The very first thing I discover about Las Vegas isn’t the lights, though they’re vibrant, or the warmth, though its 120 levels — it’s the noise. The incessant jangling of slots, the music thumping from invisible audio system, and the din of excited dialog. Not solely was this my first journey to NBA Summer season League; it was my first journey to Vegas ever.
It’s July eleventh, I’ve simply landed flying in from Pittsburgh by means of Denver. As my silent cab driver drops me off at Planet Hollywood, I’m formally in Las Vegas. If you understand nothing about me, which I think about is nearly everybody studying this, this journey wasn’t nearly going to Summer season League. It was additionally about assembly with my podcast co-hosts from our pod First to the Flooring. I feel one differentiating issue of our present separating it amongst the plethora of Celtics and basketball pods, is that we do it from reverse corners of the world, none of that are Boston, and even New England. I’m stationed in West Virginia, whereas Ben and Jake are Australians. They usually aren’t simply “from” Australia. They at the moment dwell there.
Suffice to say, we don’t get plenty of alternatives to satisfy, even Ben and Jake dwell in several components of Australia (apparently, they’ve states too, who knew?). In actual fact, I’d solely ever met Ben in particular person as soon as, after we went to the 2022 NBA Finals collectively, and Jake I’d by no means met. There’s a singular feeling that comes with assembly two folks in-person that you just’ve spoken to endlessly over the web. A giddy pleasure to see two those that I’d think about superb buddies at this level, blended with a tinge of tension round seeing them in 3 dimensions as an alternative of two. I by no means thought a spotlight of my thirty seventh 12 months on Earth could be assembly my web buddies, however welcome to 2024.
After I drop my luggage off at my resort room (incurring a $28.00 early check-in price, welcome to Vegas), I begin the seek for someplace to attend. Ben’s simply landed after a 20+ hour journey and desires time to assemble himself earlier than assembly with me. Jake’s resulting from land round 6 pm. It’s this set of circumstances that leads me to Cabo Wabo.
Apparently, Cabo Wabo is a tequila model. The bar appears like someplace sunburned middle-aged of us would congregate at Myrtle Seashore, a scene I’m not unfamiliar with. The bartender is pierced and tattooed, chatty, however not overly. We bond over mouthing the lyrics to Rage In opposition to the Machine’s “Guerilla Radio” on the identical time, a head nod of respect.
Time is only a suggestion in Vegas, however about midway by way of margarita #3, I hear the acquainted Aussie-twinged “Spooney!” from behind me. Ben has arrived.
I flip round, get out of my seat, and we execute a barely awkward however wholly earnest dap/hug mixture. We commiserate about our pleasure for Summer season League and Jordan Walsh (didn’t age nicely) and conclude with how a lot we love our children after 20 minutes of complaining about them. We’re off to a bar name Beer Park, the place we’ve got a drink and a few wings because the Vegas solar creeps nearer to the horizon.
Then it’s off to the Paris On line casino the place Ben loses an undisclosed quantity in underneath half-hour. Time melts away and, as Janos would say, “whiskey is pour.” Then a textual content comes by way of. It’s time to satisfy Jake out entrance. The congregation full.
Hugs are had, Jake mentions that it’s bizarre seeing me within the flesh (I feel, it’s all a bit hazy by that time), I remark that I’m really actual, not completely believing it at that time. We gamble for some time; Ben data a 10-minute dialog between Jake and I about the most effective beginning Pokémon (we agree that its Squirtle). Sooner or later we head to mattress; all of our pockets only a bit lighter. Summer season League formally begins tomorrow.
Jake (additionally staying at Planet Hollywood) and I meet Ben on the Aria the place he’s staying. We snag an Uber to the Thomas & Mack Middle. It’s a contemporary venue not all that totally different from TD Backyard, the jerseys of UNLV legends like Larry Johnson and Stacey Augmon including to the hallowed nature of the proceedings.
We rapidly study that the fantastic thing about Summer season League is that the video games are performed on the Thomas & Mack and Cox Pavilion, that are connected. $45 to get within the door after which it’s all you possibly can eat basketball till late into the evening.
The very first thing we hear when getting into Thomas & Mack, even above the din of dialog, is the squeaking of sneakers on the hardwood. I dare somebody to discover a higher sound than that — the basketball equal of Symphony Quantity 9. There’s an exclamatory cheer: somebody will need to have dunked. I can really feel the anticipation constructing, however first we cease off at aconcession stand.
