CalStateTempe wrote:That time I saw a game that cathartic was the Duke beatdown at the Honda Center in the S16.
Yes.
Though the main difference for me was I was expecting nothing vs Duke, glad to be in the building (a friend couldn't go so I flew (in my jeep) to Anaheim and crashed at a friend's apartment in downtown Orange), had front row upper deck between the midcourt line and three point line on our shooting side in the 2nd half (I was right in line with Jamelle's shot and the hoop from behind him vs UConn), and after being down big at the half, I still did not have any kind of anxiety or hope. That lightning bolt was all gravy for that season, a 20 minute dance of total freedom from all of life's challenges. It was my Burning Man.
UCLA Saturday? First, I had a new TV delivered at noon. So I frantically hooked up cables, realized to get my sound system to work for Netflix from the TV I needed an optic line, and I was short one HDMI cable for the new Xbox One S I had on its way, so I had to bust down to Target and grab some cables, put the TV together, move my 12 year old Sony 720/60Hz projection paperweight out of the way (biggest mistake I ever made...not paying the $14 for them to haul it away for me. Even Goodwill doesn't take projection TVs), and get everything programmed before tip. I made it with 30 minutes to spare. I gained 5 " (every man's dream), 4K (well, with my Xbox and Netflix), UHD...never has a pre-game looked so fucking amazing in my living room.
And from the tip, I was a gnarled ball of nerves. It was as if the extra visual clarity created extra emotional depth in my cranium. Actually, it was more like a full body tense. I yelled. I screamed. I did the thing where I am muttering over and over that we are going to fucking lose the game. How the fuck? Really? His feet weren't even set...how the fuck did he make that three. C'mon...seriously...how can you stop a team that makes 3s shooting fadeaways from their left tit? Fuck....you have to grab that ball, Dusan...it is on the ground right next to you. You had an easy two now they get three. Fuck, the lead is 2, what the hell? Seriously...we are going to lose this game? We had this. What the hell? Sure...just ruin my birthday. We had this shit. How the fuck can we lose this game?!?. (silence as we hit a 3. Silence as we hit a shot. Silence as we get a stop. Silence as PJC drives to the hole) DAGGER, MOTHERFUCKERS. THAT'S BALLGAMEGETOFFTHERIMLAURISERIOUSLYGETOFFTHEFUCKINGRIMNICEJOBCHANCEWAYTOCONTROLTHEBENCHHOLYFUCKTHAT'S IT...WE BEAT THESE FUCKERS IN PAULEY. WE ARE GOOD. HOLY SHIT, WE ARE GOOD....
Something like that.