is the squeaking of sneakers on the hardwood. I dare somebody to discover a higher sound than that — the basketball equal of Symphony Quantity 9. There’s an exclamatory cheer: somebody should have dunked. I can really feel the anticipation constructing, however first we cease off at aconcession stand.
Ben and I’ve the primary of a sequence of beer-related miscommunications and we find yourself with 5 beers as an alternative of three. We persevere and discover some wonderful seats within the first row of the balcony.
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Our introductory sport is Timberwolves-Pelicans. It’s unremarkable apart from Jake commenting on what number of photographs Jordan Hawkins is taking and lacking (6/23 by sport’s finish), and me cheering for Jesse Edwards, who went to my alma mater of West Virginia College and who additionally promptly will get dunked on when he enters the sport. Then, the actual present begins.
Sport 2 is the Los Angeles Lakers in opposition to the Houston Rockets. There are a number of fascinating storylines at play right here. For Houston, we’re giddy that Cam Whitmore is inexplicably taking part in, and excited to get a primary glimpse at Reed Sheppard, third choose within the draft. The heavy Lakers crowd (Vegas is a really brief flight and a simple drive from LA) are right here for one man: Bronny James.
There’s an enormous cascade of cheers each time Bronny makes a shot in warmups. The Lakers followers reside and dying with Bronny. At one level, nonetheless in warmups, he tries to throw himself an alley-oop. It fails spectacularly, the Lakers followers audibly groan, and I can’t include the guffaw that erupts from my mouth. As a LeBron hater, I’ve nothing in opposition to Bronny, nevertheless it’s troublesome to separate father from son and I’m a foul particular person. The Lakers fan sitting subsequent to us doesn’t admire it.
The Lakers crowd provides the sport an electrical ambiance. Each Dalton Knecht three is met with raucous cheers; each Cam Whitmore dunk uncomfortable silence. Whitmore rapidly establishes he’s approach too good for Summer season League, and Bronny rapidly establishes he ought to have stayed one other yr (or two) at USC.
I received’t sugar coat it; we’re watching a brutal sport from James. The Lakers followers begin loudly groaning for each missed Bronny jumper. It’s uncooked, uncut schadenfreude for Celtics followers.
In some unspecified time in the future within the fourth quarter, the not possible occurs. I begin to really feel unhealthy for Bronny James. Whereas he’s had each benefit that life can present you, it’s nonetheless very troublesome to observe somebody wrestle that loud. It wasn’t even simply loud, it was cacophonously.
However the actual spotlight is Reed Sheppard. Reed is a 6’3” guard out of Kentucky. He was clearly extremely rated after going third within the draft, however what we’re witnessing is the Shep-show. If you’re primarily a Celtics fan and/or didn’t take note of Summer season League, you’re lacking out.
Reed flashes all of it. Absurd passing imaginative and prescient, fast defensive fingers, and the taking pictures,
Oh child, the taking pictures. I favored Sheppard as a prospect, however I didn’t anticipate this, particularly in his first skilled sport. He doesn’t simply appear like he belongs. He’s making everybody else appear like they don’t. There isn’t a better crowd sound than the “oooohhhhh” a participant generates when he pulls off one thing actually nasty. Sheppard generated a couple of handful of these in his first sport. It was intoxicating, or maybe that was the beer. Both approach, we had been having enjoyable.
After that sport ends, we bounce across the constructing a bit, take a peek at Cox, after which settle in at Thomas & Mack for the massive showdown with the #1 choose versus quantity 2 choose. Zaccharie Risacher and Alex Sarr, are you able to fell the EXCITEMENT?
The followers in Vegas very a lot don’t really feel the thrill. The group has palpably thinned after the Hawks and Wizards get beneath approach with the Lakers followers leaving in disgrace. I open up to Ben and Jake that I actually like Alex Sarr as a prospect, which can come again to hang-out me later. Risacher really seems to be fairly strong in his early minutes and Alex Sarr is massive, which will be useful — not for him — however for some gamers.
It’s a reasonably uneventful sport though all of us agree that Bub Carrington appeared good. We find yourself heading again to the Strip someday within the third quarter. The plan is to satisfy up with a number of different CelticsBlog of us and go from there. First, nevertheless, we document and episode of the podcast in Ben’s lodge room.
We find yourself discovering the Celticsblog crew, putt across the Aria for a bit, earlier than in the end settling in to seize burgers. We now have a pleasant chat, headlined by everybody ganging up on Jack Simone for his take that Payton Pritchard is best than TJ McConnell. All of us resolve it’s finest to name it an early night time as a result of tomorrow the actual enjoyable begins. The Celtics play.
Half 2 coming quickly.
