Leon Powe looked Arenas-like last night as he scored a career high 27 points 11 rebounds to lead the Celtics past the Nets in the season finale. My girlfriend and I had the good fortune of attending last night's victory, which was a great way for us to celebrate my birthday. Now, certainly I could turn this in to a long column about the game. It gave me a great opportunity to rant loudly about how Devin Harris was a good player and I still can't get over how stupid the Mavericks are. It also gave me a good chance to yell about how Marcus Williams should have stayed at UCONN for at least one more year (especially after he made them look bad with that whole computer theft thing). And, most importantly, it gave me a chance to really reflect on how great this Celtics team is, and to see our bench guys do their thing, which gives me a great deal of confidence. I will note that Glen Davis had the best game he's had in a while, which was great to see. We also got a pretty good look at Gabe Pruitt, who made some nice plays. But, as great as last night was, there is one incident that I'd like to discuss:
Last night was Fan Appreciation Night, so there were a lot of great prizes being given away. There were two big t-shirt tosses instead of one (just like every time, those shirts don't reach the balcony), there were lots of small gift give-aways, and one guy even won a trip to Atlanta and tickets to the away playoff games against the Hawks. That was given to him at his seat as we watched on the Jumbotron. I was very jealous obviously. Then, they brought 4 contestants out on the Garden Floor and announced that "now we will be giving out one of the biggest prizes of the night.".......... Some excitement began to build.
The contest taking place down on the court was a dance-off. Four fans all dancing for the chance to win whatever "one of the biggest prizes of the night" was. I wanted to be down there so badly. I don't dance, but I sure as hell would if the prizes were going to continue getting better. It had to be season tickets for next year, or tickets to all the playoff games, or SOMETHING that is just fucking awesome.
The man that won, much like me, looked like dancing in public had traditionally felt like punishment to him. He was husky in build, and wore faded jeans and an old grey Celtics t-shirt (looked to be vintage 1993 Celtics wear.) He was middle-aged. But, you could see in his eyes that he was not going to be outdone by his younger and more rhythmic competitors. He would be willing to walk on hot coals for the chance to have season tickets, or the opportunity to attend even just one Celtics playoff game. So, the man danced furiously, like a bull with his nuts tied together trying to shake a cowboy at the rodeo. At the end, the man was clearly exhausted. Ordinarily, making a spectacle like this might have wounded his pride, but his demonstrative eyes told us all that he was not concerned. Any of us would have done the same, and he was right. The crowd rewarded his effort with a thunderous applause that lifted him easily over his competitors. The man raised his hands gloriously, and shook hands with the losers. Then, he was given his envelope. I felt extremely anxious watching him open it. Out loud I pondered "do you think it's season tickets for next year or playoff tickets? Which would be better? I can't even decide." The victorious warrior opened the envelope and pulled out the prize, and the announcement came over the loudspeaker................................................
"You've won 2 tickets to a Celine Dion concert!"
What the hell! It sounds like a fucking joke but I'm not kidding. That poor bastard danced so hard because he loves the Celtics so much and he was willing to make a fool of himself to win some tickets. And this is how they reward him. The man was gracious, but his face told the story of his feelings. Defeat, disappointment, horror. He'll never be the same. This isn't something that you just get over. I didn't think a middle-aged man could lose his innocence, but it happened last night. I love the Celtics, but I don't know how this was allowed to happen. It makes me sick. Easily the worst prize to have ever been given at a sporting event in the TD Banknorth Garden.
Nevertheless, the night was great overall, and I am pumped for the post-season. We'll have all the action for you here on roomofzen.
3 comments:
They might as well have said..."Congratulations...You Have AIDS!"
I was at that game and can attest for the look of horror and disappointment on the man's face. I just hope that they're great tickets and can sell them to some crazy Celine Dion fan (if that even exists) for a shitload of money that he can then use to buy himself a real prize. Then maybe he might consider attending a Celtics home game again.
whose bright idea was this?
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