Thanks to Shlara's surpassing generosity, the Teej and I were treated to one of the more unique experiences of our hoops-following lives last night. We were in attendance courtside before the Wizards/Pacers contest as Bullets alumni Bobby Dandridge and Mike Riordan shared their memories with season ticket holders (and a pair of interlopers) in a pregame "chalk talk" moderated by Wiz radio announcer Dave Johnson.While Dandridge was gracious and open, Riordan stole the show with his memories. He talked about everything from the 1970 NBA Finals (he was a member of the Knicks team that beat the Lakers in the famous Willis Reed Game), running into screens set by Wes Unseld, the difficulties of getting Elvin Hayes to run the triangle offense (Elvin never met a ball he didn't shoot), the differences in All-Star game from his era to now (the money that went to the winners back then made a difference, so the players competed as hard as they did in real games), and trying to guard Jerry West and Oscar Robertson. Riordan, who used to own a legendary Irish bar in Annapolis, was authentic and engaging - a real Gheorghe of the people.
We confess to being a bit disappointed about one aspect of the evening, however. Our tickets said that there was a game between the Wizards and the Pacers to follow the chalk talk. Turns out the Pacers played against John Wall and a collection of playground hacks. The Wiz won the first and fourth quarters, but got blitzed, 65-38, during the game's meaty middle. Jeff Foster, who entertained us greatly with his Larry Bird-esque game-long standing and stretching, managed to be +10 in 9 minutes of action, grabbing 7 boards against the disinterested Wizards frontcourt. Fan favorite Tyler Hansbrough scored 17 points in 21 minutes, mostly by just playing harder than the other guys. Dismal effort by Flip Saunders' boys.The evening's highlight, beyond the Teej's late-game outburst at the home team's lack of defensive effort, was the appearance of a Pacers fan dressed in full Rey Mysterio costume - mask included. I wasn't aware that anyone from Indiana had that kind of weird.
Huge thanks to Shlara. Team G:TB owes you yet another.
Posts
