Tuesday, August 14, 2012
Tuesday, January 10, 2012
Sports Journalism
I’ve experienced
many sporting events and can recall in detail most of them, but the game I
remember the most is the Celtics playoff game in 2009 I attended. It was the
first round of the playoffs and Boston was facing Chicago at the TD Garden. The
game was close throughout the second half and at no point I felt I could leave
my seat. I can remember the Celtics had a better advantage because our players
weren’t in foul trouble. The game was tied with only a few seconds to spare.
While Coach Doc Rivers called a time-out, the whole arena knew he was building
a play for shooting guard Ray Allen to take the last shot. He had already
produced over 20 points in the second half for his team and was ready to tag on
three more. As the game resumed, point guard Rajon Rondo received an inbounds
pass from Paul Pierce and dished it off to Allen as he came off the screen from
teammate Glen Davis. He took the shot from the top right side of the three
point line and drained it. The TD Garden went crazy! Now there were only two seconds left in the
game, the Bulls had the ball, and there was no time for them to score. One of
the Bulls players took an inbounds pass and attempted a half court shot and
missed. At the end of the game, everyone on the team ran over to the “Player of
the Game” and congratulated him. It was a game that helped motivate the team
throughout the series and gave Coach Rivers renewed confidence in Allen.
As we walked out
of the TD Garden, I recapped the game in my head, thinking about every
situation that could possibly happen within the last few seconds remaining. That
night proved to me that a game isn’t over until time runs out. I never lost
hope in the Celtics, but the odds of Allen making that 3-point shot with so
little time left was unlikely. People always underestimate the abilities of
athletes and assume many things about the game. Spectators and sports analysis
frequently make predictions and place arguments about a game before it has even
started. Going into the second game, the Celtics were down 1-0 in the series,
so this was an important game to win. So when the “experts” analyzed this game,
they gave Chicago the upper hand since they had momentum going into Game 2. As
we know from the Red Sox in 2004, it is very hard to come back from a series
when you’re down by a few games or being one away from elimination, but it can
be done! Two Red Sox pitchers Josh Beckett and Jon Lester were there to witness
this game. These Red Sox players who were at the game could relate to Ray Allen
in some ways because their team had counted on them to win a game before. Emotions
from one athlete to another are very similar because they have been in
relatable game situations before in their life.
This playoff series
ended up going to seven games, with the Celtics winning. They moved on to the next round to play
against the Orlando Magic. Even though they didn’t get past the Magic or win
the NBA Championship that year, they proved something to people by getting
farther then most predicted. One of their leading scorers, Kevin Garnett, had
gotten injured at the end of the season and was out for the playoffs, so most
didn’t think the Celtics would make it past the Chicago Bulls in the first
round.
Even
until this day, it’s still hard to believe that Ray Allen made that ‘buzzer
beater’ shot to win the game and I was there to witness it. The intensity and
competition of that game occurred throughout the night, but when the game came
down to the wire, a true athlete came through and went beyond his ability to
lift his team to victory. It is not until that moment that you recognize the
true respect you feel for those players because they bring so much passion to
the game and make it even more enjoyable to watch. I remember this game so well
because it was my first playoff game and my first Celtics game ever! It would have been a fond memory for me, even
if the Celtics did not win, because either way I was experiencing something new
for the first time. There is something about that night that made me feel a part
of something bigger than myself and I finally got to say I saw a thrilling game
in person. We have all witnessed some amazing comebacks in sports, but I think
until you sit in the stands or watch it in a stadium with thousands of other people
there is no greater feeling. When the game is down to the wire and athletes
reach beyond themselves and come up with more heart, more strength and more adrenaline
then the crowd can handle, they prove that time and time again, “It’s not over
till it’s over.”
many sporting events and can recall in detail most of them, but the game I
remember the most is the Celtics playoff game in 2009 I attended. It was the
first round of the playoffs and Boston was facing Chicago at the TD Garden. The
game was close throughout the second half and at no point I felt I could leave
my seat. I can remember the Celtics had a better advantage because our players
weren’t in foul trouble. The game was tied with only a few seconds to spare.
While Coach Doc Rivers called a time-out, the whole arena knew he was building
a play for shooting guard Ray Allen to take the last shot. He had already
produced over 20 points in the second half for his team and was ready to tag on
three more. As the game resumed, point guard Rajon Rondo received an inbounds
pass from Paul Pierce and dished it off to Allen as he came off the screen from
teammate Glen Davis. He took the shot from the top right side of the three
point line and drained it. The TD Garden went crazy! Now there were only two seconds left in the
game, the Bulls had the ball, and there was no time for them to score. One of
the Bulls players took an inbounds pass and attempted a half court shot and
missed. At the end of the game, everyone on the team ran over to the “Player of
the Game” and congratulated him. It was a game that helped motivate the team
throughout the series and gave Coach Rivers renewed confidence in Allen.
As we walked out
of the TD Garden, I recapped the game in my head, thinking about every
situation that could possibly happen within the last few seconds remaining. That
night proved to me that a game isn’t over until time runs out. I never lost
hope in the Celtics, but the odds of Allen making that 3-point shot with so
little time left was unlikely. People always underestimate the abilities of
athletes and assume many things about the game. Spectators and sports analysis
frequently make predictions and place arguments about a game before it has even
started. Going into the second game, the Celtics were down 1-0 in the series,
so this was an important game to win. So when the “experts” analyzed this game,
they gave Chicago the upper hand since they had momentum going into Game 2. As
we know from the Red Sox in 2004, it is very hard to come back from a series
when you’re down by a few games or being one away from elimination, but it can
be done! Two Red Sox pitchers Josh Beckett and Jon Lester were there to witness
this game. These Red Sox players who were at the game could relate to Ray Allen
in some ways because their team had counted on them to win a game before. Emotions
from one athlete to another are very similar because they have been in
relatable game situations before in their life.
This playoff series
ended up going to seven games, with the Celtics winning. They moved on to the next round to play
against the Orlando Magic. Even though they didn’t get past the Magic or win
the NBA Championship that year, they proved something to people by getting
farther then most predicted. One of their leading scorers, Kevin Garnett, had
gotten injured at the end of the season and was out for the playoffs, so most
didn’t think the Celtics would make it past the Chicago Bulls in the first
round.
Even
until this day, it’s still hard to believe that Ray Allen made that ‘buzzer
beater’ shot to win the game and I was there to witness it. The intensity and
competition of that game occurred throughout the night, but when the game came
down to the wire, a true athlete came through and went beyond his ability to
lift his team to victory. It is not until that moment that you recognize the
true respect you feel for those players because they bring so much passion to
the game and make it even more enjoyable to watch. I remember this game so well
because it was my first playoff game and my first Celtics game ever! It would have been a fond memory for me, even
if the Celtics did not win, because either way I was experiencing something new
for the first time. There is something about that night that made me feel a part
of something bigger than myself and I finally got to say I saw a thrilling game
in person. We have all witnessed some amazing comebacks in sports, but I think
until you sit in the stands or watch it in a stadium with thousands of other people
there is no greater feeling. When the game is down to the wire and athletes
reach beyond themselves and come up with more heart, more strength and more adrenaline
then the crowd can handle, they prove that time and time again, “It’s not over
till it’s over.”
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)