Bobcats Games Can Be Fun

I know most Charlotte sports fans have their minds on Saturday's Carolina Panthers playoff game, but I attended the Charlotte Bobcats-Boston Celtics game last night and it's one of the few times I've been able to appreciate how entertaining an NBA game can be. First off, I arrived about 10 minutes before tip-off. I've gone to several Bobcats games since I moved here in 2005, but I'd never gotten there that early before (I usually show up some time during the first quarter). Getting there early allowed me to see the singing of the national anthem (I don't remember the lady's name but she sounded great) and the announcing of the starting lineups.

The Bobcats' introduction is really cool. It makes the players look like rock stars. A pre-recorded video shows them in practice, during workouts, at press conferences--shot in black-and-white, with some scenes in slow motion for extra drama, and with Fort Minor's "Remember the Name" providing the soundtrack. ("This is ten percent luck, twenty percent skill. / Fifteen percent concentrated power of will. / Five percent pleasure, fifty percent pain. / And a hundred percent reason to remember the name.") Then when they cut from the video to the players courtside, Young Jeezy's "Put On" started playing. "I put on for my city. On, on, for my city..." The Bobcats did in fact put on for their city last night by beating the defending champion Celtics in overtime.

In addition to a great game (though I had to leave early), the halftime show was particularly interesting. It was performed by Ioan Veniamin Oprea aka the Human Slinky. My homeboy Lenny and I were watching the performance, trying to figure out if someone was inside the contraption. See for yourself.