Ben and I’ve the primary of a collection of beer-related miscommunications and we find yourself with 5 beers as an alternative of three. We persevere and discover some wonderful seats within the first row of the balcony.
Our introductory sport is Timberwolves-Pelicans. It’s unremarkable aside from Jake commenting on what number of pictures Jordan Hawkins is taking and lacking (6/23 by sport’s finish), and me cheering for Jesse Edwards, who went to my alma mater of West Virginia College and who additionally promptly will get dunked on when he enters the sport. Then, the actual present begins.
Sport 2 is the Los Angeles Lakers towards the Houston Rockets. There are a number of attention-grabbing storylines at play right here. For Houston, we’re giddy that Cam Whitmore is inexplicably taking part in, and excited to get a primary glimpse at Reed Sheppard, third decide within the draft. The heavy Lakers crowd (Vegas is a really brief flight and a straightforward drive from LA) are right here for one man: Bronny James.
There’s a large cascade of cheers each time Bronny makes a shot in warmups. The Lakers followers reside and dying with Bronny. At one level, nonetheless in warmups, he tries to throw himself an alley-oop. It fails spectacularly, the Lakers followers audibly groan, and I can’t comprise the guffaw that erupts from my mouth. As a LeBron hater, I’ve nothing towards Bronny, nevertheless it’s troublesome to separate father from son and I’m a foul particular person. The Lakers fan sitting subsequent to us doesn’t recognize it.
The Lakers crowd provides the sport an electrical environment. Each Dalton Knecht three is met with raucous cheers; each Cam Whitmore dunk uncomfortable silence. Whitmore rapidly establishes he’s approach too good for Summer season League, and Bronny rapidly establishes he ought to have stayed one other 12 months (or two) at USC.
I received’t sugar coat it; we’re watching a brutal sport from James. The Lakers followers begin loudly groaning for each missed Bronny jumper. It’s uncooked, uncut schadenfreude for Celtics followers.
Sooner or later within the fourth quarter, the inconceivable occurs. I begin to really feel dangerous for Bronny James. Whereas he’s had each benefit that life can present you, it’s nonetheless very troublesome to look at somebody battle that loud. It wasn’t even simply loud, it was cacophonously.
However the actual spotlight is Reed Sheppard. Reed is a 6’3” guard out of Kentucky. He was clearly extremely rated after going third within the draft, however what we’re witnessing is the Shep-show. If you’re primarily a Celtics fan and/or didn’t take note of Summer season League, you’re lacking out.
Reed flashes all of it. Absurd passing imaginative and prescient, fast defensive arms, and the taking pictures,
Oh child, the taking pictures. I favored Sheppard as a prospect, however I didn’t anticipate this, particularly in his first skilled sport. He doesn’t simply appear to be he belongs. He’s making everybody else appear to be they don’t. There isn’t a better crowd sound than the “oooohhhhh” a participant generates when he pulls off one thing really nasty. Sheppard generated a few handful of these in his first sport. It was intoxicating, or maybe that was the beer. Both approach, we had been having enjoyable.
After that sport ends, we bounce across the constructing a bit, take a peek at Cox, after which settle in at Thomas & Mack for the large showdown with the #1 decide versus quantity 2 decide. Zaccharie Risacher and Alex Sarr, are you able to fell the EXCITEMENT?
The followers in Vegas very a lot don’t really feel the thrill. The gang has palpably thinned after the Hawks and Wizards get underneath approach with the Lakers followers leaving in disgrace. I confide in Ben and Jake that I actually like Alex Sarr as a prospect, which can come again to hang-out me later. Risacher really seems to be fairly stable in his early minutes and Alex Sarr is huge, which could be useful — not for him — however for some gamers.
It’s a fairly uneventful sport though all of us agree that Bub Carrington appeared good. We find yourself heading again to the Strip someday within the third quarter. The plan is to satisfy up with just a few different CelticsBlog of us and go from there. First, nevertheless, we file and episode of the podcast in Ben’s resort room.
We find yourself discovering the Celticsblog crew, putt across the Aria for a bit, earlier than finally settling in to seize burgers. We have now a pleasant chat, headlined by everybody ganging up on Jack Simone for his take that Payton Pritchard is best than TJ McConnell. All of us determine it’s greatest to name it an early evening as a result of tomorrow the actual enjoyable begins. The Celtics play.
Half 2 coming quickly.
