After flying into Portland on Tuesday and four intense work days, I finally got off Friday night and treated myself to something special, visiting my first ever professional basketball game. The opportunity was too good to pass up, as defending NBA champion Golden State Warriors came to town to take on Portland’s Trail Blazers, both currently in second and third place in the Western Conference. For my photographs of this memorable evening and some in game experience continue after the jump….
As I couldn’t be sure to be able to leave the office in time, I didn’t pre-book any tickets, but rather decided to try my luck directly at the Moda Center Ticket Office, and got lucky, despite the game ultimately selling out with a crowd of 19.487. Prices were hefty though, so I settled for a seat high in the upper (third) level of the huge arena, but visibility of the court was still excellent. I also saved on parking, as just a relaxed 10 minute walk away from the Rose Quarter complex is plenty of free parking on the streets.
It was awesome to see those elegant athletes play, and with the likes of Stephen Curry, Kevin Durant and Damian Lillard it was the best of the best that put on quite a display of their extraordinary skills.
After initially the Blazer pulled away, Golden State made in close again and even went ahead in the third quarter, but it was an exiting game altogether, with the hometown crowd plus tons of Golden State Fans in the house put on a truly electric atmosphere.
Also the show elements at half-time and during the team time outs where really entertaining.
Portland’s CJ McCollum scored 30 points, Damian Lillard added 28 and the Portland Trail Blazers won their ninth straight game with a 125-108 victory over the Golden State Warriors. In the end it was all celebrations and a memorable Rip City experience.
Rip City, by the way, is a Portland nickname mostly associated with the Trail Blazers. The term was shouted out by a play-by-play announcer during a game in the Blazer’s first season (1971) when a seamingly hopeless long distance shot went in. The announcer admitted later that he has no idea how he came up with the expression, but it stuck and became synonymous with the team and the city of Portland.
For sure this post would qualify also for this week’s WPC with the title “Story”.
The weather forecast for my weekend in the Pacific Northwest is outstanding, so I’m looking forward for some shooting the the town on Saturday and a trip to the coast on Sunday.
Wish you all a great weekend!
Marcus
Related Posts: