My Second Home

I summer in midtown.

I'll probably get a hot dog at the game. And a kinish. And a soda. Maybe M&M's. That's four of my favorite foods, probably my favorite meal. My dad won't say no. Those are some of his favorites, too. At least, I think they are. He eats things that he says aren't good for him, but if you're hungry, you should eat, right? My mom always seems really impressed when I tell her how much I can eat at the game. I really like it when me and Dad get hot dogs together. He puts too much mustard on his, and sometimes it gets stuck in his mustache, but it's fun. It's part of what we do. The ones we get at the game taste better than the ones we have at home, although they don't have any beans at the game. I wish we could have those, too.

We'll have to got them either during warm-ups or after the first quarter. I don't want to miss the game. And we can't miss the introductions. I like it when they announce Oakley. He is funny because he can't jump, but he's still good. And he's strong. I like that he tries so much. My dad says he isn't an all-star, but I think he should be. He deserves it. An all-star is one of the twelve best players in the Eastern Conference, but lots of people care too much about scoring. What about defense? And rebounding is a part of basketball, too. Honestly, Karl Malone is a really good power forward, but who else is better than Oakley? Probably no one. Trent Tucker should be an all-star, too. He's such a good shooter. And he can shoot three pointers super good. I bet he is almost as good as Michael Jordan. I know he isn't, but it's close.

I want to get soda from one of the guys who walks around saying "Sssssssssssssoda." It's fun to imitate that. I do it really well. More of the vendors should sell soda. A lot of them have beer, but that's gross. Same with cotton candy. I had that with my grandparents once and it was like eating sugar. And, it gets in the way. Last time, I had to get out of my seat to see the game while one of those cotton candy guys stood in the way forever. Sometimes I yell, "Sit down."So does my dad. I heard a guy say it with the f-word. I don't think Dad likes that word.

My dad says that Patrick Ewing is "limited," and I agree. He isn't as good as Olajuwon or Parish or David Robinson. I never saw muscles like those. He looks like Real Deal Holyfield. And Patrick always gets slayed by Parish. He is good, and we need him, but he just is limited. I agree with Dad. He goes for too many head fakes, and he doesn't get up like some of the other guys. Plus, he doesn't have good enough hands. I see him fumble a lot of passes. Did you know that Patrick lives next to Aunt Carol and Uncle Frank in New Jersey? Last time I was at the game, I got to sit near the front and I kept yelling "Hey Patrick, how's Oak Trails?" I think he heard me. I want to go to his house one time. Maybe we can do that. Aunt Carol says she doesn't know him. If I lived near him, I would go over and say hi. Maybe I could talk about basketball with him. I know a lot. I watch SportsCenter all the time and I like to read the newspaper when my parents are done with it. My mom usually doesn't want to read the Sports section. How come they don't always publish the full list of league leaders? I like seeing more than the best scorers. That's always Michael Jordan.

The funniest thing happened tonight. Me and Dad were driving to the game and we heard that song by Rick Astley, "Never Gonna Give You Up." We hear it every time we go to a game. I'm serious! It's so funny. Every time we go to a game, we hear it. It's probably one of the best songs out, and it's always on. Whenever we get into the car, we hear it. He has another one, too, but I don't know what it's called. They all sound the same. I like some other black singers, too, although I mostly like rap. I watch Yo! MTV Raps a lot, and in the car, we listen to Hot 97 and Kiss FM. Driving to the game is a lot more fun than taking the train. And my dad always knows where to get a good spot. We never have to pay for parking, and we never look around too much. My dad works near the arena, and he knows the neighborhood so well. Sometimes when we walk from the car to the game, my dad talks about some places he goes when he's at work. If I was him, I would come to Cosby's all the time. They have all the best jerseys, and not just the replica ones. I bet they have the most jerseys of anywhere. And they have so many cool ones--Michael Jordan, Magic Johnson. I even saw one for Clyde Frazier and for Dominique.

The best cheer is the one for defense. Duh-duh, d-fense; duh-duh, d-fense; duh-duh, d-fense. I am good at it because I know exactly when to say it, and I can usually get some people around me to go along. I don't always know when to stop. I don't like it when they cut off the music but I keep saying it. And why do some people do extra clapping? How do they know how to do it? I want to know. I also really like that Gary Glitter song. I know all the words and all the parts.

One of the best parts about going to the game with my dad is that he knows more about basketball than anyone. And I think I am starting to know almost as much. I can list who starts for most of the teams, and I know where players went to college. That's how you know a real fan. A lot of people say they like basketball, but they don't even know the starting back court from UNLV, and they don't know that Charles Oakley went to Virginia Union. Do you know about Mark Eaton? Some people don't, but I follow all the teams, not just the Knicks, although they're my favorite.

A screen is when a guy doesn't have the ball and a pick is when he does. They get that wrong on TV a lot. Even my dad can't always remember, but those of us who are big basketball fans care about that.

Bill Russell is underrated. So is Gerald Wilkins.

...

If there is an arena that plays more music than this one, I can't think of it. It's just not possible. And why even give us the opening note of "Crank That"? Seems kind of dumb. Either play the song or don't. And stop playing so much Fat Joe and Rihanna.

So the Knicks are trying to come back against the Hornets with Wilson Chandler, Jamal Crawford, Randolph Morris, Malik Rose, and Jared Jeffries? Fi-re Is-i-ah; Fi-re Is-i-ah; Fi-re Is-i-ah. Honestly, I think that's mostly why I came tonight. At least I got to do that a few times.

This is all futile. Robinson's played well, the Hornets have looked tired (second night of a back-to-back), the Knicks have been OK...and Chris Paul is about to come back into this game and end it.

God, is he smooth. There's effortless and then there's Chris Paul. On four straight trips, he's gone jumper, jumper, layup, jumper in the lane. No one can handle him. How did he become this good this fast? And it's not just his scoring. That's almost secondary. I love how he creates easy angles, not just easy shots, for his teammates. He'll dart into the lane, draw a few defenders, and leave a lane in his wake that Tyson Chandler can easily fill. Or he'll use a pick to take a help defender across the lane and leave a 45-degree opening for David West to easily bank the pop. Nash finds teammates in their spots, and Amare works the pick-and-roll so well, but no one creates space for his guys like Paul. It goes beyond the passing, alone. He just moves in ways that make the game feel orchestrated. And he doesn't seem to try hard.

Eddy Curry just has absolutely no basketball skills beyond a few post moves. He just passed out of a quasi, half-hearted double team by throwing the ball over Robinson's head and across halfcourt. Tyson Chandler, about 70 pounds lighter, just used him in the paint. He has yet to box out anyone, and his rebounding seems to happen accidentally, as though he doesn't mean to do it. What a disaster. Fi-re Is-i-ah!

This chicken sandwich was OK, but I should have had a hot dog.

I find the dancers to be depressing. That is what they count as their jobs?

No Julian Wright and no Hilton Armstrong. The Hornets game against the Sonics was more fun.